User Reviews

"The Ring of Wax" was Frank Gorshin's third double act as The Riddler, and perhaps the best plot he worked with since the pilot. Having discovered a universal wax solvent that, when heated, will burn through any substance, the Prince of Puzzlers heads off to the public library to bore a hole in the safe door to obtain a rare volume on the lost treasure of the Incas: "the more you take away the larger it grows!" The Dynamic Duo track him back to his hideout in an abandoned candle factory, where they prepare to meet their doom above a vat of boiling wax, set to become a pair of human candles. Riddler's gorgeous moll Moth is played by blonde bombshell Linda Scott, his henchmen Michael Greene and Joey Tata (later seen opposite both Penguin and King Tut). This was the first appearance of Gotham City's as yet unnamed Mayor (Al McGranary), but for his next appearance in "The Joker Trumps an Ace" he would be played for the first time by Byron Keith. Librarian Elizabeth Harrower would be back in the same role in "Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin."

WITH THE FIRST season of the BATMAN Series well underway, we were presented with this; being the first half of the third Riddler story. This gave us yet another look at Mr. Frank Gorshin's interpretation of that lexiconically obsessed master of the cryptic messages, Edward Nigma (E. Nigma for short). Although that was his name in the relatively few Batman comics stories that the green leotard clad baddie appeared in, it was never used in the TV series.*

AS FOR THIS particular installment, there is much to recommend it. It has a great comic book opening. The storyline, which like all of these earliest episodes, would doubtless hold up as an installment of any other detective story. In the area of title and central theme, the installment borrowed heavily from that already present in Hollywood and Nashville Pop Culture.

FROM THE MOVIE capital, we had MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM (remade in 3D as HOUSE OF WAX), both of which were horror stories, and RING OF FEAR; the Clyde Beatty/Mickey Spillane "B" detective story. The contribution from the Country Music people is found in Johnny Cash's RING OF FIRE.

THE STORY MOVES quickly and without as much as a wasted frame of film from the initial challenge from Riddler to the robbery of a rare manuscript from the Gotham City Public Library to the capture of the Dynamic Duo and having them about to be "preserved" in molten wax by being lowered by pulley into the huge cauldron of molten paraffin.

THIS OF COURSE led to the inevitable cliffhanger ending and the melodramatic voice over by Producer/Narrator William Dozier of:

"BE SURE TO TUNE IN TOMORROW, SAME BAT-TIME, SAME......." PLEASE DO TAKE a look-see at our review for part 2, Give 'Em the Ax! (As soon as we get around to writing it!)

NOTE: * While the true identity of the Riddler of Edward Nigma/E. Nigma was never used in this 1966-68 TV Series, in the feature film BATMAN FOREVER (1995) the Riddler (Jim Carrey) had his name revealed but with a change in spelling. The surname was spelled Nygma, for reasons unknown; unless the revision would be less likely to appear to be akin to any offensive other word.

It is so often that by the time someone makes their 3rd try, they are wearing out their welcome.

Not so with Frank Gorshin, whose Riddler seems to be getting better and better plots each time out.

There is a lot of energy in this first part, and a waxy Riddler hits museum openers looking for a waxed Batman with something entirely not expected.

With a solid cast and plot, this series is rolling into the later part of the season with everything running well.

Tomorrow brings a shocking conclusion to a super riddle plot.

It appears that now that we no longer have a Batman chat board anymore but I am seeing more ads for stuff I do not want, that the Riddler is needed to straighten out this mess too.

Stay Tuned tomorrow,

same Bat-Time

same Bat-channel