Batgirl (Short)-Trivia

* The headpiece of Batgirl's costume was painful for Yvonne Craig to wear, so when Batgirl joined the "Batman" TV series, the design was modified. According to Adam West, had a "Batgirl" series been produced, the plan was for the show to air prior to "Batman" with cross-over story-lines between the two programs.
* Batgirl's costume is a different shade of purple, and her secret door is in the library instead of her apartment, which was probably done for budgetary reasons, since this entire short takes place on one set, that of the library.
* Killer Moth was the villain featured in Batgirl's first comic book appearance.
* While there was a previous Bat-Girl in the comics, she was Batwoman's sidekick, Betty Kane, the niece of Kathy "Batwoman" Kane. Those characters were created in response to Fredric Wertham's accusations of homoerotic subtext between Batman and Robin in Seduction of the Innocent, but were abandoned in 1964 as being too silly. However, William Dozier and Howie Horwitz approached DC about creating a new Batgirl who was Gordon's daughter, and Batgirl's costume on the TV show was inspired by Carmine Infantino's rendering of the character in Detective Comics #359.
* In the presentation film, Batgirl is never seen punching anyone. Instead, she uses a rolling globe or a falling bookcase to incapacitate the Killer Moth's henchmen. She's allowed to get in a few kicks here and there but nothing more. Of course, the same could be said for April Dancer on The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., who often left the fighting to her male partner, or any of the female security guards on Star Trek, who could kick an alien but never punch them. During the 1960s, it seems, women weren't allowed to punch because as Yvonne Craig pointed out in interviews, that wouldn't be feminine.
* After making the presentation film Yvonne Craig had to wait before learning if Batgirl would be added to the cast of Batman for the 1967-1968 season. She was told the news while at an ABC function in Chicago: "I suddenly realized that I was in the dream situation of every actress who aspires to a television series role. There was no worry about an audience. Batman is an established show and there was no concern about whether it would sell because it's already sold. As a veteran of four unsold television pilots I can appreciate that kind of security." Unfortunately, Craig's first season as Batgirl would be her last because the show was cancelled.
* Based on a comic book story published in Detective Comics #359 (January 1967).
* Due to the declining ratings of Batman, particularly the Wednesday installment, which when ABC announced its schedule for fall 1967, Batman was only airing on Thursdays. Partially to blame was Lost in Space, which aired opposite the Wednesday installment on CBS. Dozier explained that "they both appeal to the same audience. We estimate that 60 per cent of our viewers are in the 4 to 12 age bracket." As producer Howie Horwitz aptly put it "we were a victim of our own format." In an attempt to reinvigorate the show Dozier decided to add a new character for Batman's third season. Yvonne Craig would play Commissioner Gordon's daughter Barbara, a librarian whose alter ego was superheroine Batgirl. Batman was widely watched by young boys and Dozier was of the opinion that a strong female character could bring in an equal number of young girls. Horwitz explained that the character was added to "give the little girls and big boys someone to identify with," alluding to Craig's obvious attractiveness, but pointed out that Batgirl wasn't intended as a love interest for Batman, who was "too square" and didn't have time for romance; conceivably there could be sparks between Barbara Gordon and Bruce Wayne, however, though that never happened.
* Yvonne Craig wrote a July 1967 Associated Press article in which she explained how she felt about the character of Batgirl: "And while Batgirl is an active type, she is also very feminine. None of that smacking people low with karate and gung-fu. In my opinion, three karate chops, and you've lost your femininity. If a girl goes on a date and a fellow gets fresh, she can't very well give him a karate chop for a good-night. But if she ducks, she's simply adept and feminine. Batgirl will be aiding and assisting Batman and Robin, not constantly rescuing then. I like that, too. Elsewhere, Craig suggested that the reason Honey West (starring Anne Francis as a private detective and broadcast by ABC during the 1965 to 1966 season) went off the air was that the character "was always going around clobbering somebody, and you can't look feminine when you're doing that"
* The presentation film lasts just over seven and a half minutes. A revised final draft script dated January 16th, 1967 (titled "Batman: Presentation of Batgirl") ran 14 pages [15]. The Batgirl costume worn by Yvonne Craig in the presentation film is slightly different than the costume she would wear during the third season of Batman. The cowl, for example, ties under the chin and the half-mask is pointed beneath the eyes, while the Batman costume features a cowl that tucks over the ears with a half-mask that is rounded beneath the eyes. The presentation film is the only time this variant costume is seen.
* Warner Home Video released Batman on DVD and Blu-ray in November 2014. Both the DVD and limited edition Blu-ray complete series sets included the Batgirl presentation film as a bonus feature (Bat Rarities! Straight from The Vault). A second, standard edition complete series Blu-ray set followed in December 2014. It also includes the Batgirl presentation film.