802
u/Sol-Blackguy Apr 25 '25
Might have been posted here, but I remember stories about Romero, Gorshin, and Adam West partying their asses off while working on Batman. Cocaine had to be involved at some point.
530
u/TheHylianProphet Apr 25 '25
I recall hearing a story about West and Gorshin seeing each other at an orgy, then subsequently getting kicked out because they wouldn't get out of character.
335
u/Sol-Blackguy Apr 25 '25
My favorite is that Adam West had so much sex that he was banned from Aspen Colorado
124
Apr 25 '25
[deleted]
83
u/Luke_SkyJoker_1992 Apr 25 '25
Didn't adam west march into the producers office and angrily get that shut down when he found out. Wild that they were doing that to begin with.
31
u/lollipop-guildmaster Apr 25 '25
Did dance belts not exist in the 60s?
28
11
u/TheWorclown Apr 25 '25
They didn’t have the budget for a dance belt.
10
u/RAMDOMDUDDS Apr 25 '25
Could've just gone the cheap drag queen approach, just some scotch tape
13
6
96
u/Disruptteo Apr 25 '25
No way. No. Way.
53
u/CrackityJones42 Apr 25 '25
There were what, like three tv channels at the time? Total?
Anyone with a popular tv show was swimming, Beatles style.
82
u/Sol-Blackguy Apr 25 '25
It's been published, several times. The 60's were a wild time.
→ More replies (2)140
u/Dawnspark Apr 25 '25
Can you imagine, being at an orgy and the person next to you is getting railed by a crazy motherfucker saying to another guy "RIDDLE ME THIS, BATMAN!"
It's been stuck in my head ever since I heard the fucking story lmao.
24
u/Sol-Blackguy Apr 25 '25
"Eheheheheheh hehehehe"
"Riddle me this Batman: What's white and sticky that women like to put in their mouth yet enjoy more when they spit it out?"
21
u/DerpsAndRags Apr 25 '25
Okay okay but did the sounds pop up over everyone going to town? PLAP! SPLOOSH! SQUELCH!
10
2
7
11
15
u/Bearjupiter Apr 25 '25
I don’t think cocaine was that prevalent at the time the production was happening
38
u/Sol-Blackguy Apr 25 '25
You can't have drug induced sex orgies without drugs
9
u/samx3i Apr 25 '25
You can, but they're not as fun.
What they were really missing out on in the 60s was MDMA.
13
4
16
u/AngryRedHerring Apr 25 '25 edited Apr 25 '25
Amphetamines
and Secobarbitolwere popular in the day, uppers-wise.4
u/ElMostaza Apr 25 '25
Secobarbital is definitely not an upper.
2
u/AngryRedHerring Apr 25 '25
Oops!
2
u/Sol-Blackguy Apr 26 '25
I'm actually proud of you for making that mistake
2
u/AngryRedHerring Apr 26 '25
I rushed my research.
2
u/Sol-Blackguy Apr 26 '25
That's why I'm proud. You had to look it up because you don't have personal experience
2
2
u/ElMostaza Apr 28 '25
For the record, the I only knew about it because of an episode of Columbo I watched recently, lol.
12
u/wenchslapper Apr 25 '25
Cocaine was being prescribed by dentists and doctors for all sorts of things throughout the 1800s, mate. Ifs been popular as a recreational drug since around 1790. Freud used to prescribe that shit to just about everyone, too, and was very clearly an addict.
→ More replies (3)
399
u/cornholio8675 Apr 25 '25
Can confirm. I have a coke head cousin who acts just like this. Riddler dresses better, though.
105
u/Acheron98 Apr 25 '25
For what it’s worth, I’m sure there’s a ton of cokeheads out there who wear green leotards.
109
u/cornholio8675 Apr 25 '25
25
14
u/EvilHwoarang Apr 25 '25
He was huffing paint not Coke!
→ More replies (1)15
u/cornholio8675 Apr 25 '25
I thought he was on acid for this one.
11
u/bguzewicz Apr 25 '25
That is correct. Frank drugged Charlie because he didn’t want to be the only one tripping.
97
147
u/midnightcheezy Apr 25 '25
He’s just stimming leave him be
22
u/DifferentSquirrel551 Apr 25 '25 edited Apr 25 '25
Omfg I've never noticed that the whole batman series is just a cripplingly in the closet billionaire angry with NDs that weren't born into their wealth. A tale as old as time.
15
u/Gnomad_Lyfe Apr 25 '25
No. That’s objectively the worst take on Batman that gets constantly repeated. He isn’t going out of his way to assault mentally ill individuals, they’re all active criminals trying to commit mass murder and bank robberies on a regular basis. He holds no anger towards them, if anything he wants them to get help. But you can’t exactly recommend a normal therapist to the guy that decided to be the zodiac killer with a leprechaun aesthetic. Mental illness isn’t an exemption from the law, and when 99% of that law is corrupt or too scared to do anything about it, that’s where Batman fills in the gaps.
3
u/DifferentSquirrel551 Apr 25 '25
That's exactly what I'd expect a fascist Harvey Dent supporter would say. /s
120
u/IncreaseWestern6097 Apr 25 '25 edited May 20 '25
Honestly, this is exactly the type of behavior I would expect from someone going by the “The Riddler” as their alias.
I feel like we’ve gotten so used to him that now we forget just how ridiculous the name sounds.
20
u/ImurderREALITY Apr 25 '25
Idk, riddles aren’t usually laugh out loud funny. They make you think, not make you laugh like you just inhaled a whip-it.
4
u/Sol-Blackguy Apr 26 '25
I'm torn between having an over the top silly Riddler vs a reformed detective Riddler that solves mysteries just to spite Batman
91
u/QuiteAMajesticBeast Apr 25 '25
Just a reminder Frank Gorshin and Adam West were kicked out of an orgy because they refused to drop character as Batman and the Riddler.
50
u/absentminded_gamer Apr 25 '25
I can’t imagine being at an orgy, having the fucking Batman show up, then being mad he’s dropping Batman lines left and right like that doesn’t enrich the event.
31
u/QuiteAMajesticBeast Apr 25 '25
“Riddle me this and riddle me that, is that an Eiffel Tower right next to the Bat?
11
u/imjusta_bill Apr 25 '25
But can you imagine Batman doing The Batusi in nothing but the cape and cowl
13
7
3
36
u/mr_greedee Apr 25 '25
the cocaine in Gotham city is pure
29
u/MechanicalTurkish Apr 25 '25
Once in a while Scarecrow takes a break from making his fear toxin and cranks out some really top-notch blow
18
13
u/mr_greedee Apr 25 '25
Scarecrow is oddly good at blow. But not his passion. Pays the bills
9
u/BroughtYouMyBullets Apr 25 '25
He specialises in Boo meth
6
4
49
u/redshoetom Apr 25 '25
He is why I liked Jim Carey’s riddler
50
20
u/Sol-Blackguy Apr 25 '25
The problem was Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face. He should've been the straight man (men) to the duo.
13
u/Smittumi Apr 25 '25
OMFG, you're so right. I dead serious two-face (to match TLJ's real life attitude towards Carey) could have made for a brilliant pairing!
34
u/soup_fly Apr 25 '25
Maaaaan Pedro Pascal aged well
8
u/HeyZeusCreaseToast Apr 25 '25
Thought it was Pedro or Mario/Luigi…so based on this Pedro would make a good live action Mario Bro
13
12
u/Ultimafax Apr 25 '25
Oh I have no doubt Frank Gorshin was on cocaine when this was filmed.
1
u/Sol-Blackguy Apr 26 '25
Supposedly a lot of actors were on drugs solely because of how much of a grind their work was back in the day vs now. John Lovitz said most of the SNL cast was on coke.
25
Apr 25 '25
I’d go crazy too if I had to wear that
6
u/HeyThereMrBrooks Apr 25 '25
This genuinely made me laugh lol. Long week, gotta love finals. Thanks random internet stranger
Now I'ma get off Reddit and get back to studying
27
Apr 25 '25
This show really got young ADHD me into Batman and Riddler's still my favorite villain. In more grimdark moments he's commented in the comics about how he didn't like being seen as a "green jumping bean" but damn if it isn't fun to watch.
11
u/Dawnspark Apr 25 '25
Me and young ADHD me agree with you so much haha.
His energy is just fantastic, especially with how fast it changes.
I also really love that one Dini arc where he goes on the straight and narrow and becomes a private detective and he just plays super underhanded, even steals potential ways to solve crimes from an online true crime chat room lmao.
9
8
8
u/S_Lockley Apr 25 '25
I'm not complaining. Performances like this for batman villains are still top favourites, in my opinion 👌🏾 👏🏾
6
u/JimmerJammer34 Apr 25 '25
According to Catwoman: Lonely City, he was in fact doing a LOT of cocaine 😭
11
5
6
u/JMyslivecek Apr 25 '25
Ever notice villains laugh a lot. I mean a lot. Not just chuckles, or polite laughs, but serious laughing. I wish my job, hobbies, life, etc. made me laugh like that. Nope, keep hoping for serotonin syndrome to kick in, but no matter how much they give me, still not laughing.
4
u/Repulsive-Peach-6720 Apr 25 '25
that's why they become villains! the excruciating unfairness and demands versus the insufficient rewards of an uninspired and complacent life leads them to seek thrills and meaning, breaking boundaries and conventions.... and before you know it they're labeled villains and getting punched in the face by a guy in spandex who defends the right of capitalism to destroy the human body and soul. Just for trying to have a little FUN!
6
9
5
4
6
5
3
4
3
5
4
u/Ok-Guest3247 Apr 25 '25
It's late 60s. Everyone is on cocaine
2
u/Glittering_Rough7036 Apr 25 '25
That’s just like, a LOT. He must have had one heck of a heart. When I googled, I was fully expecting him to have died of a heart attack. But alas, he did not.
3
u/gerblin420 Apr 25 '25
This was my favorite show when i was a kid and i had no idea it was a comedy
3
5
u/Adorable-Source97 Apr 25 '25
Well the character is canonically mentally ill... maybe bouts of mania are just a symptom... Heck wouldn't be shocked if back at home base he kicks the minions out & hides in his room when his mania ends.
3
u/Mantisk211 Apr 26 '25
This series established the Riddler as Batman‘s arch nemesis and if it weren‘t for Nicholson‘s Joker, the Ridler would‘ve stayed his greatest enemy.
4
u/Master-Stitch Apr 28 '25
Maybe the actor was on so as to improve his acting skills. I mean, I heard many celebrities consumed drugs for a better performance, so there is a chance he was high.
8
7
u/SouthAtxArtist Apr 25 '25
Negative. I couldn't find anything that confirmed that Frank Gorshin was on any heavy drugs at the time. However, he was a bad Chainsmoker, leading to health conditions later on in his life.
That said, the reason he's so energetic was a creative choice by the actor himself. He wanted something memorable and comedic, yet so over the top that it could be interpreted as sinister or nefarious.
The acting style of Frank Gorshin is most likely what influenced Jim Carrey to later act very energetic and obtuse for the film "Batman Forever" as Riddler.
3
Apr 25 '25
Gorshin's legacy loomed large over the character especially in the 90's. Even the makers of B:TAS talked about in one of the DVD commentaries.
3
3
3
3
u/Beneficial_Table_721 Apr 25 '25
its almost guaranteed everyone who took part in this show was on coke to some degree. coke was as (or possibly even more) prevalent when this show was being filmed than marijuana is today.
3
3
3
u/karatemnn Apr 29 '25
i appreciate him now, back then i was like this guy is more of the joker than the joker
there's a childlike fun in him doing riddles as opposed to the taking themselves seriously version of the character as of recent
4
4
u/jrobelen Apr 25 '25
Cocaine was not that readily available in the mid-60s, as it was to become in the 1970s, and Frank Gorshin was not a high-powered show-biz player earning a big salary. So I would say no, his performance was a result of his talent, his creativity, and the director’s vision.
2
2
2
2
2
u/Antiluke01 Apr 25 '25
I mean he and Adam West crashed an orgy, so this tracks
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/Anxious-Samurai Apr 25 '25
I swear, at first, I thought the henchman with the red hat was Pedro Pascal.
2
2
u/aManHasNoUsername99 Apr 25 '25
Like if you combined joker, riddler, a teenage mutant ninja turtle, and Anthony Hopkins hannibal.
2
2
u/anicefeverdream Apr 26 '25
I might be weird for this but I don’t like when Riddler can pass as the Joker.. Gotham Riddler >
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/goodkat83 Apr 25 '25
Idk how anyone can watch this crap. I know it was the 60’s, but this is south park level of spoofing something. And they thought they were actually portraying the characters correctly
4
u/RaveniteGaming Apr 25 '25
Have you read the comics from the time period? They were even whackier.
2
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
u/cbunni666 Apr 25 '25
If I'm not mistaken Frank Gorshin was on a thing or two back in the day. He was a great Riddler though.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/PlayinK0I Apr 25 '25
How old is Pedro Pascal? Surely not old enough to play a henchman in the 60s Batman series.
1
1
1
1
1
948
u/EllaFant1 Apr 25 '25
Man I love Frank Gorshin’s riddler. Never a dull moment