Appearing first in the 1960s live action Batman TV series, the Black Widow was an Auntie-Mame-like character created specifically for Miss Tallulah Bankhead, the colorful grand dame of stage and film (in real life, the actress was renowned for throwing wild parties that lasted days and at one time owned a pet lion).
Some of the Black Widow’s devices include a robot senior citizen rocking on a porch and a mind control device. Even after she is arrested, she continues to mesmerize men with her self-assurance and flamboyance, convincing Chief O’Hara to provide her with a wine list (and menu) for her prison dinner.
The episode has one of the more ethically uncomfortable presentations of the live action TV Batman:
When the Black Widow is arrested at the end of the episode, Batman uses her own mind control device on her, then has the mind-controlled Black Widow waive her Miranda rights, and later at the Gotham City prison, he uses a mind control device disguised as a hair dryer to alter her mind to a law-abiding one.