Batgirl once refused to save Batman and Robin until she got equal pay

By Fusion Staff  |  August 20, 2015 | 5:10pm
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In 1973, five years after the Batman TV series went off the air, Adam West, Burt Ward, and Yvonne Craig reunited as the characters that made them famous in a PSA for the Department of Labor about equal pay for women.

In the ad, Batman and Robin have been tied up by an unknown villain. Batgirl arrives to save them both, but before the ticking time bomb goes off, she demands to be paid the same as her fellow sidekick.

“Same job, same employer means equal pay for men and women,” Batgirl says.

Robin, perhaps fully realizing his expendability and uselessness, can only muster “Holy discontent!”

The Equal Pay Act was signed into law by President Kennedy in 1963.

Batman chides Batgirl that it’s not the time for jokes. She quickly informs him that she is not joking, and that by not paying her an equal salary to Robin, he’s breaking a ten-year-old federal law. Robin replies, “Holy Act of Congress!” He is useless.

We never find out if Batgirl gets her raise and defuses the bomb or if she lets the Dynamic Duo perish before starting her search for a new gig that compensates her fairly.

Craig passed away at the age of 78 Monday morning. She was a TV veteran who appeared on just about every notable or cult TV series from the ’60s and ’70s. This PSA in particular will live on for awhile: Batgirl’s work is not over just yet.

David Matthews operates the Wayback Machine on Fusion.net—hop on. Got a tip? Email him: [email protected]

 
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