The best of The Batman '66-'68 TV show villains - REVISED

[MajorHoy]

A few years ago, there was a thread The best '66 Batman villain according to you that listed fifteen classic villains from the TV series which featured Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin (not to mention Yvonne Craig as Batgirl for the last season). But, there were some short-comings with that thread/poll, including the possibility some people may have been basing their choices on the more recent version of the characters as seen in the then current comic book stories.

So, we'll try this again, but now we'll specifically state the name of the actor(s) who played those villains, which means we were unable to include all fifteen villains named in the original thread.

Choices this time are:

* The Bookworm (Roddy McDowall)
* Catwoman (Julie Newmar) - Season One and Two
* Catwoman (Lee Meriwether) - 1966 Batman movie
* Catwoman (Eartha Kitt) - Season Three
* Egghead (Vincent Price)
* The Joker (Cesar Romero)
* King Tut (Victor Buono)
* The Mad Hatter (David Wayne)
* Mr. Freeze (George Sanders) - Season One
* Mr. Freeze (Otto Preminger) - early Season Two
* Mr. Freeze (Eli Wallach) - later in Season Two
* The Penguin (Burgess Meredith)
* The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) -Season One and Three
* The Riddler (John Astin) - Season Two
* Shame (Cliff Robertson)

And my apologies to fans of The Clock King (Walter Slezak); False Face (Malachi Throne); Louie the Lilac (Milton Berle); Marsha, Queen of Diamonds (Carolyn Jones); and Olga, Queen of the Cossacks (Anne Baxter) who were included last time but were left out of this poll to make room for those villains portrayed by more than one actor.

[Celgress]

Egghead (Vincent Price), he cracks me up.

[Vakanai]

Catwoman. I voted for Julie Newmar, but honestly all three actresses were great in the role.

[Spencermalley935]

Catwoman as played by Julie Newmar although Meriwether and Kitt were spectacular as well.

[Batman Begins 2005]

Frank Gorshin as the Riddler. When I think of the Riddler, it's Gorshin and the Riddler from Batman: The Animated Series.

I want to also praise Cesar Romero as the Joker, Burgess Meredith's Penguin.

[MajorHoy]

At the moment, Julie Newmar's Catwoman is the clear leader on the poll results, but there's also been a couple of votes for Cesar Romero as The Joker.

[MajorHoy]

So far we currently have votes for:

* Catwoman (Julie Newmar) = 5 votes
* The Joker (Cesar Romero) = 2 votes
* Egghead (Vincent Price) = 1 vote
* The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) = 1 vote
* The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) = 1 vote

[riddler123]

My faves are
Riddler (Gorshin)
Mr Freeze (Sanders / wallach)
King tut
Egghead
Black widow
Penguin
Catwoman

I voted for tut as I find him underrated and the most camp/ entertaining. I'll be a mummys uncle is the best thing about season 3.

[protege]

The villains were an odd bunch; i voted for king tut, but i couldn’t really get into him until season 3. My least favorite was the mad hatter, compounded by david wayne’s contempt for the character.

[The I.A.D.C.]

For me, it's Frank Gorshin as The Riddler, hands down. I always thought of him as Batman's arch-nemesis here more than The Joker or The Penguin. Of the "Big Four Bat-Villains" (Joker, Penguin, Catwoman and Riddler) it was Riddler that always seemed to have a personal grudge against Batman where Joker and Penguin regarded him more as an obstacle to the success of their plot. Maybe because he was just in the first (and one episode of the last) season and didn't have as many appearances as the other main villains that his episodes seem more like events rather than just "Oh here's the Penguin again. Didn't they just put him in jail last week?"

[The I.A.D.C.]

The villains were an odd bunch; i voted for king tut, but i couldn’t really get into him until season 3. My least favorite was the mad hatter, compounded by david wayne’s contempt for the character.

I'm surprised they didn't re-cast him with a different actor since he made it known he thought the material was beneath him. They didn't have a problem doing that with other villains.

[Osiris-Rex]

I had sort of given up on the show as being too silly but Julie Newmar's Catwoman brought me back. When she was replaced in the third season I dropped the show for good. Hence I vote for her Catwoman.

[Spencermalley935]

I'd say Catwoman as played by Julie Newmar. Not only is she the best Catwoman on the show, I consider her the best live-action adaptation of the character period (Sorry Pfeiffer fans)

[MajorHoy]

Perhaps not surprisingly, guess who's still in the lead?

* Catwoman (Julie Newmar) = 7 votes (+ 2)
* The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) = 3 votes (+ 2)
* The Joker (Cesar Romero) = 2 votes (no change)
* The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) = 2 votes (+ 1)
* King Tut (Victor Buono) = 2 votes (+ 2)
* Egghead (Vincent Price) = 1 vote (no change)
* Catwoman (Lee Meriwether) = 1 vote (+ 1)
* Catwoman (Eartha Kitt) = 1 vote (+ 1)

[MajorHoy]

NOTE: This thread / poll was started by me back in November 2018.
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With 22 people having voted, current results show:

* Catwoman (Julie Newmar) = 7 votes
* The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) = 4 votes
* The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) = 3 votes
* King Tut (Victor Buono) = 3 votes
* The Joker (Cesar Romero) = 2 votes
* Egghead (Vincent Price) = 1 vote
* Catwoman (Lee Meriwether) = 1 vote
* Catwoman (Eartha Kitt) = 1 vote