BATB Gem!

Speaking of favorite TV shows . . . 

Another one of mine (and I may be biased here) was Back at the Barnyard. As a director on the show, I used the opportunity to occasionally pay homage to some of my beloved influences.  One such episode was titled "Get Bessy" and is one of my all-time favorites from the series.  Not only was it a funny script (written by Jed Spingarn) but it also had one of our favorite guest stars: Weird Al Yankovic!  In the episode, Al played himself - but with a shocking twist at the end!

  

The script had a bit of a mod-era 1960's feel so I wanted to create a "lobby card" style design for the title card that was reminiscent of that vibe.  

title card design by Steffen Sommer

Now . . . on to my Bat-homages!   In the story, Otis and the gang had to break into a mansion - Yankovic Manor!  So I had to design a mansion? Hmmmm . . . .  I got on the phone with our amazingly talented production designer Phil Cruden, and we started hatching the bat-plan.  Phil was very familiar with the '66 Batman show and when I told him I wanted the building to look like Wayne Manor, he knew just what to do!

Al's Mansion designed by Phil Cruden.  Look familiar?

Just how do the animals break in to Yankovic manor?  With a bat-climb of course!  

Lastly, there was Al's secret "police hotline" for immediately contacting the authorities.  Not exactly the classic Shakespeare bust, but it's the Weird Al equivalent let's say.  

So now you're SO intrigued you just have to see this episode, right?  Well if so you can always watch on Amazon!