Might as well link to this one, too. Earlier this week, I subjected you to the excrutiating demo film that Batman TV producer William Dozier whipped up for a proposed Wonder Woman series. In 1967, the Batman crew made a seven minute short to spotlight Yvonne Craig as Batgirl.
There seems to be some question as to why this film was made. What I always heard was that the Batman show's ratings were down and ABC was considering cancellation of one or both half hours that ran each week. Trying to convince the network that the show still had life in it, Dozier went to New York and huddled with the DC Comics staff to discuss adding some new element to the world of the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder. What they came up with was the idea of introducing a new Batgirl character into the comic. Dozier then proposed to ABC that Batgirl could be added to the show and that this would make it worthy of renewal. The network folks were skeptical so the demo was made to show them how Batgirl could energize things, and how good Dozier's choice, Yvonne Craig, would be in the role. (Actress and former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley was reportedly set for the part before Dozier changed his mind. Ms. Mobley had a bad couple of years there, having just come equally close to the title role on The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.)
The Batgirl demo is a lot better than the Wonder Woman demo…but then, it would kind of have to be. It's really no better or no worse than what the Batman show had become…and there's some faint praise. The anemic villain in the demo, Killer Moth, was the antagonist in the issue of Detective Comics that introduced Batgirl. He suffered two back-to-back humiliations: Beaten by a girl and then he never got to actually appear on the series.
The short accomplished half its intended goal: ABC renewed Batman, though for once a week instead of twice, for what turned out to be the last season. Batgirl was cute but she did not alter the gimmick and formula of the show with which audiences had grown weary. Few hit programs ever wore out their welcome with the American audience as rapidly as Batman and though Ms. Craig's clinging tights brought a brief bump to the Nielsens, things settled back down pretty rapidly. The show seemed less interesting when it aired once a week, sans cliffhanger, and it also felt cluttered with the new character. The cancellation notice came halfway through its third season, in part because the studio behind it — Twentieth-Century Fox — wanted it that way. Airing once a week, Batman brought in half the revenue it had when it was on twice a week…but each episode cost a lot more than when they were making two at a time. Budget-slashing, of course, also didn't help things that final year…plus, it had stopped being the "hot" show on which big stars wanted to guest. The long-rumored Guest Villain appearance by Frank Sinatra might have boosted the numbers but it never happened.
Some histories say that Dozier's intention with what you're about to see (if you click) was to sell ABC on the idea of a spin-off Batgirl show. While the producer may have fantasized about another Bat-series, it doesn't seem likely that he thought it seemed likely; not with Batman ratings trending downward as they were. I think it was just an attempt to keep a sinking series afloat…and it did manage that, though not for long.
