Hi Diddle Riddle was the premiere episode of the Batman TV series, having first aired on ABC on January 12, 1966. It marked the debut of the original cast and special guest villain: The Riddler.
Plot
The series opens at the Republic of Moldavia exhibit, located at the Gotham City World's Fair, the Moldavian prime minister slices into the Moldavian friendship cake and unknowingly causes it to explode, releasing a concealed riddle:
"Why is an orange like a bell?"
At the Gotham Police Headquarters, Police Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton) and Chief O'Hara (Stafford Repp) suspect the Riddler (Frank Gorshin). Knowing full well how many times Riddler has baffled them in the past, Gordon turns to Inspector Basch and all the other men present asking if they know what to do; none of them speak up, so Gordon turns to a nearby red phone nestled underneath a glass display dome. Gordon removes the dome and presses the button on the phone, which is revealed to be a direct hotline to Batman and Robin.
The Duo rush to Headquarters and figure out the answer to the riddle: a bell is pealed, and an orange is peeled. Batman and Robin remind the others that Riddler always makes it a point to commit ruses and leave baffling clues as to what crime he is planning to commit. Batman then figures out Riddler is up to something at the Peale Art Gallery and, suspecting a trap, tell the police that they'll check it out on their own. As they arrive, Batman's phone rings, and it turns out to be the Riddler on the other end with another riddle:
"There are three men in a boat with four cigarettes but no matches. How do they manage to smoke?"
The Duo climbs the outside wall up to a window where they see the Riddler holding a gun while taking a cross from the gallery proprietor, Gideon Peale. They break in and Riddler tries to run for it, but Batman stops him with a flash pellet and arrests him, at which point two men with cameras arrive and take pictures. The Duo find out from Peale that the cross actually belongs to Riddler who loaned it to him for a show. Laughing in delight, Riddler tells them that he even tipped them off and then shows them that the gun was actually a novelty cigarette lighter. Robin realizes that it really was a tip-off as he just figured out the riddle about the men in a boat with the four cigarettes and no matches (they threw one cigarette overboard and made the boat "a cigarette lighter"). To the Duo's horror, Riddler summons two lawyers who arrive with a subpoena which the Riddler hands to Batman; he is going to sue Batman for assault, slander, and false arrest!
Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce, unable to find anything in his files, is distraught over the very idea that if Riddler's case goes to court, which is highly likely, it means that Batman will have no other choice but to reveal his true identity, which will not only eradicate Bruce's value as a crime fighter, but also nullify everything he trained for and accomplished in the years since his parents were murdered. But then Dick reminds him of what Riddler said after he handed Batman the subpoena: to look for two more riddles. Realizing that the riddles are hidden in the legal papers, they go down to the Batcave to examine them closer. Once there, they find the two hidden riddles:
- "When is the time on a clock like the whistle of a train?" (When its '2 to 2', or "toot toot toot!")
- "What has neither flesh, bone or nail, yet has four fingers and a thumb?" (A glove)
Robin figures out that the two answers put together form an street address: 222 Glover Avenue, the location of the "What A Way To Go-Go" discothèque, where Riddler, along with his hired henchmen the Mole Hill Gang, has set a trap. The Duo arrive at the club, but the doorman is prohibited from letting Robin inside as he is a minor. Batman senses a plot to separate him from Robin, but goes inside anyway while Robin parks the Batmobile and monitors Batman using the Batscope.
Inside, Batman walks up to the bar and orders an orange juice. Molly, the Gang's gun moll who is sitting nearby, starts talking to Batman and asks him to dance. After drinking his orange juice, Batman accepts and the two hit the floor. But as they dance, Batman begins to lose his sharpness, realizing only too late that his orange juice has been drugged. Watching from outside, Robin attempts to help, but Riddler shoots him in the arm with a tranquilizer dart gun, and then tries to steal the Batmobile for himself but accidentally triggers its anti-theft device, and when he tries to destroy the car its anti-fire device smothers the flames. the Mob carries an unconscious Robin down a manhole, and Batman, now in no condition to pursue them, and is forced to surrender his keys to the police.
Back at the Riddler's hideout, Robin is strapped to an operating table as the Riddler, who is surrounded by Molly and the Mole Hill Mob, attempts to operate on the unconscious teen.
Cliffhanger Text
- WILL ROBIN ESCAPE?
- CAN BATMAN FIND HIM IN TIME?
- IS THIS THE GHASTLY END OF OUR DYNAMIC DUO?
- ANSWERS...TOMORROW NIGHT! SAME TIME, SAME CHANNEL!
- ONE HINT--THE WORST IS YET TO COME!
Appearances
Individuals
- Batman
- Robin
- Alfred
- Commissioner Gordon
- Chief O'Hara
- Mrs. Cooper
- The Riddler
- Molly
- The Mole Hill Mob
Locations
Trivia
- By the time the series made its debut, Batman & Robin had already established as first-rate crime fighters in Gotham City in the storyline itself; when Gordon reveals to Batman over the hotline that the Riddler was on the loose, Robin mutters "Him again."
- Gordon's line, "I don't know who he is behind that mask of his, but I do know when we need him, and we need him now" appears almost verbatim in the first line of Jan & Dean's song "Batman!", which was released in the spring of 1966 and peaked at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- The newscaster in this episode is portrayed by then-former game show host and producer Jack Barry, who was blacklisted from American television after the Quiz Show Scandals of the late 50s, but who would later make a remarkable comeback in the early 70s with a new game show, The Joker's Wild, which became a hit and initially ran non-consecutively for 12 years, three on CBS (1972-75), and nine more in syndication (1977-1986).
- This is the first time, the famous dance called The Batusi was shown.
- Jill St. John who played Molly, was featured in the opening credits as "Special Guest", but not as "Special Guest Villain", the distinction of which belonged to, of course, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler.
- Riddler's real name, Edward Nigma, is never given in the series. In the second part of The Bookworm episode when Batman and Robin are trapped inside the giant cook book, Commissoner Gordon remarks that Riddler is the best safecracker there ever was; this is the only clue on how the Riddler start into crime which is a reference to the original character's comic debut in Detective Comics 140#
- Despite being one of the main four super-criminals besides Joker, Penguin and Catwoman. Riddler never appears as the others do in the Batcave, although in the movie "The Adventures of Adam and Burt" he does try with Catwoman to blow up the Dynamic Duo in the Batcave.
- Similar to the Batman Movie, Riddler is seen wearing his riddler bowler hat and suit, and not the usual leotard costume he world ordinarily wear in the series.
- Dick and Bruce's name tags on the Bat Poles are on the same level. This will vary throughout the series.
- William Dozier said the primary inspiration for him to do this series was hearing reports of how Hugh Hefner would screen the 1949 Batman serials at the Playboy club for Playboy Playmates and visiting guests every Saturday night, and in a campy gesture, everyone would cheer the heroes and boo the villains.
- Batman is more of an outsider in this episode, as he would be forced to remove his mask in court. Later episodes ignore this and not only have Batman in court, but allow him to sub for the district attorney.
- In the cold open, Commissioner Gordon assembles his senior policemen and detectives to assess the situation; only after they unanimously confess their inability to challenge the Riddler does Gordon reluctantly decide to summon Batman. In later episodes, he and Chief O'Hara go to the Batphone without a second thought.
- Some sources credit the TV series makers as the creators of the Aunt Harriet character; she actually first appeared in the comic books in 1964, two years before the television show.
- The actor who played the villain would always be credited as the "Special Guest Villain".
- Each main villain had their own theme music.
- At the time this episode aired, Alfred Pennyworth was thought to be dead in the comics.
- The producers originally envisioned a 60-minute Batman series, but decided to trim it to 30-minute 2-parters as exhibition.
- This episode marks the first appearance of the Bat-Signal in the series.
- Batman's disco appearance and subsequent dance number gave rise to a brief dance craze over the Batusi. The dance never is identified by name by any character, but is called the Batusi by narrator William Dozier during the recap that opens episode 2.
- Variations between the pilot and regular series: opening theme is slightly different and the superimposed cliffhanger texts are angled. Also these are the only episodes of Batman's entire series run to feature a "Special Guest" credit (Jill St. John as Molly) preceding the ever-present "Special Guest Villain" credit.
- Cathy Ferrar said "Gleeps! It's Batman!" in episode #1, gained some notoriety and became known as the "Gleeps Girl". She returned in the episode "The Joker Trumps An Ace", with an additional five syllables to her role ("Crime is certainly rampant these days!").
- "Hi Diddle Riddle" was misprinted as "Hey Diddle Diddle" in a TV Guide close-Up detailing its telecast on ABC.
- Writer Lorenzo Semple Jr. wrote the screenplay for the 1966 Batman feature film.
- The footage first seen in "Hi Diddle Riddle" of The Dynamic Duo preparing to zoom out of The Batcave ("Atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed!" "Roger, ready to move out") is recycled in many later episodes and in the 1966 Batman movie.
- This is the only time that Alfred Pennyworth wears a tuxedo in the series. Also, Robin makes his only appearance wearing green cloth gloves (matching the fabric of his green tights); later episodes would have him wearing green leather gloves.
- The episode is based on "Remarkable Ruse of the Riddler" from Batman #171 (May 1965), written by Gardner Fox; in it, The Riddler, jealous of the attention Batman is giving The Mole Hill Mob, arranges a trap so Batman will apprehend the gang and give The Riddler The Caped Crusader's undivided attention.
- The scenes of The World's Fair used in this episode are actual footage taken at the 1964-5 New York World's Fair. The "Moldavian exhibit" was actually shot at the Pavilion of the Kingdom of Thailand at the World’s Fair. Both the exterior and the interior of the pavilion were seen in the episode, including the Thai architectural structure of the exterior and the mural depicting ancient Thai capitals in the hall.
- The interior design of Commissioner Gordon's office is different from the way it is displayed in later episodes, so much that Batman and Robin exit through a door near the Commissioner's desk, as opposed to later episodes where they exit through a door at the opposite end of the office. Other sets feature minor changes such as the Wayne Manor study that has elements including an additional door added next to the fireplace and wood trim around the bookcase after the pilot.
- Bruce Wayne refers to his father's "law books", though in every other media portrayal, Bruce's father, Thomas Wayne, was a doctor, not a lawyer. This however does not mean Thomas wasn't a doctor, as it would not be unthinkable for a doctor to have law books since there are a great many pieces of legal knowledge that a doctor would have to be familiar with. This is also the first of only two episodes in which Wayne mentions that his parents were murdered; the other is the second-season episode "The Joker's Epitaph".
- After the cake explodes, the prime minister of Moldavia curses in German instead of Romanian, which is spoken in reality in his country. The "Republic of Moldavia" was only a fictional country (it seemed to be inspired by Moldova, a neighbor of Romania) and the scenes in the "Moldavian Pavilion" in both this episode and the next ("Smack in the Middle") were shot at the Pavilion of Thailand, a Southeast Asian Kingdom (not a European Republic).