Green Ice
"A reporter's lot is not easy-making exciting stories out of plain, everyday people like Robin and me..."
Mr Freeze is back, but this time he's been not only re-cast (as respected director Otto Preminger, none of whose films I've yet blogged, shamefully) but re-designed with a costume which more echoes the 1959 comic boom version as Mr Zero. And he's kidnapped Miss Iceland, naturally, from that not-so-feminist institution of a beauty contest. He then puts her in a cell and tells her she will learn to love him. Brr. Creepy.
It's a great episode for exciting set pieces, with the Commissioner and O'Hara frozen almost to death in Gordon's office. There's also yet another campaign to smear Batman, and yet another hostile female journalist. But the recycled plot threads are at least done with panache. And the cliffhanger- turning our heroes into frosty freezies (pineapple and lime) is splendidly absurd.
Deep Freeze
"Boo, Batman!"
The cliffhanger resolution is certainly a deliberate climax- our heroes find a tap inside! The smear campaign continues, and Mr Freeze's plan is revealed: to demand $1 billion (the biggest ransom demanded by any villain so far) or he'll freeze the whole city. This is proper sci-fi.
The resolution echoes that of Mr Freeze's previous story, but it's all entertaining enough. And Batman regains the faith of a contrite Commissioner Gordon who, it's fair to say, holds a bit of a candle for him. I wonder- is there any TV themes Batman/Commissioner Gordon filthy fanfic? I dare not look...
A fairly so-so two-parter, then, by Batman standards. But this is still both enormous fun and very watchable stuff. And next week we have the Joker- illustrated by a photograph which really accentuates Cesar Romero's moustache...
Showing posts with label Max Hodge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Max Hodge. Show all posts
Thursday, 19 March 2020
Thursday, 23 January 2020
Batman: Instant Freeze & Rats Like Cheese
Instant Freeze
"Nippy, have you ordered the airplane to go zoom zoom zoom?"
Another entertaining opening here as Mr Freeze, from his ice cream van, first melts an ice rink then freezes the road to escape from a chasing police motorcyclist. He's an interesting villain- first, he's only able to exist 50 degrees (Fahrenheit, this being both 1966 and America) below zero, which for the first time introduces outright science fiction into the series, not that realism has ever been much of a concern. Secondly Mr Freeze (or Mr Zero, as he was known in his one and only comics appearance up until now, way back in 1959, wearing a similar helmet) is a very minor baddie to earn a place in the telly series- but so, of course, is the Tiddler. And, in the urbane and effortlessly charismatic (even with a German accent) George Sanders, we have a guest villain second only to Frank Gorshin.
Again, the script doesn't sparkle, not being written by Lorenzo Semple Jr, but the plot is sound and the pacing well done. And the visuals of Freeze's chilly hideout, with his being able to control the temperature with the touch of a button and warm areas in red, are superb.
The story beats are as per usual, with the usual bits of stock footage at the start, with a theme of diamonds and baseball to hint at Freeze's ultimate plan- and of course we have the character of Princess Sandra, who is blatantly Princess Grace of Monaco. And, at the diamond robbery, the manager is the campiest character ever.
And the ending gives us quite the cliffhanger, with the dynamic duo frozen solid.
Rats Like Cheese
"Sorry. Slipped on a baked Alaska..."
For once, the second episode eclipses the first, beginning with lots of rather amusing high camp as Commissioner Gordon and his equally appalled underlings look on as attempts are made in hospital to revive the Dynamic Duo- or, as the Commissioner puts it, "two such magnificent specimens of manhood".
But then Freeze reveals his plan- kidnapping a famous baseball player in order to swap him for the touchingly honourable Batman in order to have his revenge. Fortunately a disobedient Robin (Batman is not pleased!) is able to trace him and, well, get captured too. We then get lots of fun as they all dine together, with Mr Freeze showing an impressive talent for freezing certain types of booze... while Mr Freeze controls the temperature. It seems all is lost...
But hang on a minute... Batman is wearing "special thermal B long underwear. Yes indeed; saved by long johns. Well, that's a first.
Another good and entertaining two parter, then, not as funny as the scripts by Semple but with a particularly impressive villain. And, interestingly, for the first time we get a teaser for the next episode...
"Nippy, have you ordered the airplane to go zoom zoom zoom?"
Another entertaining opening here as Mr Freeze, from his ice cream van, first melts an ice rink then freezes the road to escape from a chasing police motorcyclist. He's an interesting villain- first, he's only able to exist 50 degrees (Fahrenheit, this being both 1966 and America) below zero, which for the first time introduces outright science fiction into the series, not that realism has ever been much of a concern. Secondly Mr Freeze (or Mr Zero, as he was known in his one and only comics appearance up until now, way back in 1959, wearing a similar helmet) is a very minor baddie to earn a place in the telly series- but so, of course, is the Tiddler. And, in the urbane and effortlessly charismatic (even with a German accent) George Sanders, we have a guest villain second only to Frank Gorshin.
Again, the script doesn't sparkle, not being written by Lorenzo Semple Jr, but the plot is sound and the pacing well done. And the visuals of Freeze's chilly hideout, with his being able to control the temperature with the touch of a button and warm areas in red, are superb.
The story beats are as per usual, with the usual bits of stock footage at the start, with a theme of diamonds and baseball to hint at Freeze's ultimate plan- and of course we have the character of Princess Sandra, who is blatantly Princess Grace of Monaco. And, at the diamond robbery, the manager is the campiest character ever.
And the ending gives us quite the cliffhanger, with the dynamic duo frozen solid.
Rats Like Cheese
"Sorry. Slipped on a baked Alaska..."
For once, the second episode eclipses the first, beginning with lots of rather amusing high camp as Commissioner Gordon and his equally appalled underlings look on as attempts are made in hospital to revive the Dynamic Duo- or, as the Commissioner puts it, "two such magnificent specimens of manhood".
But then Freeze reveals his plan- kidnapping a famous baseball player in order to swap him for the touchingly honourable Batman in order to have his revenge. Fortunately a disobedient Robin (Batman is not pleased!) is able to trace him and, well, get captured too. We then get lots of fun as they all dine together, with Mr Freeze showing an impressive talent for freezing certain types of booze... while Mr Freeze controls the temperature. It seems all is lost...
But hang on a minute... Batman is wearing "special thermal B long underwear. Yes indeed; saved by long johns. Well, that's a first.
Another good and entertaining two parter, then, not as funny as the scripts by Semple but with a particularly impressive villain. And, interestingly, for the first time we get a teaser for the next episode...
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