Thursday, August 20, 2015

Batgirl "Equal Pay" PSA (1973)


I was deeply saddened to read of the passing of actress/dancer Yvonne Craig earlier this week. The delightful Ms. Craig was the Space: 1970 "Space Babe" in June of 2011, earning her place in that august assembly for her portrayal of mad Orion slave girl Marta in the Star Trek episode, "Whom Gods Destroy." But she was best known as the caped and cowled Batgirl on the 1966 television incarnation of Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward.

While Batman was definitely a 1960s show, and beyond the purview of this blog, I'm slipping this video in on a technicality. In 1973, she and Burt Ward reprised their roles as Gotham City defenders for a Public Service Announcement regarding the Equal Pay Act. Adam West declined to participate, so Dick Gautier (who played the robot "Hymie" on Get Smart), donned the cape and mimicked West's trademark deadpan delivery. The PSA aired well into the decade, and I remember seeing it once as a kid, late at night, and wondering why Batman seemed different.

Anyway, it's a nice showcase for Craig's charm - I love her graceful little spin toward the ticking time bomb. She's already missed.

7 comments:

  1. Nice article on here in the Guardian this morning: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/aug/20/yvonne-craig-batgirl-star-was-a-caped-crusader-for-equality-and-fair-pay

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  2. I did not remember this one until I played it and suddenly it seemed very familiar. Thanks for sharing this one. It's a shame that Ms.Craig is gone and a pity that the message of equal pay for equal work is still a problem our society has to contend with.

    Rip Off :)

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  3. Here's a link to her answering how she felt about the PSA and her disappointment at it's effectiveness. I was the one asking the question at Detroit back in 2012.. (my elevated voice in the beginning, it was very very noisy..).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W59AtFx9VAI

    Her main complaint was that it was typically shown only after midnight when most folks would be asleep.

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  4. She had an incredible figure. Some people today would say that she was "chunky" or "full figured" but I think she was in amazing shape. Much better than today's "give that girl a cheeseburger" skinny look.

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    1. I totally agree. Curvy women are much more appealing than those who starve themselves. And Ms. Craig filled out her costume in just the right places.

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  5. The PSA is fantastic! I've never seen this but the production values, right down to Dozier's voice-over are spot on. Yes, you can sense that it isn't Adam West as Batman but it's still incredibly effective, both technically and conceptually. Thank you for sharing this!

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