ABC TV Presents
Starring
ADAM WEST as Batman / Bruce Wayne
BERT WARD as Robin
ALAN NAPIER as Alfred
STAFFORD REPP as Chief O'Hara
YVONNE CRAIG as Batgirl
NEIL HAMILTON as Commissioner Gordan
'Ring Around The Riddler ' ( Season 3 - Episode 2 )
With Frank Gorshin as The Riddler
Guest Star - Joan Collins as The Siren / Lorelei Circe
Directed by Sam Strangis
The Riddler's latest scheme is to control prize fighting in Gotham City and kidnaps current champion
fighter Kid Gulliver, to brainwash him into losing his upcoming fight. Riddler then enlists the sexy Siren to help him in his heavyweight plan! But will be pull it off or go down fighting!
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| Joan with Frank Gorshin as The Riddler |
'The Wail Of The Siren ( Season 3 - Episode 3 )
Guest Star -
Joan Collins as The Siren / Lorelei Circe
with
Directed by George Waggner
Lorelei Circe alias Siren, who can sing seven octaves above high, puts commissioner Gordon under her
spell in order to discover Batman's true identity. With the commissioner missing, his daughter Barbara alias Batgirl suspects the Siren and eventually finds the minx's hideout. But Siren has hypnotised Bruce Wayne and Batgirl must warn Robin. They arrive at Bruce's office only to discover that he signed over everything he owns to Siren. A scuffle ensues and whilst trying to escape, Siren somehow falls off the roof and is left hanging over the edge. Robin promises to save her if she takes the spell off Bruce and destroys the papers he has signed. She reluctantly agrees and uses her voice way above her range, freeing Bruce, but losing her wail in the process!
When Joan was given the scripts for "Batman", all she was told was that the show was very popular and she should do it.. She thought the scripts were ridiculous but agreed to give her best to the role of the seductive Siren. Writer Stanley Ross was told by the producers that they had signed Joan for a guest role and they wanted him to write a character especially for her. He came up with a sexy seductress called "The Siren", whose alter ego was chanteuse Lorelei Circe. But according to Adam West, Joan had a hard time during the shooting of the episode "Wail of the Siren", as director George Waggner took a dislike to Joan and made things difficult for her. West could not understand Waggner's actions as he found Joan to be both professional and lovely to work with. Write Stanley Ross later teamed up with Anthony Newley to write the musical "Chaplin"..
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| Joan in a deleted scene from the episode |
Apart from Joan's troubles on the set, when the episode was screened, a few of her scenes had been cut, losing some interesting scenes. One of the scenes featured Lorelei returning from her performance at Gotham City Music Center and transforming herself into The Siren. She is seen sitting at her dressing table in her hideout..you can see a shot of the scene here! Joan is both glamorous and funny as the sexy seductive Siren and whatever problems there were on set, she rises to the occasion with great aplomb! I have included an interesting article about the cuts to Joan's scenes below!
The Wail of the Siren: The Lost Scenes
By High C
As second- and third-season Batman villains go, Siren was both typical and atypical.
She was typical in that the producers by then had decided not to recycle any more of Batman's foes from the comics. Their modus operandi instead was to sign the guest star first, and then tailor a villain around him or her. That's exactly what was done when writer Stanley Ralph Ross created Siren specifically for Joan Collins.
Siren was atypical for two reasons: 1. She was the only Batman villain who had super-powers. (In today's superhero universe, she likely would be called a "meta-human.") 2. She didn't have a confrontation with Batman. Every other villain or villainess did.
Actually, Siren (or rather Lorelei Circe, according to the description of this particular scene) was supposed to have a meeting with Batman early in the episode, but it was left out of the finished product.
That's only the first of several interesting deleted scenes.
That scene was supposed to occur in the underground garage beneath Barbara Gordon's apartment. In the scene in the episode as broadcast, Siren appeared to be "casing" the parked Batmobile as she told a hypnotized Commissioner of her plan, and eventually led him toward the car. At that point, the scene ends, and we are taken back to Babs' apartment.
In Ross' original script, there are two sequences with Siren in the parking garage, as opposed to one in the broadcast.
After Batman, Robin, Barbara and Chief O'Hara discuss the Commissioner's apparent disappearance, the script cuts to the underground garage.
Siren sans wig is referred to as Lorelei Circe. In the first quick sequence, she and Gordon are looking to pop the trunk of the Batmobile. After a cut back to Barbara's apartment, she tells Gordon her plan (those lines made the ep) and we see him starting to get into the trunk, something we didn't see.
Then there is a quick cut to Batman and Robin entering the garage, discussing what might have happened to Gordon. Then Robin gestures and says, "That woman. At the Batmobile. . ."
The camera then shows Lorelei Circe, in her strapless, silver mini-dress, standing next to the Batmobile!
A conversation then ensues between Batman and Lorelei Circe. Here it is (emphasis from the script):
BATMAN: (polite) Can I be---of some help?
LORELEI CIRCE: I was just admiring this DIVINE car of yours, Batman. Usually, I only get to see it at a distance. . .
B: It's nothing out of the ordinary. But it does furnish us with transportation.
LC: And helps in rounding up all those TERRIBLE criminals!
STAGE DIRECTION: With this, she moves in on Batman, who is a bit uncomfortable.
LC: All of Gotham City thinks you're doing a wonderful job, Batman.
ROBIN: (To Batman's rescue) We think Gotham City's a pretty swell town, ma'am!
SD: this presents enough of a diversion for Batman to nod to Lorelei politely, and slide in under Batmobile wheel.
Once they're in the car, the Caped Crusaders have this exchange:
B: (sotto) Thanks, old chum.
R: (ditto) No sweat.
It seems that Ross tried to portray Batman here as just as innocent and uncomfortable around beautiful women as Robin, despite the fact that he already had dealt with Julie Newmar's Catwoman for twelve episodes. Batman clearly is unnerved by Lorelei Circe's/Joan Collins' seductiveness.
It makes sense that this sequence was supposed to be longer. After all, the scene with Siren/Lorelei Circe and Gordon in the garage in the actual episode clocks in at about 30 seconds. The costume, hair and set changes were a lot to go through for a half-minute plot point.
One more scene featuring Lorelei Circe was cut entirely. Act 2 was supposed to begin with Lorelei sitting at a dressing table in the hideout, "carefully removing false eyelashes" after a matinee performance at the "Gotham City Music Center."
In this scene, Collins isn't even wearing silver, and is instead wearing a mesh blouse and mini-skirt. This scene definitely was filmed. Take a look at this frame from a contact sheet photographed on set.
In fact, this outfit appears to actually be one belonging to Joan Collins. There's a candid picture of her in one of her autobiographies, Second Act, wearing the same outfit at a disco in which she was part-owner. It's easy to believe the Batman producers took a look at what she happened to be wearing that day and thought it worked for Lorelei Circe.
The other possibility is that it was a costume they let her keep. Knowing how tight the budget was by the third season, I highly doubt that. I truly believe those were her own street clothes.
As for the scene, both Andante and Allegro compliment her on her "matinee" and then she responds.
LC: I'm glad you liked it, boys. But it may very well have been my---farewell performance.
ANDANTE: Farewell to five thousand grand per shot?
LC: (langorous) A star's lot is not a happy one, Andante. An endless round of scintillating parties and glamorous people. (rises from dressing table) I yearn to shed Lorelei Circe's---(indicates her clothes)---infernal cloak of respectability. And get back to THE SIREN'S---(smiles wickedly)---monstrous master plan!
SD: She exits through a nearby drape, obviously preparing to do just this.
That would account for what actually began Act 2, as Siren walked toward her henchmen and then primped herself in the mirror while checking her elaborate bouffant, because she had just "changed into" the Siren. It's unfortunate this scene was cut, because it would have helped reinforce her alter ego, which only is given a passing mention by Barbara Gordon in the episode. ("She's the world-famous chanteuse who's appearing in Gotham City.")
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| Joan with dialogue coach Milton Stark |
Also left out was a line in the grotto, in which Siren refers to Batman and Robin as “two buffoons in pantaloons.” All of the deleted material would only have added to the Siren’s villainy, and given Joan Collins more of an opportunity to be simultaneously evil and seductive, something she has done very well throughout her career. Stanley Ralph Ross constructed this character very well, and it’s unfortunate that his full vision wasn’t displayed. To clear space for more Siren/Lorelei scenes, couldn't they have shelved the "debut" of the Batgirl theme song until the next week, when Penguin teamed up with Lola Lasagne? After all, very few Batman fans ever have demanded more of Lola Lasagne.
Still, despite the edits, I believe it was quite a performance by Collins. Many of the Siren’s physical actions---her laughing, her spreading her arms in the air and then caressing herself in her grotto, her stroking of Bruce Wayne's face---weren’t included in the original script, and might not have been added in the revise. It's fair to assume many of the Siren's seductive mannerisms were conceived by Joan Collins. Also, how many actresses, then, now, or in between, could have delivered some of Siren's lines and made them even remotely believable? Joan Collins could---and did---make dialogue such as “Now, Commissioner, you are ready to do my bidding” and “They're under my spell. They'll obey any order now” quite convincing.
All episodes of the series can be found on this 2019 blu-ray which is region free and you can order at the following link
BUY BATMAN COMPLETE SERIES BLU-RAY HERE!
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