Yvonne Craig passed away recently, so I thought I would
honor her memory by reflecting on her role as Batgirl in the classic 60s Batman
show. The arrival of Batgirl in the
third season does alter the dynamic of the Dynamic Duo in odd ways. It just feels a bit off-balance with this new
and independent crime-fighter. That being
said, it’s worth it, because Batgirl is pretty awesome.
In “real” life she is, of course, Barbara Gordon, the
daughter of the Commissioner. Unlike our
millionaire hero, though, she does work for a living – and we first meet her as
a mild-mannered librarian. Though
perhaps not mild enough – in one episode her father reminds her that, “a good
librarian is a calm librarian.” Words
that we should all remember. In any
case, Barbara wants some more thrills, so she somehow arranges for a bat-cycle
and a flashy costume and begins her career as a vigilante.
She’s a bit more cavalier about it than our stuffy heroes. Arriving on the scene of her first fight, she
declares, “…I was glad for the chance to join in the fun.” After being reminded by Batman of the solemn
nature of their struggles, she replies, with spunk, “Crime fighting is a
serious matter to me, too, Batman, but we might as well get a few laughs out of
it.”
Batgirl fights just as well as her male allies – and takes out
her foes with some stunning high kicks. She has
an awesome entrance in her premiere episode, posing before combat with her
fists on her hips and looking super confident. It’s not easy to strike that show’s campy
balance of coy solemnity, but Yvonne Craig did it well. I may start up some more Batman reviews to
explore the character more fully.
Rest in peace, Ms. Craig.
You were a great Batgirl. And you
reminded us that life is like crime fighting – a serious matter, but we might as well get a few laughs out of
it.
Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvonne_Craig#/media/File:Yvonne_Craig_Batgirl.JPG
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