Revealing mistake: At the start, when Joker has sprung himself from prison, there are three shots of the giant spring, and the wires holding up the platform at the top are visible. In the third shot, one of the wires even glistens for a moment as it moves. (00:02:35)
Revealing mistake: To free himself from the Joker's goons, Batman throws a gas capsule on the floor. Two things; first, the Joker is instantly asphyxiated by a lot of smoke, but when the henchmen let Batman go in the next shot, the puff of colored fumes has barely started to rise, and the Joker is further away. Second, the capsule that Adam West throws with panache on the ground and that should generate the noxious cloud can be seen actually bouncing back up after his energetic toss. (00:15:30)
Revealing mistake: In this episode and the next one, Robin's stunt double is very obvious from the back, especially in the scene where they enter the Hall of Fame museum.
Revealing mistake: Right at the end of the obligatory Bat-rope climb scene, look at Robin's cape; the wire that is used to keep it in place (aka sticking out to make it look like it is subjected to gravity and drapes down) loses position too soon, so the real gravity causes the cloth to go towards the wall the dynamic duo is supposedly walking vertically on. (00:11:30)
Revealing mistake: The newsreel shows several issues of the imaginary Gotham City Times. Nice job with the headlines and the page layout, but every single one of them is issue number 11. (00:14:00)
Revealing mistake: In the recap, in the wide shot where Mr Freeze uses his freeze gun on Batman and Robin, you can see they are stunt doubles.
When the Rat's Away the Mice Will Play (2) - S1-E12
Revealing mistake: When Riddler and his Rats have been caught near the end, during the ensuing fight Batman throws one of the Rats, and as he goes flying across the room we can see the stunt wires. (00:21:55)
Batman Stands Pat (2) - S1-E14
Revealing mistake: As Batman is about to use his batarang to Mad Hatter's hideout, right before getting caught by him and his henchmen towards the end of the episode, as he moves his cape back, the back part of his costume is open.
The Joker Goes to School (1) - S1-E15
Revealing mistake: Batman drives out of the batcave alone. The first bit of stock footage of the car leaving the cave does indeed show him alone in the batmobile. But the very next stock shot of the car speeding down the dirt road shows us Robin sitting in the passenger seat. (00:05:25)
The Purr-Fect Crime (1) - S1-E19
Revealing mistake: In the last shot of the episode, when the tiger exits the small room in the flipped shot, right at the end of this shot as the tiger jumps up, at the top of the screen we can see that the camera has been positioned under a platform for this tiger stunt. (00:24:15)
Better Luck Next Time (2) - S1-E20
Revealing mistake: When Batman dodges the tiger by using metal claws to climb the wall, the stunt wires lifting him are visible. (00:03:00)
Not Yet, He Ain't (2) - S1-E22
Revealing mistake: When being gunned down by O'Hara cops, there are no bullets coming from the cop who gunned Batman down, but he still reacts to it.
Revealing mistake: While Batman and Robin are tied up and suspended over the enormous candle dipper vat, there are stunt wires leading to under their capes. (00:21:00)
The Joker Trumps an Ace (1) - S1-E25
Revealing mistake: In Commissioner Gordon's office, when Batman opens Joker's gift the genie figure begins to inflate, and in the overhead shot the stunt's covered air hose is visible at the bottom of the screen. In the next shot Batman pops the figure causing it to deflate, and the wire at the top of the figure's head is visible as it descends. (00:07:05)
The Pharaoh's in a Rut (2) - S1-E28
Revealing mistake: When Bruce Wayne is strapped to the stretcher hurtling toward the cliff, after he breaks through the "300 Ft. Drop" sign, we cut to a different angle where the wire pulling the stretcher is visible. (00:02:40)
The Bookworm Turns (1) - S1-E29
Revealing mistake: At about the 6:40 mark into the episode, The Bookworm puts an explosive device in the Batmobile which is detected automatically. Batman pushes the auto eject to throw it out of the car. As the special effects prop explodes, you can see the rope it is hanging from as it swings to the side.
The Riddler's False Notion (2) - S1-E32
Revealing mistake: The film can Riddler hands Van Jones supposedly contains his silent movie. But the hollow thump, obvious light weight and lack of the distinctive rattle a film reel would make, all reveal that the can is actually empty. (00:19:00)
Batman Makes the Scenes (2) - S1-E34
Revealing mistake: While Batman and Robin are being held in Penguin's vacuum room, some of the stunt's dark squibs attached to the balloons become visible during this scene. We can even see a squib spark on the last pink balloon. (00:02:15)
Shoot a Crooked Arrow (1) - S2-E1
Revealing mistake: In Commissioner Gordon's office, just as Gordon tells Dale that with Batman and Robin on their side no harm will befall the money, the top of the set is visible at the top right corner of the screen. (00:06:25)
Shoot a Crooked Arrow (1) - S2-E1
Revealing mistake: At Archer's underground hideout, Batman and Robin are strung up by their thumbs, but in fact the stunt wires that lead to their cloaked backs are visible. (00:21:40)
Answer: It's wasn't unusual for multiple actors to play one character on this show. The villains on the TV Batman were played by guest stars, not regular cast members. George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach played the part at various times. They may simply have only wanted to play the part once or twice, or they were later tied up with other projects, making it necessary to cast someone else. Other characters, like Catwoman, were also played by more than one actress.
raywest ★