Batman ‘66 Villains Gallery — The Riddler
Frank Gorshin and John Astin.
The Batman Classic TV show or as is it is known: Batman ’66, is full of great special guests, but the most memorable has to be all those from the legendary villains’ gallery.
Many of them had their origin stories in the comics, but thanks to the popularity of the series and great performances, many of these characters are still alive in the memory of screenwriters, filmmakers, or the public in general.
Let’s follow one by one, in this villains’ gallery that brings together the best and the worst of Gotham during the Adam West era.
The 1st Riddler: Frank Gorshin
The character made only three comic book appearances three times before the series: first on “The Prince of Puzzles” in Detective Comics №140 in 1948, “The Riddler’s Puzzle Contest” in Detective Comics №142, and “Remarkable Ruse of the Riddler” in Batman №171 on 1965.
Then, Bill Dozier, the producer asks Gorshin to take this role and be his first guest star for the ABC pilot of the live-action Batman series along with Adam West and Burt Ward.
Gorshin was previously known for his appearances in The Ed Sullivan Show and making a career in dramatic roles thanks to shows like The Untouchables and The Naked City.
About taking the role, Gorshin’s said:
“I absolutely loved the Batman comic books as a child — especially the Riddler. To suddenly be asked whether I wanted to bring him to life was just amazing. I didn’t have to audition or anything. The key had to be the laugh.”
He appeared on 9 episodes in total and was the only guest actor to receive an Emmy nomination for his performance on the series. Also made other memorable appearances on popular shows as Star Trek, The Munsters, Charlies Angels, Wonder Woman, and a Murder She Wrote.
Needless to say, thanks to Gorshin, the Riddler makes the roster as one of The Dark Knight’s regular enemies to this day.
Frank Gorshin Appearances:
Season 01
Episodes 01 and 02: “Hi Diddle Riddle” and “Smack in The Middle”.
Episodes 11 and 12: “A Riddle A Day Keeps the Riddler Away” and “When the Rat’s Away the Mice Will Play”.
Episodes 23 and 24: “The Ring of Wax” and “Give’em The Axe”.
Episodes 31 and 32: “Death in Slow Motion” and “The Riddler’s False Notion”.
Season 03
Episode 96: «Ring Around the Riddler»
The 2nd Riddler: John Astin
Best known for his role as Gomez Addams on The Addams Family, replaced Gorshin briefly in the second season after a disagreement with the show’s producers.
It’s said that Gorshin demanded an increase a pay rise after his award nomination and felt that deserved more after the first season, although other sources claim that the actor was not available at the time due to other commitments and agreed to reappear for the final season.
Astin’s performance as the Riddler was not as popular as Gorshin and only appeared in two episodes, but his stick/pole thing with the question mark that he used on these episodes is still memorable. A trademark of the character since then.
John Astin Appearances:
Season 02:
Episodes 79 and 82: “Batman’s Anniversary” and “A Riddling Controversy”.
