Ring Around the Riddler: The Lost Scenes

Before we look at this episode in detail, a little history is in order.

The producers of Batman made a curious decision at the beginning of Season 2. Riding the wave of both the successful first season and the feature film, they chose to begin the season with an original villain, Archer, rather than one of the "Big Four" from the comics (Riddler, Penguin, Joker and Catwoman), who already had become standbys.

In fact, while Catwoman appeared in the next two-parter, six of the first eight stories of the second season featured new villains/villainesses, and only one of those six (Egghead) ever appeared again. Frank Gorshin's Riddler didn't show up at all in that season, after having the most appearances (eight episodes) in Season 1.

Gorshin, easily the breakout star among the first-season villains, finally was coaxed back for a third-season appearance.

Ring Around the Riddler was the second episode to air in the third season, yet the production number of this episode is 1707, which would seem to indicate that it originally was supposed to be the seventh episode of the season. (For instance, Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin, the season opener, was production number 1701.) In fact, a reference in the original Wail of the Siren script proves that the two Siren episodes were supposed to run later than they did. More on that next week.

(Incidentally, it's merely a coincidence that this particular Omake feature is making its debut on the site on September 21, 2005, exactly 38 years after the actual Ring Around the Riddler episode premiered. Another coincidence is that on that same day, Sept. 21, 1967, country singer Faith Hill was born. Ms. Hill is certainly a beautiful and talented "siren" in her own right.)

Much dialogue was cut in both episodes, which likely was the norm for the show. As twof points out, it's a lot easier to trim dialogue and/or scenes to fit into the episode's running time than it would be to create new scenes if the episode ran short.

Also, it's interesting to note that the henchmen in both scripts are referred to as "stooges."

Here are some of the notable differences between the original Ring script and the episode as broadcast:

• More was made of the fact that Riddler's henchgal, Betsy Boldface, was a newspaper sportswriter in addition to being a broadcaster. (This would have foreshadowed the emergence years later of sportswriters as TV personalities, particularly on ESPN.)

• The cashier at Gotham Square Garden was male, rather than female. Thus, Riddler obviously didn't get as "physical" with him as he did with the female cashier. (Riddler had a penchant for flirting with female cashiers before and after he robbed them. Remember his gassing of a cashier played by Judy Pace in the Death in Slow Motion episode?) The male cashier also was momentarily mesmerized by the blinking box.

• Siren's stunning note is described as undulating (i.e., wavy) and finally inaudible.

• After Siren failed to hypnotize Batgirl, she "zapped" the boxers with her stunning note one by one, instead of all at one time. That probably explains why in the actual scene she was looking at Jerry Quarry, and not at the other two fighters (Mando Ramos and Raul Rojas), because Siren already had hypnotized them. In fact, Siren, and not Riddler, was the one who ordered the dazed boxers into the steam room!

• While all that is going on, Batman and Robin are sleeping! They returned to the Batcave after picking up a dazed Chief O'Hara at the arena, only to find that the Bat-computer is temporarily on the fritz because Alfred accidentally "demagnetized" the "audio frequency valve." So Batman, considered the "World's Greatest Detective" in the comics, decides that without electronic help, he and Robin should call it a night! Holy Dereliction of Duties!

• We see Barbara back at her apartment after Batgirl escaped the steam room at the Riddler's hideout. In the actual episode, we don't see her again until the next day in the Commissioner's office.

• Mae West had a cameo before the fight between Batman and Riddler. She was "accompanied by two handsome, young, brawny tuxedoed escorts," according to the script. Of course, she delivered her trademark line, saying, "If you win this fight, Batman, come up and see me some time."

• Aunt Harriet had more dialogue in the original version. Some of this probably was cut because she makes numerous references to being away for awhile, but when this actually premiered, she only had been away from the show for one episode. Madge Blake, who was in ill health, only made two appearances that season.

• Batman's "kicker" line at the end of the show, prior to the epilogue (which was referred to in the script as a "tag") with Siren in Commissioner Gordon's office, wasn't in the original script. Act Two was supposed to end with Robin remarking "This camel-grass juice is great!" Batman's line, "Beware of strong stimulants," then was added.

Some negatives: While the Mae West cameo obviously wouldn't have added anything to the plot itself, it would have been a nice substitute for the defunct "window" appearances, which ended with the second season. Interestingly, it's been rumored over the years that Ms. West also was considered for the part of Minerva in the series finale.

As you probably can tell from my pseudonym, I'm a big fan of the Siren, so any reduction in her role is a negative as far as I'm concerned, and there are a couple more key deleted scenes in her "own" episode. As for this episode, it would have been nice to see Joan Collins get a little more face time.

Positive developments among the changes include the fact that the "Bat-computer on the fritz" scene was cut. That scene made it look as if Batman and Robin couldn't deduce anything on their own, and thus deserved to be scrapped. Batman’s closing line to Robin was in character, however, and was a good way to close the storyline.

As silly as it may have looked having the Siren "sing" a note that sounded like a forerunner of a fax machine, having her open her mouth and have nothing come out would have been worse. So it's better that her "stunning note" was depicted as it was, and not as being inaudible at its peak.

The producers and writers knew what Frank Gorshin brought to the table, so it's good they changed the Gotham Square Garden cashier to a female, allowing for a better scene.

Many of Riddler's physical actions were not included in the stage directions. Writer Charles Hoffman and the producers obviously trusted Gorshin, an extremely talented impressionist and gifted physical actor, to make the correct acting choices, which he almost always did. In fact, the scene where Siren leaves the hideout and Riddler keeps straining to look at her as she walks away was likely improvised by Gorshin.

There were more differences in the original Wail of the Siren script and the eventual broadcast. We'll examine those next week.

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