"Beware the Gray Ghost" | |
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Batman: The Animated Series episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 18 |
Directed by | Boyd Kirkland |
Story by |
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Teleplay by |
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Original air date | November 4, 1992 |
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"Beware the Gray Ghost" is the eighteenth episode of Batman: The Animated Series . It was directed by series regular Boyd Kirkland and was first aired on November 4, 1992. The episode features guest star Adam West, best known for his portrayal of Batman in the 1960s Batman television series. West plays an actor known for his role as the Gray Ghost, a character that resembles Batman antecedent The Shadow.
The episode opens with a flashback of a young Bruce Wayne watching The Gray Ghost, a black-and-white television show, and the episode cuts between the flashback and events in the present mirroring the show: a whirring sound is heard, a building is destroyed by an explosion, the Gray Ghost goes into action while Batman does the same in reality, and the police receive a ransom letter in both settings from the villainous "Mad Bomber".
In the present Batman makes the connection between the explosions and the television show but does not remember the full synopsis. To get information, he tracks down Simon Trent, who portrayed the Gray Ghost and is now unemployed due to typecasting, and short of money as Simon ducks his landlord. Simon's agent Frankie calls him up telling him that he didn't get the part he was auditioning for and that an opportunity will come for him at some point. After Simon trashes the glass containers containing his memorabilia out of frustration, he eventually sells his Gray Ghost costume and other memorabilia to toy shop owner and collector Ted Dymer to make ends meet, but the next morning finds that Batman has returned it and repaired the broken cases with a letter telling him to meet him in an alley. Unsure of handling the case, he gives Batman a copy of the show from his personal archive, as the production copies were destroyed long ago in a vault fire.
Learning the source of the whirring noises are remote-control toy cars armed with explosives, Bruce realizes the next target will be the Gotham Library. He defends the library and is overwhelmed but rescued by Trent, who is now wearing the Gray Ghost costume.
At the Batcave Batman reveals his own treasured collection of Gray Ghost memorabilia, citing his fictional exploits as a strong influence in his own career. However, they discover a captured toy car has Trent's fingerprints on it, implicating Trent in the bombing, but Trent realizes the Mad Bomber is Dymer, who is carrying out the attacks to raise money as he is obsessed with toys. Batman and Trent capture Dymer, and indirectly destroy his toy store and weaponry. Dymer then weeps over the loss of his toys.
Trent is recognized as a real-life hero, prompting a resurgence in the Gray Ghost's popularity. His complete archive of the Gray Ghost series is re-released, providing him with fresh income from distribution, massive increase in the value of his merchandise, and a revitalized career. Bruce visits him at the product launch and asks for an autograph, repeating what he said earlier: the Gray Ghost was, and still is, his childhood hero. Realizing that Bruce is his protégé Batman, Trent smiles. The scene then pans upward to show a poster cover of People Magazine with the Gray Ghost's return on the cover.
"Beware the Gray Ghost" has been very positively received by critics. The A.V. Club gave the episode an A and called it "smartly written and gorgeously animated". [1]
William West Anderson, known as Adam West, was an American actor. He portrayed Batman in the 1960s ABC series of the same name and its 1966 theatrical feature film, reprising the role in various media until 2017. Making his film debut in the 1950s, West starred opposite Chuck Connors in Geronimo (1962) and The Three Stooges in The Outlaws Is Coming (1965). He also appeared in the science fiction film Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964).
Batman is an American live-action television series based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Burt Ward as Dick Grayson/Robin—two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City from a variety of archvillains. It is known for its camp style and upbeat theme music, as well as its intentionally humorous, simplistic morality aimed at its preteen audience. It was described by executive producer William Dozier at the time as "the only situation comedy on the air without a laugh track". The 120 episodes aired on the ABC network for three seasons from January 12, 1966, to March 14, 1968, twice weekly during the first two seasons, and weekly for the third. In 2016, television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked Batman as the 82nd greatest American television series of all time. A companion feature film was released in 1966 between the first and second seasons of the TV show.
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