As second- and third-season Batman villains go, Siren was both typical and atypical.
She was typical in that the producers by then had decided not to recycle any more of Batman's foes from the comics. Their modus operandi instead was to sign the guest star first, and then tailor a villain around him or her. That's exactly what was done when writer Stanley Ralph Ross created Siren specifically for Joan Collins.
Siren was atypical for two reasons: 1. She was the only Batman villain who had super-powers. (In today's superhero universe, she likely would be called a "meta-human.") 2. She didn't have a confrontation with Batman. Every other villain or villainess did.
Actually, Siren (or rather Lorelei Circe, according to the description of this particular scene) was supposed to have a meeting with Batman early in the episode, but it was left out of the finished product.
That's only the first of several interesting deleted scenes.
That scene was supposed to occur in the underground garage beneath Barbara Gordon's apartment. In the scene in the episode as broadcast, Siren appeared to be "casing" the parked Batmobile as she told a hypnotized Commissioner of her plan, and eventually led him toward the car. At that point, the scene ends, and we are taken back to Babs' apartment.
In Ross' original script, there are two sequences with Siren in the parking garage, as opposed to one in the broadcast.
After Batman, Robin, Barbara and Chief O'Hara discuss the Commissioner's apparent disappearance, the script cuts to the underground garage.
Siren sans wig is referred to as Lorelei Circe. In the first quick sequence, she and Gordon are looking to pop the trunk of the Batmobile. After a cut back to Barbara's apartment, she tells Gordon her plan (those lines made the ep) and we see him starting to get into the trunk, something we didn't see.
Then there is a quick cut to Batman and Robin entering the garage, discussing what might have happened to Gordon. Then Robin gestures and says, "That woman. At the Batmobile. . ."
The camera then shows Lorelei Circe, in her strapless, silver mini-dress, standing next to the Batmobile!
A conversation then ensues between Batman and Lorelei Circe. Here it is (emphasis from the script):
BATMAN: (polite) Can I be---of some help?
LORELEI CIRCE: I was just admiring this DIVINE car of yours, Batman. Usually, I only get to see it at a distance. . .
B: It's nothing out of the ordinary. But it does furnish us with transportation.
LC: And helps in rounding up all those TERRIBLE criminals!
STAGE DIRECTION: With this, she moves in on Batman, who is a bit uncomfortable.
LC: All of Gotham City thinks you're doing a wonderful job, Batman.
ROBIN: (To Batman's rescue) We think Gotham City's a pretty swell town, ma'am!
SD: this presents enough of a diversion for Batman to nod to Lorelei politely, and slide in under Batmobile wheel.
Once they're in the car, the Caped Crusaders have this exchange:
B: (sotto) Thanks, old chum.
R: (ditto) No sweat.
It seems that Ross tried to portray Batman here as just as innocent and uncomfortable around beautiful women as Robin, despite the fact that he already had dealt with Julie Newmar's Catwoman for twelve episodes. Batman clearly is unnerved by Lorelei Circe's/Joan Collins' seductiveness.
It makes sense that this sequence was supposed to be longer. After all, the scene with Siren/Lorelei Circe and Gordon in the garage in the actual episode clocks in at about 30 seconds. The costume, hair and set changes were a lot to go through for a half-minute plot point.
One more scene featuring Lorelei Circe was cut entirely. Act 2 was supposed to begin with Lorelei sitting at a dressing table in the hideout, "carefully removing false eyelashes" after a matinee performance at the "Gotham City Music Center."
In this scene, Collins isn't even wearing silver, and is instead wearing a mesh blouse and mini-skirt. This scene definitely was filmed. Take a look at this frame from a contact sheet photographed on set.
In fact, this outfit appears to actually be one belonging to Joan Collins. There's a candid picture of her in one of her autobiographies, Second Act, wearing the same outfit at a disco in which she was part-owner. It's easy to believe the Batman producers took a look at what she happened to be wearing that day and thought it worked for Lorelei Circe.
The other possibility is that it was a costume they let her keep. Knowing how tight the budget was by the third season, I highly doubt that. I truly believe those were her own street clothes.
As for the scene, both Andante and Allegro compliment her on her "matinee" and then she responds.
LC: I'm glad you liked it, boys. But it may very well have been my---farewell performance.
ANDANTE: Farewell to five thousand grand per shot?
LC: (langorous) A star's lot is not a happy one, Andante. An endless round of scintillating parties and glamorous people. (rises from dressing table) I yearn to shed Lorelei Circe's---(indicates her clothes)---infernal cloak of respectability. And get back to THE SIREN'S---(smiles wickedly)---monstrous master plan!
SD: She exits through a nearby drape, obviously preparing to do just this.
That would account for what actually began Act 2, as Siren walked toward her henchmen and then primped herself in the mirror while checking her elaborate bouffant, because she had just "changed into" the Siren. It's unfortunate this scene was cut, because it would have helped reinforce her alter ego, which only is given a passing mention by Barbara Gordon in the episode. ("She's the world-famous chanteuse who's appearing in Gotham City.")
Another scene that was deleted involved O'Hara and Barbara, as the camera stayed with them after Batman and Robin exited the apartment.
After the Chief says, "If it weren't for the Caped Crusaders we'd be in a sorry mess, I can tell ya," Barbara asks, "And what about Batgirl?"
CHIEF: Her? Sure and she's done a few good things in the short time she's been around. But let's face it. A woman's place is in the home. And don't you be forgetting it.
BARBARA: Oh, I won't be forgetting it, Chief O'Hara.
Hey, maybe Nora Clavicle WAS justified when she later sacked this male chauvinist!
There also were a few more subtle changes. Just as in Ring Around the Riddler, Siren's stunning note is described as undulating (i.e., wavy) and finally inaudible.
Stage direction from the opening scene in Gordon's office: Siren's stunning voice mounts to a note so high it is completely inaudible.
When the entranced Commish says "I didn't even hear" the note, Siren then tells him, "It's inaudible. Only certain types of hunting dogs can hear it." This goes along with Barbara's line, which was left in the actual episode, when she says "only hunting dogs can hear" Lorelei Circe's highest note.
Although it already was fairly long, the original scene of Siren playing the harp and lounging in her "grotto" hideout was a bit longer, and was supposed to be interspersed with stock footage of the Batmobile headed back to the Batcave. Most interesting was Ross' stage-direction description of the villainess: "The Siren now wears a provocative and beguiling skin-tight outfit that accentuates the positive and eliminates the negative."
That makes pretty clear what most of us already had guessed, that the Siren was written to be a sex symbol, following in the show's tradition of Catwoman, numerous molls and henchwomen, and of course, Batgirl.
Also in that scene, Allegro cautions Siren that "Catwoman, Black Widow and Olga of Bessarovia" are women who "went up the river because of Batman." That obviously means they moved this episode up in the rotation, and that originally it was supposed to come after the Olga/Egghead arc. In the actual broadcast, the camera pans in to a close-up of Siren as Allegro delivers his line, and Allegro is not seen. It’s possible that actor Mike Mazurki had to “dub in” the revised dialogue, without Olga's name, after filming was finished. (Incidentally, the Egghead and Olga shows originally were supposed to be a three-parter before being separated.)
Other minor changes include Robin leaving the bugging device on the floor of Bruce Wayne's office, rather than on a drape. That explains why, in the next scene, Batgirl refers to him "dropping" the device. One mistake was corrected, however. In the original script, Siren ordered O'Hara to jump in Gotham Park Lake BEFORE stunning him over the phone, which makes no sense considering men forget everything after being hypnotized by Siren. The order was reversed and made correct in the episode.
There also were minor edits in dialogue, including more urging from Siren to Bruce Wayne (“Come on, Brucie boy. Come to me” and later “All your worries will be over”), and the Commissioner briefly stonewalling Siren in the opening scene.
He at first refuses to call Batman, as she has ordered him to do. One can imagine Siren’s shocked indignation as she says, “You disobey? My note didn’t work?” Then . . .
GORDON: Batman is the avowed foe of all arch-criminaldom, my dear. And since I assume you are an arch-criminal, I couldn't risk seeing you hurt. . .
SIREN: Let ME take that risk.
Also left out was a line in the grotto, in which Siren refers to Batman and Robin as “two buffoons in pantaloons.” All of the deleted material would only have added to the Siren’s villainy, and given Joan Collins more of an opportunity to be simultaneously evil and seductive, something she has done very well throughout her career. Stanley Ralph Ross constructed this character very well, and it’s unfortunate that his full vision wasn’t displayed. To clear space for more Siren/Lorelei scenes, couldn't they have shelved the "debut" of the Batgirl theme song until the next week, when Penguin teamed up with Lola Lasagne? After all, very few Batman fans ever have demanded more of Lola Lasagne.
Still, despite the edits, I believe it was quite a performance by Collins. Many of the Siren’s physical actions---her laughing, her spreading her arms in the air and then caressing herself in her grotto, her stroking of Bruce Wayne's face---weren’t included in the original script, and might not have been added in the revise. It's fair to assume many of the Siren's seductive mannerisms were conceived by Joan Collins. Also, how many actresses, then, now, or in between, could have delivered some of Siren's lines and made them even remotely believable? Joan Collins could---and did---make dialogue such as “Now, Commissioner, you are ready to do my bidding” and “They're under my spell. They'll obey any order now” quite convincing.
My objective with my Siren stories is to realize some of the untapped potential of this unique character, and do justice to both Ross’ vision and Collins’ portrayal of the character. Toward those ends, I intend to incorporate some of the “lost” dialogue into future stories.