User Reviews

"A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away" marked the return of the show's debut villain, Frank Gorshin's Riddler, this time in league with the River Rats gang but still working below ground. The title refers to a phrase that the Prince of Puzzlers had long ago admitted to Batman, that as long as he continues to dish out riddles he hasn't yet reached the end of his reign of terror. Reginald Denny (soon to play his final role in the Batman feature film) plays King Boris, newly arrived in Gotham City, sparking a series of riddles and small time crimes leading up to one huge caper. From a gorgeous beauty queen (Joy Harmon) to the King's Queen of Freedom, there's no end of puzzles from the Count of Conundrums, baiting the Dynamic Duo to his lair at an abandoned waterworks, where a cocoon of silk traps them like a spider's web. Both are attached to drive shafts that rotate at 1000 revolutions per second, enough of a centrifugal force to tear the bones from their bodies. Familiar faces in this episode include John Archer, later seen opposite Eli Wallach's Mister Freeze in "Ice Spy," John Hubbard, and especially Tristram Coffin, veteran of the 1943 Batman serial, as well as the 1950s Superman TV series.

The sexual tension the late Frank Gorshin brought to the Prince of Puzzlers is immediately to the fore the moment he bounds on to the stage in the opening scene and steals a kiss as well as her tiara from beauty queen Joy Harmon.

Back at headquarters Mousey is waiting for him. Unfairly overlooked by most compilers of the series' coolest henchbabes, probably because she didn't get to wear a costume like Lydia Limpet or Anna Gram. But as played by Susan Silo she is delightfully ditzy, comfortable around her psycho boss and not immune either to the manly charms of the Caped Crusader. I'm sure she looked even more pert in prison uniform flirting with the warders...

And many other intriguing riddles, as the nefarious Riddler (Frank Gorshen) returns, up to no good, OF COURSE. The Riddler is hiding out with his gang of sewer rats at the so-called Obsolete Water and Power plant. The gag seems to be that as long as he tosses out ridiculous riddles (and his riddles seem to have no end) he will continue to terrorize Gotham City. Pinky promise. First up, debonaire King Boris (played by veteran film star Reginald Denny) makes a special appearance in Gotham and is met with exploding flowers?

To note. Denny more than likely was a good friend of Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), as both starred in silent and sound films. Denny co-starred opposite such icons as Katherine Hepburn and Greta Garbo in the 1930s. During WWII he also became a pioneer inventor of radio plane target drones and ran a popular model airplane company in Hollywood. He died suddenly after appearing in the BATMAN movie the same year this episode was released, playing Commander Schmidtlapp.

Tossing out more zany riddles, the prince of puzzlers (as the Riddler has crowned himself) is able to lure the Dynamic duo to the abandoned water plant where they are tied to gigantic spinning wheels! A must see. He is aided by squeeky voiced Mousey, played by Susan Silo.

Silo went onto an enormously successful career doing voice over work for both video games and tv series. As of 2022, she was doing voice overs for the CURIOUS GEORGE cartoon series.

Look for some other veteran actors, such as John Archer (MY FAVORITE HUSBAND, WHITE HEAT). He had recently appeared in the chiller I SAW WHAT YOU DID, starring Joan Crawford. He was the father of actress Anne Archer. Also Tristram Coffin as the Ambassador, who was in the original 1940s BATMAN movie serial, and generally played villains for years.

Directed by Tom Gries, who handled such top tv shows as ROUTE 66 and COMBAT and went on to direct the iconc tv serial HELTER SKELTER (1976), all about Charles Manson and his gang.

By the way... did you notice Batman and Robin wearing their Bat Belts over their stomachs? Adam West said in later years that after lunch, especially if they ate too much, came a stomach bulge. Since their costumes were skin tight, the belt came in handy. Get it? SEASON 1 EPISODE 11, now restored on dvd and blu ray box sets.

The Prince of Puzzlers (Frank Gorshin) returns. Now working with the River Rats Gang.

They disrupt a beauty pageant and kidnap King Boris (Reginald Denny.) a visiting dignitary with exploding flowers and a riddle.

These riddles are not wooden. They are made for rulers like King Boris.

All to entice Batman and Robin, so they could meet a spinning end.

The self proclaimed Count of Conundrums giggles like crazy as he is too smart for the dynamic duo.

The first part was just too talky. Although I note it is Robin who seems to pounce in solving the riddles so quickly.

I did like the end and could not wait to see how it all plays out.