Addams Family actors on Batman question

[Johnny Hamm]

I heard from a friend today that they'd heard that John Astin, Carolyn Jones and Ted Cassidy had a one show option left on their contracts when the Addams Family was canceled. 20th Century Fox used appearances on Batman to fill those options. Anybody know if this is true or false? Just curious as it would be an interesting footnote. Thanks, JL

[Riddler Fan]

I don't think that rumor has any truth to it. But there are quite a few Batman/Addams Family connections aside from the ones you mentioned. In the Astin/Riddler two-parter character actor Eddie Quillan had a small part as a news vendor, but he had also appeared as Sam Hilliard's (Allyn Joslyn) assistant in a couple of Addams Family episodes.

[High C]

Johnny, Joel 'Batscholar' Eisner says there is something to it:

http://tothebatpoles.blogspot.com/2011/ ... 79-80.html

This was just another attempt by ABC to end their contract with the Addams Family stars.

[Johnny Hamm]

Thanks folks for your input...just curious. Like I said it would make a nice tidbit to the Bathistory.

[Dr. Shimel]

Of course that begs the question as to why they brought back Carolyn Jones for her team-up with Penguin two months later, when Ted Cassidy had his window cameo and John Astin had his Riddler fill-in.

[Progress Pigment]

I thought Carolyn Jones was very good in her first appearance as Marsha, and John Astin, while not able to convey the menace of Gorshin's Riddler, did a fun take on the character. Without the incredibly unexciting cake death trap it could've been a very good episode. And it's sort of nice having Astin connected to the series. He was a fine actor, director and really seems to be an outstanding individual. And he really resembled the Riddler of the comics a bit more than Gorshin, until Gorshin's portrayal changed it forever.

[Lord Death Man]

I also rather liked Mr. Astin as the Riddler, although it seemed his Riddler channeled Gomez Addams quite a bit (which may be why I liked it!). I also liked the cake trap-having a death trap outside made it seem more realistic (one of my favorites along with the Joker's 'falling meteorite'). Does anyone know if the 'giant cake' building is the same building used for the Joker's 'gas filled chimney' deathtrap (I am relying on memory here since my DVD's are not at hand, so I might be way off)?

While Mr. Astin did more resemble the 'silver age' Riddler, Mr. Gorshin was far closer to the original depiction of the character in the comics:

[Robin Holyisms]

Without the incredibly unexciting cake death trap it could've been a very good episode.

The "unexciting"cake death trap was actually something that was also used in “Batman’s Deadly Birthday” (Batman #130, March 1960), which was one of two comic book stories that the John Astin Riddler episodes were based on. And is one of the few death traps from the comics that was actually used in the series.

[Lord Death Man]

The only other one that immediately comes to mind is the Zelda lucite box deathtrap (although it was not a 'cliffhanger'/end of first episode death trap).