User Reviews

What actor could have successfully filled in for Burgess Meredith as the Penguin or Cesar Romero as the Joker? The answer - of course - is NO ONE. The same was true for Frank Gorshin as the Riddler. The unique characterizations these three actors created for their roles were already iconic in their time, let alone decades later thanks to endless syndication.

On paper, I don't think the producers could have come up with a better option than John Astin. Lord knows, Astin proved his adept skill as an multi-dimensional oddball as patriarch Gomez Addams in "The Addams Family", and deft at playing camp. It's a damned shame that Astin didn't get to play his own original villain instead of hopelessly trying to fill another actor's shoes. He tries his utmost best here but it is sadly doomed from the start. The best captain on the seas cannot save a ship destined to sink.

The writing and execution of this episode didn't do Astin any favors either. As a previous reviewer highlighted, the writers reel in confusion after having re-worked a previous Gorshin/Riddler-planned script for Maurice Evans' dismal Puzzler. They make puzzles and riddles interchangeable. Furthermore, the gimmicky underwater bank vault heist is ridiculous, and the often fun villain's "moll" role is underwritten and flat.

So, may we forevermore release the good sport Astin from all blame and lay it squarely where it belongs?

The Riddler (John Astin) returns for the first time in season two.

I personally found watching John Astin playing The Riddler a rather awkward experience. It is all good and well that he was trying to be like Frank Gorshin but he or the director pushed this issue so strongly that Astin finally gets on the nerves of the viewer. Also, the underwater fight scene just looker stupid.

But there are other things to enjoy in this two-parter.

The 1966 Batman series has no stinkers (unlike some other noted cult 1960s TV shows I love) and if one element (like Astin) does not click you simply centre your attention on other elements of the series (like West, Ward, the Batmobile, the henchmen, the henchwomen, the music, the sets, the colour, etc).

Deanna Lund plays the Riddler's assistant but you will have to wait until the very end of part two to see her do anything of interest. In this same year (1967) Lund would be at 20th Century Fox studios (again) filming the Land Of The Giants pilot (aired in 1968).

In a nutshell, if you just want to see Adam West and Burt Ward (not Astin)...you will have a ball with this two-parter.

I totally agree with the last reviewer. It was impossible to eclipse the likes of Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, but at least give the role to another beloved tv kook. And John Astin proved to be popular when cast in the role, at least it was a super surprise, and especially following Carolyn Jones in the last episode. Not to forget, Ted Cassidy (Lurch) made a cameo appearance the previous season.

The real problem here is producer William Dozier did not want to spend the extra bucks. Even with an Emmy nomination, Gorshin couldn't score a pay raise, so he was cut out of the series til further notice. More over, the show would have continued for many more seasons, but due to a fire that destroyed numerous sets after the third season, Dozier again refused to pay for anything and shut production down.

That all said, the former Gomez Addams comes off as a gentleman villain (and interesting to watch), executing another big heist and driving the caped crusaders all over the Fox and Warner Brothers backlots. Really not that bad.

BEST of the best comes at the end; the Riddler cooks up a GIGANTIC cake for Batman's "anniversary" and forces our hero and Robin to climb to the very top and step into the pink quicksand topping? Ingenious! What will happen next?

Look for master villain Martin Kosleck as Dr. Charm!

Kosleck spent a career playing over the top bad guys, usually Nazis, often portraying notorious Josef Goebbels.

Imaginatively written by William P. D'Angelo, co-producer of the series, later producer for many sitcoms. SEASON 2 EPISODE 45. Remastered color dvd box set. Part 1 and 2. 4 dvds. Released 2015. Catch the cool purple cover.

"Batman's Anniversary" marked The Riddler's only appearance this second season, with THE ADDAMS FAMILY's John Astin replacing Frank Gorshin due to the latter's salary demands. This anniversary was broadcast 13 months after the show's debut, and this Riddler script, the only contribution from William P. D'Angelo, essentially carries on the Puzzler characterization done seven weeks before by Maurice Evans, a series of puzzles rather than riddles to confound the Caped Crusader, even once referring to himself as 'The Prince of Puzzlers.' Even if Gomez Addams isn't anyone's idea of a decent Riddler, the plot at least is an improvement over the aviation themed Puzzler piece, this Riddler interrupting Batman's festivities to commit a series of robberies to accumulate $3 million to purchase a Demolecularizer from its impoverished inventor, Professor Avery Evans Charm (Martin Kosleck), refused funding due to his being a high school dropout. The initial Bat fight takes place underwater in a 'bank wet,' and the death trap finds the Dynamic Duo drowning but not getting wet atop an anniversary cake, sinking in quicksand disguised as icing. Byron Keith makes the 8th of his 10 appearances as Mayor Linseed, and silent screen comedian Eddie Quillan pops in for a welcome cameo as the Newsie who sells Batman a paper containing The Riddler's latest puzzle.

The producers failure to recognize Frank Gorshin as one of their major stars, with his incredible chemistry with Adam West, lead to the demise of the show. Even his Emmy nomination for The Riddler failed to get them to take notice. John Astin was terrific as Gomez Addams, and maybe could have brought some of that characterization here. And he did adequately incorporate the Riddler's bodily agility, but his vocalization and laugh were absolutely terrible in contrast. Producer William Dozier and the others really dropped the ball here. Dozier stated that he would not pay any villain more than the going rate, and this cost him one of the most enjoyable shows in television history.