Instant Freeze / Rats like Cheese

Instant Freeze / Rats like Cheese – Batman, season 1

In Instant Freeze / Rats like Cheese, George Sanders appears as Mr. Freeze. A supervillain striving to get revenge on Batman. And, Gotham City.

Instant Freeze – February 1 1966

Dr. Shivel aka Mr. Freeze has returned. He seeks revenge on Batman for who accidentally spilled a freeze solution on him, being forced to live in a -50 climate.

George Sanders (Village of the Damned) appears as the subzero Mr. Freeze.

Mr. Freeze: Nippy, have you ordered the airplane to go zoom-zoom-zoom?

Batman: Poor devil. Forced to live in an air-conditioned suit that keeps his body temperature down to fifty degrees below zero. No wonder his mind is warped.

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Rats like cheese – February 2 1966

Vince, a temperamental physician at a Gotham City hospital (apparently a takeoff on Ben Casey), saves Batman and Robin. The Dynamic Duo resume their pursuit of Mr. Freeze.

Dan Terranova (Blackboard Jungle) appears as the grumpy doctor.

Shelby Grant (Our Man Flint) appears as Princess Sandra.

Oddly, the character Mr. Freeze is later played by two different actors. These two episodes are George Sanders’ only appearances on Batman.

Batman: Mr. Freeze, give yourself up. We can get help for you… medical help!
Freeze: In prison? This I do not believe. No, you must PAY for what you did to me, for forcing me to live like this: never again to know the warmth of a summer breeze, never to feel the heat of burning logs in vintertime! Revenge. That is what I need! Revenge! I will have revenge!

Cast of characters

• Adam West (The Outlaws is Coming) … Batman
• Burt Ward (Batman the Movie) … Robin
• Alan Napier (The Mole People, House of Horrors) … Alfred
• Neil Hamilton (Tarzan the Ape Man, What Price Hollywood) … Commissioner Gordon
• Stafford Repp … Chief O’Hara
• Madge Blake … Mrs. Cooper
• George Sanders (Lured, The Picture of Dorian Gray) … Mister Freeze
• Robert Hogan … Paul Diamante
• Shelby Grant (Our Man Flint, Fantastic Voyage) … Princess Sandra
• John Zaremba (20 Million Miles to Earth, Earth vs the Flying Saucers) … Kolevater
• William O’Connell … Mr. Perkins
• Don Hannum … Art Rogers
• Ken Del Conte … Al Scott

Trivia

• Mr. Freeze was based on a comic book villain named Mr. Zero. Mr. Zero’s name was later changed to Mr. Freeze to match the television show.
• On Batman, Mr. Freeze’s actual name was Dr. Shivel. In the comics, his actual name was unknown for many years. It wasn’t until “Batman: the Animated Series” where he was given his full name of Victor Fries (pronounced “freeze”). This name and his new backstory was later incorporated into the comics as well as the motion picture “Batman and Robin“.
• The “Star of Kashmir” Mister Freeze targets is a play on The Star of India, one of the largest and most famous star sapphires in the world.
• Terri Garr appeared as the uncredited ice skater. She was 19 years old at the time.
• George Sanders would voice the villain tiger Shere Kahn in Disney’s animated “The Jungle Book” the following year.
• Princess Sandra, formerly of Brooklyn, was likely a nod to American film star turned royalty, Princess Grace of Monaco.