Maurice Evans as the Puzzler by Scott Kowalchuk

Whew, we’re back on the horse.  Dennis and I will be changing the format for the blog slightly next pick.  It’s AWESOME!

Okay, this week is going to be a bit more abstract, so hold onto your hats.

In 1967 during season 2 of the Adam West Batman TV series veteran actor Maurice Evans (best known as Doctor Zaius from Planet of the Apes) was called to fill the void left by Frank Gorshin (as Gorshin was in a contract dispute with the Producers).  Evans character, the Puzzler, was designed to fit a script originally written for Gorshin’s Riddler.  And, thus, Batman matched wits with the Puzzler, a villain who was particularly fond of Shakespeare and Aviation (obviously the specific narrative device used for the Riddler script, conveniently substituted into the Puzzler’s character).

Personally, I always dug the episode (especially the hilarious escape from the hot air balloon), but I always thought Evans attire could have used a pinch more ‘umph’. 

So, this week’s Showdown Maurice Evans as the Puzzler!