Episode Title: The Clock King Get Crowned
Original Airdate: October 13, 1966
When we last left Gotham City, Batman and Robin were trapped by Clock King and are now sealed in a giant hourglass. The sands of time are about to suffocate our heroes. How will they get out? Let’s find out in today’s episode, The Clock King gets Crowned.
Batman and Robin soon find that the glass is far too thick for them to bust through, so they begin rocking back and forth. Eventually they get the hourglass to topple over, but the glass still does not shatter. So, they roll the hourglass out the door and into the street where an oncoming truck very kindly breaks it open.
Back at Clock King’s hideout, the villain reveals that he next plans on stealing a collection of rare antique pocket watches from none other than Bruce Wayne. It seems that Aunt Harriet bought one of the villain’s booby trapped clocks for Bruce’s birthday. That will allow Clock King to gas Alfred and Aunt Harriet and pull the robbery. Problem is, one of the henchmen put the wrong trigger on the clock…an atomic energy directional control switch. Clock King needs it back to pull his next job. So, they go to Wayne Manor to steal it back. All the while, Batman and Robin are downstairs in the Batcave trying to figure out Clock King’s next step. Luckily, Alfred triggers an alarm and Bruce and Dick manage to save Aunt Harriet before she becomes a hostage.
Eventually, Batman figures out that Clock King is after a caesium clock due to be delivered today. A booby trap involving a nearby clock tower will provide the cover needed. Of course, Batman and Robin show up just in time. They fight with Clock King and his henchmen as the clock works spin…until time runs out for Clock King.
I have to admit, I found this episode’s story to be a bit confusing. I still don’t totally get what an “atomic energy directional control switch” is and why the heck Clock King needed it for his big plan. Then when we actually get to the big plan, the “atomic energy directional control swtich” doesn’t really seem to play that big a role in things. Granted, a lot of the villain’s schemes in this series don’t always make a lot of sense…but this one just didn’t quite add up.
All that said, the convoluted plot does bring us the unique sequence in which the villains visit Wayne Manor. This gives us a moment where the bad guys don’t face off with Batman and Robin, but with Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. It’s kind of fun watching these two try to keep themselves in check so that they don’t let on to Clock King and his gang, or Aunt Harriet for that matter, that they are Batman and Robin. I’ve often said that I question the presence of Madge Blake’s Aunt Harriet character in the series at all…but her over-the-top reactions to possibly being captured by a supervillain are fun in this episode.
There’s also a certain charm to the final battle between the heroes and villains in the clock tower. The clock has a variety of animated statues that spin around cuckoo clock style. Clearly, the figures are actual people trying their hardest to stay statue-like while the stunt performers beat each other up around them.
In the end, the two Clock King episodes are decent enough, but not terribly memorable. Our next episode, however, introduces us to a villain that many fans consider to be one of the series’ most memorable. Horror icon Vincent Price makes his debut as Egghead in An Egg Grows in Gotham. Next time…same bat-time, same bat-channel.
Bat Gadgets Used:
Batcomputer
Compressed Steam Batpole Lift
Holys:
Holy Squirel Cage
Holy Hijackers
Holy Horseshoes
Holy Liftoff
Holy Merry-go-round
Channel: Superhero 