Our friends over at the great Operagasm have fused two of my great passions and posted a link to an episode of the 1968 animated Batman and Robin show entitled Opera Buffa.  There’s not actual opera in it BUT the Joker does plan to steal a 2 million dollar gold tiara from the set of Carmen at Gotham City Opera.  Shows The Joker has taste which I always said he did.

Featuring Ted Knight(!) as the Narrator, Larry Storch as the voice of a very Edward G Robinson-y sounding Joker, Casey Kasem as Robin and an appearance by the Jokermobile. 

What more could anyone ask?

So link on over to Operagasm and enjoy!  ALSO keep your eyes peeled, what exactly happened to Batman’s pants at 5:04?

In additional Bat Opera news, there is of course the great Norman Treigle’s vocal appearance near the beginning of Batman Begins.  Young Bruce Wayne is so frightened by the Witches Sabbath sequence in Mefistofele (audio from the Treigle recording with Julius Rudel conducting the London Symphony Orchestra) at Gotham City Opera that he forces his parents to leave the theatre early, whereupon they are promptly murdered in the alleyway adjacent to the theatre.  So Norman Treigle and Arrigo Boito are indirectly responsible for the creation of Batman.  Makes sense to me. 

I’m still working on the Richard Wagner-Spiderman connection.  Will keep you posted.

Click below to watch the Opera House/Wayne’s Murder clip featuring vocals by Norman Treigle from Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins –