11/9/07: “The Fiendish, Frigid Fraud” (1968)Two ice meteors land in Gotham City. Batman’s checking out the science in his Batcave, and confirms that the meteor strikes were a natural phenomenon. Robin adds that it sure looked like the kind of stunt that Mr. Freeze would be behind. The media seem to agree. The ice hasn’t even melted, and there are already news reports stating that “speculation is running high” that Mr. Freeze is attacking from outer space.
Mr. Freeze loves the speculative media. “If people say that I did it,” he declares, “then I say I shall take the credit!” He goes on the airwaves and declares, “You are at my mercy, citizens of Gotham!”
“It’s a bluff,” declares Batman, but Mr. Freeze has the media on his side. The villain declares that he is now above the law, and if anyone interferes with his looting, “the total destruction of Gotham City, brick by brick, will be on your hands.”
Just to be safe, Freeze announces—and then stages—a fake meteor strike at Gotham Recreational Park. Even good old Police Chief O'Hara is fooled: “That appears to remove any doubt that the frigid felonious Freeze can do what he says!”
In a great display of patience, Batman gets O’Hara and Commissioner Gordon to head out to Gilworth Observatory and talk to a grown-up. Professor Gilworth explains that the two earlier strikes came from a larger ice meteor moving over Earth, and that any threat has long since passed. It’s a good thing that the professor looks like he stepped right out of Victorian England. Otherwise, Gilworth would realize he’s giving up some serious media exposure.
Meanwhile, Mr. Freeze is running around Gotham and terrorizing the citizens—and the government—with nothing more than a box with a big scary button. Why is Batman coddling those idiots? Well, he’s a good guy. And when Batman finally foils the villain with a little global warming, it’s good to see that Robin is petty enough to make the surrendering Mr. Freeze swear that he’s not bluffing.
Make it your own: This one’s an episode from Filmation’s
The Adventures of Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder—which, tragically, isn’t available on DVD or VHS, even though a far inferior Batman cartoon is already on the market. There’s also been a new lawsuit raised over the live-action
Batman series, so it might take even longer before that show ever makes it home video. Oh, well—we’ve still got Batman’s biggest
big-screen adventure.
