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Often overlooked nowadays, after the various blockbuster films and popular animated series made of the Caped Crusader, is the 1960s TV series featuring Batman and his youthful ward Robin. Gleefully camp and colourful, it is fondly remembered (though obviously this style's clearly not for everyone) for its catchphrases (Holy cow, Batman!), captioned fight scenes (THWACK! GLOCK! SMASH!) and cliffhangers (Will Batman and Robin survive the Penguins pernicious trap? Find out tomorrow; same bat-time, same bat-channel!). However, the real stars of the show are the villains, always ready with an outlandish scheme to pull on the good people of Gotham, before the Dynamic Duo save the day. So sail down those bat-poles and start the Batmobile as we trawl through Batman's rogue gallery for the best of the bat-fiends. 1. Lord Marmaduke Ffogg and Lady Penelope Peasoup In The Londinium Larcenies, Batman and Robin are called to the British capital of Londinium to foil the notorious jewel thieves Lord Marmaduke Ffogg and Lady Penelope Peasoup in their plot to steal the Crown Jewels! Clad in deerstalkers (Sherlock Holmes hats) and possessing awfully posh (and just plain awful) English accents, the pair is made up of as many English stereotypes as possible; Ffogg even smokes a pipe that produces a thick fog to cover his tracks after committing a crime. Thanks to this, Ffogg and Peasoup are one of the most memorable of the one-off villains in the series. 2. Shame The recurring villain Shame (a play on the classic western Shane) sees himself as a fearless cowboy-themed criminal but is actually a cowardly thief. Scared of confronting Batman in a fight, he often tries to defeat the Dynamic Duo in various sneaky ways. As one of the series best overtly comic characters, the dim-witted Shame perfectly suits the parodical nature of the series being a parody of the classic cowboy hero himself. In an unrelated but interesting fact, in later life Shame actor Cliff Robertson won another role in a superhero series, namely Uncle Ben in Sam Raimis Spider-Man trilogy. Everyone now; With great power. 3. The Bookworm Another original for the series was the Bookworm (played by Roddy McDowall), a criminal genius who derived all his schemes from literature. Dressed in thick glasses, a hat with a reading light attached and a leather suit, the Bookworm is said to be a failed novelist who takes his frustration out by turning to crime. Does he possess a hatred for Batman who doesnt? attempting to kill him with book-shaped bombs. The Bookworm appeared only once but McDowall went on to play the Mad Hatter, another Batman villain who featured in the 60s show, in the acclaimed 1990s animated series which is famed for its somewhat darker take on Batman's world. Bit different then. 4. Mr. Freeze A mad criminal scientist, Mr. Freeze has a vendetta against Batman for accidentally pouring a strange chemical solution over him during an arrest, causing him to develop a bizarre condition where he must stay in freezing temperatures to live. Its thanks to this series version of Mr. Freeze that he is such a prominent enemy of Batmans as originally he was a low-key villain in the comics, once called Mr. Zero, who the 60s show brought to a wider audience. Also, unlike Arnies endless ice/cold/freeze puns, this Mr. Freezes catchphrase was, oddly enough, wild! Over to you, reader, to figure out why. 5. King Tut King Tut is one of the more successful of the series original villains largely because he has the most extensive and zany backstory. William Omaha McElroy is a well-respected Egyptologist professor at Yale until, that is, he hits his head. Then he believes himself to be a reincarnation of Tutankhamun intent on becoming the pharaoh of Gotham. Until he hits his head again and then he returns to normal. Until the next time he hits his head Tut is such a popular villain from the series, theres even been a recent, more serious, version of the character in the Batman comics who is derived from Victor Buenos original creation. We'd love to see the comics tackle the next villain on our list... 6. Egghead Every Batman villain has a gimmick. And they don't come more gimmicky than Egghead, egg-cellently brought to life by veteran horror star Vincent Price. The self-proclaimed smartest criminal in the world, Egghead is thoroughly obsessed with eggs his crimes are all egg-related, he puns at an egg-stremely painful rate and he even looks like an egg. As is clear, Egghead isn't the most well-rounded character in the Batman universe but is made a fantastic villain thanks to Price who hams it up egg-spertly. Sorry, I think I've stretched this yolk too far. 7. The Riddler As with every incarnation of the character, this Riddler (usually played by Frank Gorshin, but also once by John Gomez Addams Astin) is a criminal mastermind, psychologically unable to commit a crime without leaving a clue for Batman and Robin to solve which they invariably always do, no matter how odd. Frank Gorshin brings the character wonderfully to life Jim Carrey in Batman Forever obviously being heavily inspired by his hyperactive performance and is arguably still the definitive version of the Prince of Puzzles. The Riddler is also the very first villain of the series, appearing in the semi-serious opening episode Hi Diddle Riddle in which the loss of Bruce Waynes parents is mentioned and someone actually dies, something that was huge no-no later in the series. You can't say the show didnt develop. 8. Catwoman The Catwoman of the 60s TV series is played by no less than three different actresses, Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether and Eartha Kitt. While Meriwether and Kitt are fine in the role, the best of the three is definitely Newmar, who appears the most as the character, as she gets the playfulness of the character completely right. Just as in every other version of the character, Catwoman has romantic feelings for Batman as Batman does for her and it is stated by Batman in the series that if Catwoman became a good, law-abiding citizen their relationship could develop. Unlike other versions, though, (yes, I'm looking at you, Anne Hathaway) Catwoman stays on the bad side despite her attachment to the Bat. 9. The Joker A far cry from Heath Ledgers terrifying madman or Jack Nicholsons imposing crime boss is Cesar Romeros pink-suited Joker. That isn't to deride the actors performance as all the elements of the Joker that we are familiar with are on the show. Romeros appearance is arguably the closest to the characters' classic look from the comics compared to other Jokers on screen. Like the others he also seems to just enjoy being bad, revelling in causing mischief (this Jokers mischief doesnt include, say, torturing Gothams District Attorney but, hey, this was a family show), and the Jokers laugh, that every actor who plays the character tries to get right, Romero nailed first. Overall, he may not be the layered, deadly villain we are familiar with nowadays but this Joker is a perfect foil for Adam Wests straight-laced Batman just as the character should always be. Wait, the Joker is only at number two?! Hang on to your utility belts, the worst is yet to come! 10. The Penguin Yes, that avian arch-nemesis of Batmans finds himself on the top perch of our list, receiving the big fat juicy fish of first place, number one on you get the idea. Removing Danny De Vitos grotesque savage in Tim Burtons Batman Returns from your minds, the TV Series Penguin is an apparently honorable citizen who often uses a seemingly honest business venture to hide his nefarious criminal activities which everyone always falls for despite his having a terrible track record. They're a very gullible lot in Gotham. But what makes The Penguin the best over his cohorts in crime? Largely, the reason is that when the villains get together he seems to be in charge. For instance, in the 1966 movie that accompanied the series, the Penguin, the Joker, the Riddler and Catwoman join forces to hold the world to ransom and the brains behind the operation seem to the Penguin; their evil base is even Pengys submarine. It's a hard call to pick the best though as the series produced many entertaining villains originals or not - with the Penguin just winning out. Which makes a nice change from the dozens of times his plans are scuppered by the pesky 'Dynamic Dum-Dums'... Holy controversy, Bat-fan! Have I left out your favorite villain? Well, dont reach for that Bat-Phone just yet. Credits: whatculture.com

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