May 18, 2005
WHAT'S BLACK AND WHITE AND DEAD? (via Governor Breck):
Batman's Riddler, Frank Gorshin, dead (AP, 5/18/05)
Actor Frank Gorshin, the impressionist with 100 faces best known for his Emmy-nominated role as the Riddler on the old "Batman" television series, has died. He was 72.Gorshin's wife of 48 years, Christina, was at his side when he died Tuesday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, his agent and longtime friend, Fred Wostbrock, said Wednesday.
"He put up a valiant fight with lung cancer, emphysema and pneumonia," Mrs. Gorshin said in a statement.
Despite dozens of television and movie credits, Gorshin will be forever remembered for his role as the Riddler, Adam West's villainous foil in the question mark-pocked green suit and bowler hat on "Batman" from 1966-69.
"It really was a catalyst for me," Gorshin recalled in a 2002 Associated Press interview. "I was nobody. I had done some guest shots here and there. But after I did that, I became a headliner in Vegas, so I can't put it down."
West said the death of his longtime friend was a big loss.
"Frank will be missed," West said in a statement. "He was a friend and fascinating character."
Gorshin earned another Emmy nomination for a guest shot on "Star Trek."
The Star Trek episode, though the allegory is leaden, is classic. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 18, 2005 7:18 PM
Leaden scripting was a hallmark of the third season of Trek, but in that one I kept waiting for Sulu to turn around when the lift doors opened and say something like "Captian -- It's the Riddler!"
Posted by: John at May 18, 2005 8:33 PMJohn,
That episode was rerun the other night on the Sci-Fi Channel. I made it about ten minutes into the episode until Kirk asked Gorshin's doppleganger, "Your planet is in the southern quadrant of the galaxy, isn't it?" I groaned and quickly deleted the show from my TiVo's hard drive.
I loved Gorshin as the Riddler, and as an impressionist in general, but that Star Trek episode was pretty bad.
Posted by: Ed Driscoll at May 18, 2005 8:41 PMThe Riddler was the best of the Batman villains. And Frank Gorshin was the best of the Riddlers. All the rest were just imitating him.
Posted by: Brandon at May 18, 2005 9:15 PMCatwoman.
Channel 23 here now shows all classic tv, Lone Ranger in the morning, 8:30, Batman, 2 episodes, before dinner.
Posted by: Jim in Chicago at May 18, 2005 10:50 PMEd, given that any system with quadrants have 4 sectors, why not name them after the compass points? Granted, any "north" would be arbitrary, but there is more reason to use the compass directions than some other nomenclature like "alpha, beta, gamma, and delta."
Posted by: Chris Durnell at May 20, 2005 5:26 PM