Ma Parker (in case you forgot who today's villain was from the other day)
October 6, 1966
"When the Dynamic Duo realizes Ma Parker has seized control of the Gotham Penitentiary, they must get in to stop her."
69 minutes
RD Won't Give His Measurements. He takes a sip from his not WWE Niagara Falls Cup.
Vince's other Co-Hosts also agree Aunt Harriet was covertly promiscuous.
Four years after this Winters would be the actual Ma Barker in Roger Corman's Bloody Mama, with Robert De Niro playing Travis Bickle one of her sons.
Twenty five years after this Winters would also be on (the original) Roseanne as Nana Mary.
RD wouldn't want to watch anything more from her after this episode. Vince gives him boos. He wouldn't mind Jerry Lawler as a guest Co-Host. RD has him hold his (wrong) arm out.
RD reminds Vince to follow "standard protocol" to allow him to tell people when an episode aired.
The Narrator is initially bored for some reason. Vince thinks one of the dropped greeting cards from the earlier day was an influence on Hong Kong Phooey (starring Scatman Crothers, also in Bloody Mama).
In the speeding Batmobile Robin is suddenly hungry and asks to pick up the speed. (:12) Of course Batman reminds him to obey the 55 limit. He then pulls over the check the engine. "Just as I thought: dynamite!" He then lightly throws it causing an explosion. Vince wonders why he then decided to drive off anyway.
Somehow Parker hears the explosion all the way in Arkham Asylum Gotham Penitentiary as she continues her plan to establish herself within the facility.
Warden Crichton: [raising his arms in prayer] "Heaven help us, it might work!"
Ma Parker: "Sure it's gonna work. And you know why, Warden? 'Cause the 'Pen' is mightier than the sword!"
[Cue WWCR style laughs]
Mad Dog: "Ma, you're a riot!"
Pretty Boy: "Yeah, a prison riot!"
[More WWCR laughter]
Parker then plans to improve the conditions, worrying Crichton who already believes they are the best in the "penal system".
As the Duo drive back Batman wonders why someone named "Trusty" would plant an explosive. (:17)
Robin: "He's certainly isn't someone you can trust."
Batman: "A prison is full of social outcasts Robin. Some of them are seeking revenge and one can hardly blame them."
Vince wonders if West flubbed the line.
Back at the prison Batman wonders how all of a sudden Crichton's "day-cor is a trifle drab" and asks to see Ma. Vince: "He might have been more interested with the going down with Legs after the show." He was surprised when the lady wrestlers on Raw checked they were alright by grabbing their breasts, as he's never seen it before.
The Duo then go with the Warden and guards to Parker's cell.
Batman: "You're keeping Ma Parker and her daughter in the same cell block with the boys?"
Crichton: "Uh, yes, it's what I call my "family plan," Batman. It's my
theory that the family that dorms together reforms together."
Ma hangs up a Home Sweet Home sign as Machine Gun plays a heartfelt tune on a violin. This caused RD to laugh out loud when he watched it. Pretty Boy has a (nice) 69 in his number. Mad Dog growls due to his namesake. Legs does makeup in lighting that makes hair hair Harley Quinn pink. Satisfied at the state of affairs as presented, the Duo sprint off. The guards then open the cell-doors by flipping a switch.
The prisoners are all assembled and on board with Parker's plan as she makes her pitch of growing their numbers with more prisoners. This includes Catwoman, although Joker and Penguin are in solitary for now kowtowing to Parker's authority. Vince didn't think Newmar wanted to be there. RD think they shot her separately since she was wearing her regular catsuit.
In the Batcave Robin declares victory while Batman expresses doubt on the situation. (:28) As they try to think on it, Parker and family rob an armored truck. The guards respond by missing completely at point blank range. So they throw a bomb which is powerful enough to be picked up by the Duo. Parker covers tracks by throwing some of the money in the air. The drawn in crowd manages to delay the Duo who have to spend time politely pushing their way through, but he manages to catch part of a sleeve for analysis. (Back) To the Batcave!
The Hyper Spectrograph Analyzer tells them it's from a prison uniform, so they call Crichton. Ma is also listening and indirectly tells Batman to "take a Batjump in Gotham Lake". So Crichton suddenly shouts that she's taken over before they shoot him put a garbage can over his head and pound at it like it's a high school.
The Duo have to race back to the prison. Once again Robin walks over the hood of the Batmobile instead of walking around it like a normal person, allowing RD to no end.
As they climb up the penitentiary's wall to the roof they encounter future villain Milton Berle, here as a current villain prison guard. Vince has heard that like Ward he too had a large unit. He points his gun at the two.
Guard: "Anyone can get out, but no one can get in!"
Batman: "You're jeopardizing your future. Only 48 years and you'll be paroled."
RD calculated Berle would have been 106 by then. (He actually lived to 94.)
But the guard listens and throws his gun over the wall. Batman compliments his decision.
The Duo are immediately captured as soon as they step into the yard and are brought to Parker who has more Krankor-response jokes before she puts them in electric chairs. RD thinks that should have been the cliffhanger instead of wondering if Batman will obey the speed limit. They plan to flip the switch at midnight when not many people will notice the slight power usage, assuming they even notice anything at all during the day anyway. The time is tracked on a clock underneath a human skull for some reason.
They leave Legs, in what RD considers incredible black and white stripes, to watch over them. Vince gives her 9.25 Batpoles due to her more concealing outfit than Pauline, much to RD's consternation. He can only give her 7.5 due to yet more unappealing closeups of the face, and for being in an episode with Julie Newmar. Tisha Sterling appeared in The Donna Reed Show and a few sporadic appearances over the years. (RD would give Reed 9.5 for her It's A Wonderful Life appearance.) Vince considers having her on the show.
Batman gives Robin more fortune cookie proverbs to aid his spirits before he tries to get to Legs. (:46) He has her go check on her brothers in a "psychological experiment" of...walking to another place. Being helped by his straps being loosely around his wrist instead of his full arm, he sends a message on his Batbelt through a long named Batreceiver in the Batcave...which is heard by Aunt Harriet, who is not allowed to enter Bruce's study. Alfred has to cover through electrical work, then has to take notes on the Morse code being loudly heard from down below. Vince thinks it needs to be loud like a smoke alarm. RD wonders how half-deaf Aunt Harriet could not hear the jet engine Batmobile then. Vince: "It's soundproof."
The family argues on who gets to flip the switch. Batman asks for Robin to go at least, so Parker suddenly decides to turn it on anyway - just as the power fails. The Duo get up and into a very short fight using infrared glasses, although Legs manages to get away. Batman had told Alfred to cut off the power at midnight, which also means the cell-door switch would not work. RD wonders why Parker still kept her prisoners in their cells. You can't have criminals be allowed to roam around freely in the prison they claimed for themselves. That's Joker-level madness!
In the Warden's office they proclaim "the mother and her four children" are in jail for real. RD wonders why Legs was shown escaping then (instead of making sure Batman looked properly tied up). Vince spins a meandering yarn. RD: "That's a troll, ladies and gentlemen!" A chime is heard for Sunday service and Crichton has a received gift for Parker. Batman slowly opens it...and it's a bouquet of roses for Mother's Day. Cue the laugh track.
RD jokes on rating Ma Parker, but enjoyed reading more about Winters' filmography. Vince overhears RD Junior having a coughing fit; perhaps allergic to Vince's way of thinking. Unfortunately RD couldn't find much to recommend or like on today's episode.
RD wrote about Kane and Big Show in a technical match.
On Patreon RD plans to have Vince watch Cheatum star in those WCW minis.
- Special Guest Villain: Ma Parker (Shelley Winters)
- Screen Captures: 1. RD
- Brown Hornet Escapes: 1. Batman can drive 55
- SPEAKING OFs: 1. Speaking of
- Window Celebrity: 2. Catwoman (Julie Newmar), Milton Berle
