| 09-28/29-1966 | "The Spell of Tut" |
Marianna Hill as "Cleo Patrick..."
Thanks to Starman* for the large vidcaps...
High
C writes: "This wasn’t as big a misfire as
the eps that featured Terry Moore as Venus, but it was a missed opportunity.
The beautiful Marianna Hill was given an excellent role as the substitute
secretary for Commissioner Gordon, who secretly is one of King Tut’s
minions. Her mission is to slip the Commish vitamins that are laced with a
mind-control drug. Certainly an interesting setup, and something a bit
different for a show that already had become formulaic.
But somehow, the whole is less than the sum of the parts. Hill tries to give the impression that she is enjoying her evildoing, but doesn’t come close to the level of the best henchgals, who conveyed almost orgasmic enjoyment as they gassed/drugged/zapped the enemies of their chosen villain. This is simply another example of casting an actress for her looks, rather than her chops, something the Batman producers did often. Yet Hill isn’t the worst offender. A lingerie-department mannequin, with the right expression, can convey more seductive evil than Lee Meriwether ever could."