"Give 'Em the Axe" sees Batman using the shiny buckle on his utility belt to deflect a shaft of sunlight toward an unstable compound that explodes when heated, leaving the Dynamic Duo unconscious on the floor, though The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) again assumes that they are dead. At the museum to search for the sarcophagus of Incan Emperor Hualpo Cuisi, inside which should be found the fabled lost treasure, he's only momentarily interrupted by Robin, who confirms that Batman is dead. Imagine the villain's surprise when the shadow of the Bat appears to haunt him once again, this single handed Batfight ending with each crook encased in a different torture device. Another welcome hint at Riddler's egomaniacal genius, insisting on phoning Commissioner Gordon to report that Batman and Robin are dead, and to taunt with another puzzle: "crime is no fun without riddles!" Gorshin's high pitched giggle would be heard a fourth time this first season, before joining the rogues gallery of arch criminals in the feature film.
5 Reviews
Shortly Fated Simply Riddled
DKosty1233 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Batman in one his more amazing escapes, creates an explosion to blown him and Robin clear of becoming candle waxed figures. Meanwhile the Riddler calls Comissioner Gordon and tells that he has killed them.
Oh what a sweet fate it is, as the Riddler does not stick around long to realized that he is about to get caught up with by the dynamic duo and suffer his usual fate, back to the pokey.
Villains do not get the death penalty in the comics or on this show because they keep coming back often to give Batman his latest person to fight. Granted some of them only come calling once, but even though this is riddle-rs third time already in the first season he will be back when he get paroled in the Gothem Pen's Revolving door program.
Still, the Riddler nearly blows our duos plans to keep putting him in, and he defies rehab again. Frank Gorshin is a classic Riddler, and is one of the villains that keeps these shows top rated this first year.
Oh what a sweet fate it is, as the Riddler does not stick around long to realized that he is about to get caught up with by the dynamic duo and suffer his usual fate, back to the pokey.
Villains do not get the death penalty in the comics or on this show because they keep coming back often to give Batman his latest person to fight. Granted some of them only come calling once, but even though this is riddle-rs third time already in the first season he will be back when he get paroled in the Gothem Pen's Revolving door program.
Still, the Riddler nearly blows our duos plans to keep putting him in, and he defies rehab again. Frank Gorshin is a classic Riddler, and is one of the villains that keeps these shows top rated this first year.
.........And How They Escaped Was.......
redryan647 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
FOLLOWING THEIR USUAL Cliffhanger ending, Batman & Robin managed to escape from their being dipped into a huge cauldron of molten, boiling candle-maker's wax by Batman's using his mirror-like utility belt buckle to reflect the sunbeams into a huge container of unstable chemical explosive.(Global Warming?) This caused an explosion and both freed the Dynamic Duo and at the dame time rendered them unconscious .
THE ACTION SHIFTED to Gotham City Museum and to some rare Incan Sarcophagus remains. Robin gets separated from Batman, but is freed from being broken on the Rack in the final encounter.
ALL'S WELL THAT ends well, with Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Aunt Harriet being shown as visiting the museum Ancient Peruvian Incan Culture display.
THIS TWO Part installment continues the tradition established in this first season of having an intelligently written story for the screenplay. We've long contended that and of these early episodes would have stood on their own merits as part of another series sans the "Camp Humor" aspect.
AS FOR THE use of the cliffhanger endings for the first half of the installments was an obvious adaptation from the old Movie Serials. It was also a sort of homage to their now state of extinction.
BUT THERE DOES appear to be yet another source of ancestry to these bondage ridden fade-outs. That would be the covers of Detective Comics and Batman magazines. The older covers in particular often had such depictions; whether or not the scene portrayed had any relation to the stories contained within or not.
AND TO BE sure, the producer's team did a yeoman's job in researching the Batman feature, going back to its earliest days. That is our theory on how the Riddler came to be a top adversary and lead-off man for the series. Let us explain.
PRIOR TO APPROX 2 years before the BATMAN series hit the airwaves as a part of ABC's 'Second Season', the character of the Riddler had appeared in only two stories in issues of Detrective Comics, Numbers 140 & 142. This was in 1948. Our guess is that some staffer noted the resemblance to the very popular comedian & impressionist, Mr. Frank Gorshin.
WITH A CONFERENCE between producer William Dozier and the big wigs at National Comics/DC brought the character back for another chance and multiple stories were published featuring the Riddler in 1964-65. He was even given a big build-up with full page announcement that he "was back"; when the typical reader didn't even know that he was gone.
BUT THAT IS our theory. Both Schultz and myself would like to hear yours!
THE ACTION SHIFTED to Gotham City Museum and to some rare Incan Sarcophagus remains. Robin gets separated from Batman, but is freed from being broken on the Rack in the final encounter.
ALL'S WELL THAT ends well, with Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Aunt Harriet being shown as visiting the museum Ancient Peruvian Incan Culture display.
THIS TWO Part installment continues the tradition established in this first season of having an intelligently written story for the screenplay. We've long contended that and of these early episodes would have stood on their own merits as part of another series sans the "Camp Humor" aspect.
AS FOR THE use of the cliffhanger endings for the first half of the installments was an obvious adaptation from the old Movie Serials. It was also a sort of homage to their now state of extinction.
BUT THERE DOES appear to be yet another source of ancestry to these bondage ridden fade-outs. That would be the covers of Detective Comics and Batman magazines. The older covers in particular often had such depictions; whether or not the scene portrayed had any relation to the stories contained within or not.
AND TO BE sure, the producer's team did a yeoman's job in researching the Batman feature, going back to its earliest days. That is our theory on how the Riddler came to be a top adversary and lead-off man for the series. Let us explain.
PRIOR TO APPROX 2 years before the BATMAN series hit the airwaves as a part of ABC's 'Second Season', the character of the Riddler had appeared in only two stories in issues of Detrective Comics, Numbers 140 & 142. This was in 1948. Our guess is that some staffer noted the resemblance to the very popular comedian & impressionist, Mr. Frank Gorshin.
WITH A CONFERENCE between producer William Dozier and the big wigs at National Comics/DC brought the character back for another chance and multiple stories were published featuring the Riddler in 1964-65. He was even given a big build-up with full page announcement that he "was back"; when the typical reader didn't even know that he was gone.
BUT THAT IS our theory. Both Schultz and myself would like to hear yours!
WHAT HAS FOUR LEGS AND RUNS ALL NIGHT????
tcchelsey10 July 2022
Answer: The famous Lion Fountain, outside the Gotham Museum!!!! Of course. Batman and Robin trail the giggling Riddler, out to steal the lost treasure of the Incas, secreted in the sarcophagus of Emperor Cuisi! OMG.
HOWEVER... long before this bold move, the Dynamic Duo manage to escape falling into a giant vat of wax, to which the Riddler merrily exclaims, "Keep Smiling!" This super scene may have been borrowed from an episode of SUPERMAN that had Clark Kent dangling over a vat of bubbling acid. Kent naturally became Superman and broke free. In this case, Batman uses his shining belt buckle to deflect light off an exploding compound, which explodes anyway. Meanwhile, the Riddler (still giggling) thinks the dynamic duo are toast. NOT.
In a neat bait and switch, Batman plays some mind games with the Riddler, pretending to be the ghost of his dead self, prompting the Riddler to wield a giant sword to cut him to pieces! The running gag in this episode are all the outrageous torture devices the Riddler has assembled, including a giant spinning wheel which is waiting for Batman --- or the Riddler!
Bottom line, watching Gorshin ham it up is a treat, and that includes a quick call to Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton) just to p.o. The old guy . Fo' shame! Well written stuff by two veterans; Jack Paritz, who wrote many episodes for LASSIE, and Bob Rodgers, who wrote for GILLIGANS ISLAND, later MARY TYLER MOORE and the PARTRIDGE FAMILY. Never a dull moment and perhaps the Riddler's most campy appearance.
Pretty Linda Scott returns as the Riddler's bad gal pal, Moth. Linda gained national fame a few years earlier as the poster girl for one of Jan and Dean's LP covers, and perhaps why it sold so many copies.
A certified collectors item today, and there's still some copies in circulation and for sale.
Recommended stuff! SEASON 1 EPISODE 24, remastered dvd box set.
HOWEVER... long before this bold move, the Dynamic Duo manage to escape falling into a giant vat of wax, to which the Riddler merrily exclaims, "Keep Smiling!" This super scene may have been borrowed from an episode of SUPERMAN that had Clark Kent dangling over a vat of bubbling acid. Kent naturally became Superman and broke free. In this case, Batman uses his shining belt buckle to deflect light off an exploding compound, which explodes anyway. Meanwhile, the Riddler (still giggling) thinks the dynamic duo are toast. NOT.
In a neat bait and switch, Batman plays some mind games with the Riddler, pretending to be the ghost of his dead self, prompting the Riddler to wield a giant sword to cut him to pieces! The running gag in this episode are all the outrageous torture devices the Riddler has assembled, including a giant spinning wheel which is waiting for Batman --- or the Riddler!
Bottom line, watching Gorshin ham it up is a treat, and that includes a quick call to Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton) just to p.o. The old guy . Fo' shame! Well written stuff by two veterans; Jack Paritz, who wrote many episodes for LASSIE, and Bob Rodgers, who wrote for GILLIGANS ISLAND, later MARY TYLER MOORE and the PARTRIDGE FAMILY. Never a dull moment and perhaps the Riddler's most campy appearance.
Pretty Linda Scott returns as the Riddler's bad gal pal, Moth. Linda gained national fame a few years earlier as the poster girl for one of Jan and Dean's LP covers, and perhaps why it sold so many copies.
A certified collectors item today, and there's still some copies in circulation and for sale.
Recommended stuff! SEASON 1 EPISODE 24, remastered dvd box set.
OF THE BEST MOMENTS OF THE RIDDLER
asalerno1030 June 2022
The Riddler steals a wax figure of Batman, his intention is to extract from it a component that can be used to make a universal solvent and with it penetrate the safe of the National Library where the rarest and most valuable books are hidden. When Batman is going to arrest him, he is caught and together with Robin they are suspended over a melting pot of boiling wax to be submerged and become wax figures, while this happens the villain will try to seize an Inca treasure hidden inside a sarcophagus that lies in a museum. . One of the best episodes of The Riddler, entertaining, with mystery, suspense and lots of action.
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