Frank Gorshin, best known as Batman’s arch nemesis "The Riddler" on the original television series, has passed away at the age of 72. He had been suffering from emphysema and pneumonia. He was a prodigious talent, with a range of facial and bodily expression to rival Jim Carrey.
A master impressionist (back when that sort of comedy was "in"), Gorshin starred in one of my favorite comedy shows of all time, "The Copycats", which was basically a sketch show that also starred Rich Little, Charlie Callas, Marilyn Michaels and Fred Travalena (of Simpsons fame), among others. I loved this show.
I would get testy if the house was not sufficiently quiet when it was on. These people weren’t just dressed and made-up to look like the celebs they imitated, but actually spent many hours studying their habits and voices until the resemblance was uncanny, as well as hilarious. Hardly anyone does impressions today. It’s not considered "edgy" I guess. Dana Carvey is the last comic I know of who bothered enough to do dead-on impressions (his Jimmy Stuart, for instance).
I was nuts for the Batman series too, though, and hated to miss an episode in which Gorshin played the Riddler, a role for which he snagged an Emmy nomination. Not impressed yet? Consider this:
He also is remembered by "Star Trek" fans for his memorable
guest performance on that show as Commissioner Bele, a
half-black, half-white alien who appeared in a favorite episode
"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," a parable on race
relations.
Not many who ever saw the original Star Trek series could ever forget Gorshin’s hateful intensity as Commissioner Bele (that crazy black and white make-up didn’t hurt, either).
One of his first big breaks was when he was invited to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964, but it didn’t come out quite the way he had planned. His performance was great, but the next day all anyone seemed to be talking about was the musical act on the show, some band called The Beatles.
The article noted:
‘Ironically, Gorshin’s death came two days before CBS was set to broadcast what became his final performance, a guest appearance on the season finale of the hit show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”‘
The episode was dedicated to him.
And Tarantino directed, which explains some of the casting.
I always thought he was the best of the riddlers with an unforgettable laugh. On interviews he always came across as a gentleman who was grateful for the boost his career received from “Batman” and was always dis-inclined to pan the show.
Since the announcement of his death I have been trying to find an audio clip of his laugh but have not had much luck, does anyone know of a site online that has it?
Lawrence Klimecki
http://www.gryphonrampant.com