EPISODE NUMBERS: 79-80, Production Code N/A

PLOT SUMMARIES:

Batman's Anniversary :
On an urgent call from Commissioner Gordon, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson switch to Batman and Robin and rush to The Gotham Plaza Hotel; once there, they are surprised by a party being held in celebration of Batman and Robin's anniversary of their partnership with The Gotham City Police Department. During the presentation of a golden calf filled with $200,000 intended for charity, the party is interrupted by erupting clouds of green smoke and the sudden appearance of three emergency firemen who swipe the calf and escape through an open window. Before making his escape, one of the firemen reveals himself to be that crooked Count Of Conundrums himself, The Riddler, in disguise, who drops off one of his criminal clues, and then drops out to a safety net placed just outside! The Dynamic Duo attempt to give chase in The Batmobile, but lose the getaway truck in some Riddler-planned confusion. Following up on Riddler's clue, The Dynamic Duo analyze a crossword puzzle in The Gotham Herald newspaper. Believing they have solved the puzzle, and that it holds the key to The Riddler's next caper, they put through a call to Gordon by Batphone to alert him. However, Gordon informs them that the underground vault of The Gotham City Bank has been flooded.

Realizing they have misread the clues, Batman and Robin track Riddler to the bank where he and his henchmen Across and Down are attempting to steal the cash. Armed with Batrespirators, The Duo give battle; during the fight, Riddler yanks off Robin's respirator and tosses it asunder, causing Batman to rush to his aid and give Riddler and his minions the distraction they need to split. The trio of supercrooks reconvene at their hideout at the soon-to-be-opened Norman Jigsaw Puzzle Factory, where they meet up with their moll, Anna Gram and to dry out the stolen money, for The Prince Of Puzzlers wants to collect $3 million in order to bargain for a horrifying weapon from Professor Avery Evans Charm: a pen-sized Demolecularizer. Meanwhile, Batman and Robin remember their appointment with The Gotham City's Bakers Guild to pose for lifesize marshmallow figurines, which will top a giant cake. Unknown to them, The Riddler, Across and Down have replaced the guild members! They lift The Caped Crusader and The Boy Wonder by forklift to the top of the 3-story cake; then, with a click of a switch by Riddler, Batman and Robin find themselves stuck as the cake directly under our heroes is made of 15 feet of lethal quicksand cleverly disguised as strawberry icing! As The Dynamic Duo slowly sink to oblivion, The Riddler and his men depart to prepare his next criminal scheme.

Riddling Controversy :
As the lethal quicksand has almost claimed our heroes, Batman and Robin escape by reaching down ever so slowly, activate their experimental Heel-and-Toe Batrockets, and rocket themselves to safety. They investigate another cunning clue left by Riddler after his latest crime, and encounter Riddler, Across and Down at the penthouse of Anthony Aquila, an exiled South American dictator. They are unable to stop the thieving trio from cracking the dictator's safe because they must first rescue dictator himself from one of Riddler's fiendish puzzle-traps. Fearing for the man's life, The Duo allow the villains to escape with their ill-gotten gains. The Boy Wonder succeeds in solving the puzzle of the cage and releasing Aquila, only to find that the box supposedly containing the explosives was a fake.

The Riddler finally amasses enough capital to purchase Professor Charm's invention, which he plans to demonstrate on a park statue. Disguised as a street cleaner, Riddler aims the Demolecularizer at the statue and makes it vanish right before the very eyes of The Dynamic Duo and the police! The Conundrum King then promises to Demolecularize Police HQ unless Gotham's criminal codes are rescinded. The Caped Crusader and The Boy Wonder fly The Batcopter over Gotham and seed the clouds above with di-chloride, thus neutralizing Riddler's device with a well-timed lightning bolt from a passing storm cloud. The Dynamic Duo then trace Riddler to his hideout by Batcycle at The Norman Jigsaw Puzzle Factory, where they round him and his cronies Anna Gram, Across and Down up and send them on another long trek back to the pokey. Later, in Gordon's office @ Police HQ, a guilt-wracked Professor Charm returns the stolen cash.

WRITTEN BY: William P. D'Angelo

DIRECTED BY: James B. Clark

CAST:
Madge Blake (Aunt Harriet Cooper)
William Dozier (Narrator)
Adam West (Bruce N. Wayne/Batman)
Burt Ward (Richard "Dick" Grayson/Robin: The Boy Wonder)
Alan Napier (Alfred Pennyworth)
Stafford Repp (Chief O'Hara)
Neil Hamilton (I) (Commissioner James W. Gordon)
John Astin (The Riddler)
Deanna Lund (Anna Gram)
Jim Lefebvre (Across)
Ken Scott (Down)
Byron Keith (Mayor Linseed)
Eddie Quillan (Newsie)
Martin Kosleck (Professor Avery Evans Charm)
Bud Furillo (Reporter)
Tom Kelly (TV Reporter)

INTERESTING NOTES:
- This is John Astin's 1st appearance as The Riddler. Frank Gorshin, the original Prince Of Puzzlers, had a night club commitment which he couldn't avoid.

- During 1966, Thursday installments of the series were rated the fifth most popular TV show while Wednesday segments were tenth. NBC's Bonanza was the series riding the #1 spot.

SCREEN GRABS FROM EPISODE 1

SCREEN GRABS FROM EPISODE 2

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