15 Degrees of "Batman" Villains Quiz

Answer: Otto Preminger

Sure, Arnold played Freeze, but in the movie "Batman and Robin", long after the show went off the air! Sanders was the show's first Freeze, Wallach the last, but only Preminger was the film director. (He was also a memorable Nazi officer in Wilder's "Stalag 17".)

Answer: Vincent Price

The other three never appeared on the show. Price was slimy Shelby Carpenter in Preminger's 1944 classic "Laura" and bald Egghead on "Batman".

Answer: Edward G. Robinson

In DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" Robinson was the traitorous Dathan, who was overseer for the Egyptians, Price was Master Builder Baka, whose neck was snapped by Heston's Moses and Baxter was Nefretiri. She played Zelda the Great and later Olga on "Batman"; in the latter role she re-teamed with Price (Egghead).

Answer: Carolyn Jones

Jones was in Hitch's own remake of "The Man Who Knew Too Much", appeared opposite Elvis Presley in "King Creole" and starred with Robinson and Frank Sinatra in Capra's "A Hole in the Head", which gave Frank one of his signature tunes, "High Hopes". She played Marsha, Queen of Diamonds twice on the show.

Answer: Tallulah Bankhead and Walter Slezak

In "Lifeboat" Bankhead was a lady journalist and Slezak the Nazi villain. Bankhead's swan song was on "Batman" as Black Widow, while Slezak was the time-obsessed Clock King. Both were beaten by Batman, of course, as were all the show's bad guys!

Answer: John Astin

Astin was the stammering teacher in the gym dance scene of "Story"; Glass and Oakland, while starring in the film, never appeared on "Batman". Julia was the Gomez of the two "Addams" movies. For one episode Astin stood in for Frank Gorshin when the latter couldn't appear because of a nightclub gig. Astin was once married to Oscar-winner Patty Duke.

Answer: Michael Rennie

The last two never played aliens or acted on the show! Arness had the title role on the 50's classic, "The Thing". Rennie was Klattu in Wise's sci-fi masterwork "The Day The Earth Stood Still". He was the fur-clad Sandman for one episode opposite Julie Newmar's Catwoman.

Answer: Burgess Meredith

Holy Actors Studio! As the waddling Penguin he co-starred with Merman, who was Lola Lasagna. He played a con artist in Wise's "The Hindenburg" among many other roles, including a psychiatrist in "Mine Own Executioner", George in "Of Mice and Men" and Ernie Pyle in "The Story of G.I. Joe".

Answer: Milton Berle

All were in Kramer's "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" but only Berle was "Batman" villain Louie the Lilac. Merman was Berle's harpyish mother-in-law in the film.

Answer: Victor Buono

Buono starred in Aldrich's "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?", "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte" and "Four for Texas".

Answer: Roddy McDowell

Rex and Dick co-starred with Liz, but it was McDowell who was Octavian in the film and played the erudite, bibliophilic Bookworm (in leather clothes, yet!)for a single "Batman" story. Ustinov was Nero in "Quo Vadis".

Answer: Shelley Winters

Winters won for "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "A Patch of Blue". She was Clift's (accidental?) victim in "A Place In The Sun". On "Batman" she was Ma Parker, spoofing real-life Ma Barker, whom she played in the 1970 Roger Corman opus "Bloody Mama".

Answer: Cliff Robertson

Robertson was Shame, a cowboy crook who spoofed Alan Ladd's Shane. In 1968, after "Batman" was cancelled, he won the Best Actor Oscar for "Charley", as a retarded man who becomes a temporary genius after experimental surgery. Steiger would win the Supporting Oscar for "In The Heat Of The Night", but neither he, nor Newman or Lemmon appeared on the show!

Answer: George Sanders

Sanders won as "All About Eve's" Addison DeWitt, serenaded Merman in the film of "Call Me Madam" and was in Hitch's "Rebecca" and "Foreign Correspondent". He was the first Mr. Freeze. (His ex-wife, Zsa Zsa Gabor, was the series' last villain, Minerva) Sanders, Winters, Baxter ("The Razor's Edge") and Robertson are the only Oscar-winners to appear on "Batman".

Answer: Otto Preminger

Holy full circle! Preminger directed Sanders as Charles II in "Forever Amber".