Why Frank Sinatra was “very upset” he didn’t get to play the Joker: “From what I understand”
Hollywood’s comic book boom may not have kicked off in earnest until X-Men was released in 2000, but it’s not as if superheroes were nonentities until then. Admittedly, Richard Donner’s Superman and Tim Burton’s Batman were rare high points, and until then, Adam West’s kitchsy TV show was arguably the most recognisable onscreen iteration of an iconic superhero.
Even now, the series retains its camp charm, despite the 21st century insisting through Christopher Nolan, Zack Snyder, and Matt Reeves’ respective iterations that the ‘Dark Knight’ grows increasingly darker. By comparison, West’s delightful ball of 1960s cheese is a relic, but it still packed a star-powered punch.
Throughout the show’s three-season run, Batman roped in a cavalcade of high-profile guest stars: Burgess Meredith’s Penguin, Frank Gorshin’s Riddler, and Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt’s Catwomen were joined by the likes of Vincent Price, Liberace, Joan Collins, Tallulah Bankhead, Roddy McDowall, Jerry Lewis, and Sammy Davis Jr were just some of the big names to drop by.
However, Davis Jr’s old ‘Rat Pack’ cohort, Frank Sinatra, wasn’t one of them. While that makes sense at first glance, considering he was one of the most famous and highest-paid entertainers of his era and a frivolous comic book show seemed beneath him in the mid-60s, ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’ wanted a piece of the action.
In Bill Brioux’s Truth and Rumours: The Reality Behind TV’s Most Famous Myths, Robin actor Burt Ward confirmed the longstanding whispers that Sinatra had his eyes on the Joker. “From what I understand, Frank Sinatra was very upset because he couldn’t play the Joker,” he shared. “Cesar Romero had already been signed.”
Romero’s scenery-chewing was a constant highlight of Batman, even though he refused to shave off his signature moustache and had it caked in makeup instead, which begs the question about why the producers would overlook someone of Sinatra’s calibre when he was making eyes at the ‘Clown Prince of Crime’.
As is often the case in Hollywood, though, the answer is probably the simplest: money. The producers of Batman were notoriously stingy, recasting Gorshin’s Riddler with John Astin for one episode after he asked for more money before reducing his role in additional seasons in favour of a blatant facsimile called the Puzzler.
Even by the standards of the time, Batman looked cheap. It helped give the show an endearing charm, but it’s hard to imagine an action-packed adventure cobbled together on a shoestring, coughing up the dough required to hire an A-lister like Sinatra for a recurring role. Sure, he could have taken a pay cut, but even 50% of his usual asking price would have made him the highest-paid cast member by far.
The crooner and Academy Award-winning actor was still a massive star when Batman premiered in January 1966, and while it would have worked wonders for the publicity machine to have a genuine A-lister on board, the fact he was “very upset” that Romero was hired before he had a chance to sell himself to the producers indicates that maybe he didn’t try that hard to make his interest known.
