"Instant Freeze" introduced a character from the comics known as Mr. Zero, renamed Mister Freeze for the series, with the surprise casting of George Sanders in the role. Sanders was not only a Hollywood veteran, and Oscar winner for "All About Eve," but his resume included many British features as well, such as "Village of the Damned." He did very little television overall, with BATMAN the last series he ever appeared in, making this a rarity in that Mister Freeze would be the only character to be played by a different actor on all three occasions, followed by Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach. Sanders is burdened with a German accent as Doctor Shivel, who became the ice cold arch villain after a tussle with Batman in his lab resulted in his being doused in a liquid freeze solution of his own creation; now he announces his presence in Gotham City by destroying an ice skating rink by flame thrower (an unbilled cameo from a teenage Teri Garr), producing a sheen of ice in the street to prevent police pursuit. In the vernacular of crime, 'ice' is synonymous with diamonds, so he next goes after the Star of Kashmir, then the Giaclio Circlo, belonging to Princess Sandra of Molino (Shelby Grant). Once the Dynamic Duo shows up, Mister Freeze is forced to use his freeze gun on them, turning the pair into human popsicles.
5 Reviews
Banal villain left me cold
Fluke_Skywalker10 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Plot; Mr. Freeze plots to get revenge against Batman, whom he blames for his condition.
George Sanders' Mr. Freeze lacks the colorful antics that make the guest villain format work so well normally. Freeze here is downright civil, even treating his henchman (also quite generic) better than my boss treats me. His freeze gimmick is also never really used to its full effect, though I was impressed by how they rendered warm/cold zones within Freeze's lair. - 6/10 - If you look close at the beginning, you'll see a very young Terri Garr in a small role as a terrified teen.
George Sanders' Mr. Freeze lacks the colorful antics that make the guest villain format work so well normally. Freeze here is downright civil, even treating his henchman (also quite generic) better than my boss treats me. His freeze gimmick is also never really used to its full effect, though I was impressed by how they rendered warm/cold zones within Freeze's lair. - 6/10 - If you look close at the beginning, you'll see a very young Terri Garr in a small role as a terrified teen.
- There's a scene where Freeze freezes a guy, who then tips over followed by the sound of him shattering off screen. Seems like no big deal, but when you think about it, that was an act of murder. Cold blooded, as it were.
Frosty First
DKosty12328 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
In Mr. Freezes first caper in the series, this time veteran character actor George Sanders plays the arch criminal. In this episode he gets after some ice and makes it snow in July in Gotham City.
Then the caped crusaders get wind of a huge diamond heist Freeze is planning. They catch him in the process of doing it. Then Freeze gets away, only they catch up to him getting into his cold truck.
Freeze then does something he does not want to do yet, he freezes the Dynamic Duo. For the next episode, can they be thawed? Perhaps but the Batman drug to try to prevent freezing failed the test in the bat cave. So the glowing dynamic Popsicle's are in peril.
Stay tuned- same bat time, same bat channel.
Then the caped crusaders get wind of a huge diamond heist Freeze is planning. They catch him in the process of doing it. Then Freeze gets away, only they catch up to him getting into his cold truck.
Freeze then does something he does not want to do yet, he freezes the Dynamic Duo. For the next episode, can they be thawed? Perhaps but the Batman drug to try to prevent freezing failed the test in the bat cave. So the glowing dynamic Popsicle's are in peril.
Stay tuned- same bat time, same bat channel.
Instant Freeze
Prismark1022 March 2024
So this is why Arnold Schwarzenegger was cast as Mr Freeze in the movie Batman and Robin.
George Sander was the cold hearted scientist Doctor Schievel. After a fight with Batman and an incident with a beaker of Instant Freeze, has transformed to the chilling villain Mr Freeze.
Now he wants revenge on Batman. He is stealing ice, from the Gotham ice rink. He also plans to steal valuable ice, diamonds from the Princess Sandra of Molino who is due to visit Gotham city.
Batman and Robin turn the heat on only to freeze and find some Batman decoys.
Some of the freeing effects were poor. However Mr Freeze's lair with the hot part for his henchman and the cold part for him was cool!
George Sander was the cold hearted scientist Doctor Schievel. After a fight with Batman and an incident with a beaker of Instant Freeze, has transformed to the chilling villain Mr Freeze.
Now he wants revenge on Batman. He is stealing ice, from the Gotham ice rink. He also plans to steal valuable ice, diamonds from the Princess Sandra of Molino who is due to visit Gotham city.
Batman and Robin turn the heat on only to freeze and find some Batman decoys.
Some of the freeing effects were poor. However Mr Freeze's lair with the hot part for his henchman and the cold part for him was cool!
Putting the Red Hot, Pop Art, "Camp Crazed" TV Comic Book on Ice in its 4th Week of Life; but alas, for only that week! (Read on, Schultz!)
redryan6418 January 2009
WHEN one is comparing the development and use of the "Special Guest Star" gimmick that Producer William Dozier and company used in the BATMAN Series (Greenway/20th Century-Fox, ABC TV, 1966-68) we must divide the villains into two types.
FIRST, there are those villains who were strictly a product of the TV Series. These would include such characters as names as Book Worm, King Tut Marcia: Queen of Diamonds, the Archer and the Minstrel. Even these and their ilk are essentially cut from the same cloth as the true Comic Book Villains; theirs is an origin of the Television Script Writer.
CONVERSELY, baddies such as the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman and even the Mad Hatter were all developed from the graphic printed page of the Batman stories; being either Detective Comics (Monthly), the Batman Comic Book (6 then later 8 times yearly) or World's Finest Comics (at first a quarterly publication, then a bi-monthly-6 times yearly).
THE classification of Mr. Freeze may seem to be problematical; for his origin is somewhat that of a hybrid pedigree. You must understand that the character was born as the new villain in "The Ice Crimes of Mr. Zero" in February 1959 issue of Batman Comics #121; being the main story of three and was cover featured. The character did not return until Detective Comics #373, March 1968 in the cover story, "Mr. Freeze's Chilling Death Trap." The name had been changed for some reason or other for the TV series. He hadn't made a second comic book appearance until over 2 years into the Batmania Craze on the Telly.
SO Mr. Freeze (nee Mr. Zero) is a bonaified Comic Book villain albeit a bush leaguer at that!*
OUR STORY .The sudden occurrence of "icy pavement in July" as well as the melting of an indoor ice rink at the same time spelled trouble to Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton), Chief O'Hara (Stafford Repp) and the brain trust at the Gotham City P.D. They immediately summoned the Dynamic Duo via the red emergency Bat Phone.
BATMAN and Robin's arrival at Police Headquarters starts the story off in the manner that had become the standard; what with Batman relating the origin of the bad guy and how the accident in his laboratory is blamed on him by Mr. Freeze.
AFTER some cat and mouse type of encounters, Mr. Freeze manages to get Batman & Robin trapped and is able to freeze the twosome; both instantly and thoroughly. So, as the familiar narrator, Desmond Doomsday (really Mr. William Dozier, getting to really ham it up!) says the usual business about the cliff-hanger predicament, finishing with the quote of "Tomorrow, Same Bat-Time, Same Bat Channel!
AND remember gang, the Worst is yet to come! (Please see our review of "BATMAN" Rats Like Cheese! (Season 1, Episode #8.)
NOTE: * Please don't think that Mr. Zero/Freeze was the only "Bush League" Character to make it to the TV Screen. The Mad Hatter (aka Jervis Tetch) made his origin in Detective Comics #239, April 1956 and was not brought back until the February 1964 issue of the Batman Comic, #161. The same could be said of the Riddler, who had appeared in two issues of Detective Comics #'s 140 and 142 in 1948 before being brought back in the May 1965 issue of Batman #171! Why were these less used opponents who had been deem to be minor used again after such long sabbaticals?
OUR THEORY (If anyone cares): In the year or so before going to commit the Batman Show to the film canister, research by TV staffers (including main and supervising Writer, Mr. Lorenzo Semple, Jr., had looked through the DC Comics "Mug Books" (Back Issue Files) in order to see what characters looked likely to be apt subjects for adaptations.
This theory would apply to both the Mad Hatter (portrayed by David Wayne) and especially for Edward Nigma, the Riddler; for there was a great resemblance to the very popular Show Biz item, Actor & Impressionist Extraordinaire, Mr. Frank Gorshin.
POODLE SCHNITZ!!
FIRST, there are those villains who were strictly a product of the TV Series. These would include such characters as names as Book Worm, King Tut Marcia: Queen of Diamonds, the Archer and the Minstrel. Even these and their ilk are essentially cut from the same cloth as the true Comic Book Villains; theirs is an origin of the Television Script Writer.
CONVERSELY, baddies such as the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman and even the Mad Hatter were all developed from the graphic printed page of the Batman stories; being either Detective Comics (Monthly), the Batman Comic Book (6 then later 8 times yearly) or World's Finest Comics (at first a quarterly publication, then a bi-monthly-6 times yearly).
THE classification of Mr. Freeze may seem to be problematical; for his origin is somewhat that of a hybrid pedigree. You must understand that the character was born as the new villain in "The Ice Crimes of Mr. Zero" in February 1959 issue of Batman Comics #121; being the main story of three and was cover featured. The character did not return until Detective Comics #373, March 1968 in the cover story, "Mr. Freeze's Chilling Death Trap." The name had been changed for some reason or other for the TV series. He hadn't made a second comic book appearance until over 2 years into the Batmania Craze on the Telly.
SO Mr. Freeze (nee Mr. Zero) is a bonaified Comic Book villain albeit a bush leaguer at that!*
OUR STORY .The sudden occurrence of "icy pavement in July" as well as the melting of an indoor ice rink at the same time spelled trouble to Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton), Chief O'Hara (Stafford Repp) and the brain trust at the Gotham City P.D. They immediately summoned the Dynamic Duo via the red emergency Bat Phone.
BATMAN and Robin's arrival at Police Headquarters starts the story off in the manner that had become the standard; what with Batman relating the origin of the bad guy and how the accident in his laboratory is blamed on him by Mr. Freeze.
AFTER some cat and mouse type of encounters, Mr. Freeze manages to get Batman & Robin trapped and is able to freeze the twosome; both instantly and thoroughly. So, as the familiar narrator, Desmond Doomsday (really Mr. William Dozier, getting to really ham it up!) says the usual business about the cliff-hanger predicament, finishing with the quote of "Tomorrow, Same Bat-Time, Same Bat Channel!
AND remember gang, the Worst is yet to come! (Please see our review of "BATMAN" Rats Like Cheese! (Season 1, Episode #8.)
NOTE: * Please don't think that Mr. Zero/Freeze was the only "Bush League" Character to make it to the TV Screen. The Mad Hatter (aka Jervis Tetch) made his origin in Detective Comics #239, April 1956 and was not brought back until the February 1964 issue of the Batman Comic, #161. The same could be said of the Riddler, who had appeared in two issues of Detective Comics #'s 140 and 142 in 1948 before being brought back in the May 1965 issue of Batman #171! Why were these less used opponents who had been deem to be minor used again after such long sabbaticals?
OUR THEORY (If anyone cares): In the year or so before going to commit the Batman Show to the film canister, research by TV staffers (including main and supervising Writer, Mr. Lorenzo Semple, Jr., had looked through the DC Comics "Mug Books" (Back Issue Files) in order to see what characters looked likely to be apt subjects for adaptations.
This theory would apply to both the Mad Hatter (portrayed by David Wayne) and especially for Edward Nigma, the Riddler; for there was a great resemblance to the very popular Show Biz item, Actor & Impressionist Extraordinaire, Mr. Frank Gorshin.
POODLE SCHNITZ!!
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