Continuity mistake: Tied to a conveyor belt, Batman and Robin move past a stack of boxes stenciled with the factory's name. Cut to close-up, and they're now back to a position right next to the boxes. Back to master shot, and the boxes are once again several feet away - at least until the next close-up. (00:02:50)
Continuity mistake: As Tut prepares to re-animate the scarab beetles, his apothecary henchman stands to his immediate right, close enough to touch his shoulder. But when the shot cuts to a wider angle, the man is standing a foot away. (00:08:45)
Factual error: King Tut is said here to have been a 4th Dynasty ruler. Just as in the previous Tut episode, Egyptian history seems to have entirely escaped Batman's writers. They previously mis-identified Tut's namesake as a 14th Dynasty ruler, and this time around, guessed wrong again. In fact, Tutenkamen's brief rule was part of the 18th Dynasty. (00:03:30)
Tut's Case is Shut (2) - S2-E8
Continuity mistake: Tut's "pets," which are a little too obviously plastic, are crocodiles (with pointed snouts), and they're sitting on a grassy island in their water tank. The stock footage inserts, however, are of alligators (which have flat snouts) swimming in open water, with no island in sight. (00:02:30)
The Zodiac Crimes (1) - S2-E37
Continuity mistake: Joker's floating zap-wand is hanging in the air right in front of Chief O'Hara's face. But when the shot cuts, it's instantly ten feet away, and is now floating behind the Joker. (00:01:45)
The Penguin's Nest (1) - S2-E27
Revealing mistake: When Bruce, Dick and Aunt Harriet get into what's supposed to be an elevator, there's solid concrete under the sliding doors where there should be a break separating the lift car from the building's floor. It's visible again in Part 2, when Batman and Robin use the same elevator. (00:04:30)
The Clock King Gets Crowned (2) - S2-E12
Continuity mistake: Batman and Robin are trapped in the overturned hourglass. They're sitting upright when Batman suggests an escape plan. In the very next shot, they're sprawled face down on the sand. (00:04:15)
The Greatest Mother of Them All (1) - S2-E9
Revealing mistake: When Ma Parker activates her jet-propelled wheelchair, the much younger stunt woman's face is visible as the chair speeds down the hallway toward Batman and Robin. (00:09:15)
The Bat's Kow Tow (2) - S2-E30
Factual error: Batman ingeniously deduces that the sympathetic vibration needed to escape Catwoman's sound-trap is the note F-sharp above high-C. What he proceeds to hum, however, is a D, and Robin hums an E. Neither of them reaches F-sharp, but the sound chamber dutifully explodes and frees them anyway. (00:02:30)
It's the Way You Play the Game (2) - S2-E26
Visible crew/equipment: When Batman and Robin visit Laughing Leo's Used Car Lot, the side of the Batmobile reflects a whole row of big square studio lighting panels. (00:06:30)
It's the Way You Play the Game (2) - S2-E26
Visible crew/equipment: The Batmobile has just pulled away, and as Andy waves good-bye, the camera shadow can be seen moving rapidly offscreen at the lower lefthand corner of the frame. (00:04:25)
Marsha's Scheme of Diamonds (2) - S2-E24
Continuity mistake: In part 1, Marsha's prisoners included the mayor. Here, Batman rescues Robin, Gordon and O'Hara - but the mayor has disappeared. And oddly, no one mentions his ever having been there. (00:05:05)
The Yegg Foes in Gotham (2) - S2-E14
Continuity mistake: Just before Bruce Wayne tosses the grape to set it off, Egghead's miniature radar bomb moves to a different position on the floor all by itself. (00:04:00 - 00:05:20)
Batman's Satisfaction (2) - S2-E52
Continuity mistake: Britt Reid visits Bruce Wayne, and while sitting on the couch, stretches forward and places both hands on his knees. But in the next take, he's abruptly leaning back with his arms folded. (00:09:30)
The Clock King's Crazy Crimes (1) - S2-E11
Continuity mistake: Clock King renders the art gallery patrons unconscious with a high-frequency sound wave. As they fall, one of the men drops his hat. When they come to and get up, the hat has disappeared. (00:15:20 - 00:19:10)
The Penguin Declines (3) - S2-E39
Continuity mistake: When Joker's goons return from Operation Laundry Bag and finally release Penguin from the bag, Penguin's hat is secured on his head with an elastic strap, but this strap vanishes in the next shot. (00:04:30)
Batman's Anniversary (1) - S2-E45
Continuity mistake: Sitting at the banquet table, Batman has placed his left hand over his chest. When the shot cuts, his hands are instantly both down at his sides. (00:05:00)
Penguin Sets a Trend (2) - S2-E43
Continuity mistake: Penguin's van races by a Gotham City movie theater, passing three cars parked in front of it. In the very next shot, the Batmobile zips past the same spot in hot pursuit - and there are now four cars parked there. (00:20:20)
The Penguin Declines (3) - S2-E39
Factual error: Joker, Penguin and no less than four henchmen all manage to hide in the Batmobile's trunk and leap out when it enters the Batcave. Even for Batman, this is stretching credibility more than a bit. There's no way the Batmobile's trunk could hold six adults and still close (and it was closed). Two might fit, even three in a pinch - but not six. (00:17:30)
The Bat's Kow Tow (2) - S2-E30
Continuity mistake: When Catwoman tries to tempt Batman into a kiss at the end, his cape is draped completely over the right half of his chest. Each time the angle reverses, though, it's pulled back over his shoulder in its usual position. (00:21:15)
Answer: It's wasn't unusual for multiple actors to play one character on this show. The villains on the TV Batman were played by guest stars, not regular cast members. George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach played the part at various times. They may simply have only wanted to play the part once or twice, or they were later tied up with other projects, making it necessary to cast someone else. Other characters, like Catwoman, were also played by more than one actress.
raywest ★