MOVIES & TV | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture

Nov16

13 QUICK THOUGHTS: The Magnificence of Burgess Meredith’s PENGUIN

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Nov 16, 2019

13 QUICK THOUGHTS: The Magnificence of Burgess Meredith’s PENGUIN

Burgess Meredith was born Nov. 16, 1907. Here’s our birthday tribute… — UPDATED 11/16/19: This first ran on Burgess Meredith’s birthday in 2015. Perfect time to present it again — in slightly edited form. Groovy! — Dan — The other day, I wrote about how it took me until adulthood to really appreciate Cesar Romero’s Joker. (Check it out here, if you like.) Well, the same holds true for Burgess Meredith’s Penguin. Actually, more so, because I didn’t even like the Penguin all that much as a kid. He just didn’t seem like much of a threat to Batman. Oh, how wrong I was. I just didn’t understand. Because the Penguin, it turns out, was the shrewdest of them all. Burgess Meredith was born 112 years ago. Sure, he was Mickey from the Rocky movies — and a million other things as a gifted character actor — but really, truly, he was the Penguin. And here are 13 QUICK THOUGHTS on why he was one of the greatest: — 1. Burgess Meredith gave the Penguin intelligent craftiness, just what was needed when you’re dealing with an arch-villain who is clearly not a physical match for Batman. — 2. He was the smartest of the Big Four. The Riddler challenged Batman, the Joker annoyed him and Catwoman made the Caped Crusader hot under the cowl. But none of them quite frustrated him the way the Penguin did. — 3. So in retrospect it makes all the sense in the world that it was the Penguin who was calling the shots in the 1966 movie. — 4. The writers clearly knew what they were doing by always having a script ready for whenever Meredith was available. — 5. Still, I thought the writers stretched things even more than usual when they set the Penguin up as a mayoral candidate or movie mogul. — 6. This. (And wanna see what it looks like today? Click here.) — 7. I think it was hilarious when they put the Penguin in a mask. (Same with the Joker.) — 8. That giant umbrella in his first two-parter was great. Right out of the comics. (Literally so.) — 9. This. — 10. These. — 11. I really want to go to the Penguin’s restaurant, don’t you? — 12. Man, I loved this team-up when I was...

Nov16

Dig This UP-CLOSE LOOK at the Original 1966 PENGUIN SUB

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Nov 16, 2019

Dig This UP-CLOSE LOOK at the Original 1966 PENGUIN SUB

EXCLUSIVE: “Run silent, run deep…” — UPDATED 11/16/19: Burgess Meredith was born 112 years ago! This piece first ran in August 2018. Perfect time to present it again! — Dan — The 1966 Batman movie gave us not just the Batcopter, Batboat and a new Batcycle, it also gave us the best villain vehicle of the entire series run — the Penguin Sub, the mobile lair from which the United Underworld battles the Dynamic Duo. The film’s climactic Batfight takes place atop a life-size set but the sub itself was a roughly 8-foot fiberglass prop that was maneuvered by set technicians: And it’s now in private hands. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been showing off items from the greatest Batman ’66 collection you’ll ever see — a startling array of screen-used costumes and props owned by an anonymous collector we’re calling “Alfred.” (Click here for much more on that. Really, go ahead. We’ll wait.) Alfred’s latest acquisition? The Penguin Sub. Just dig these photos from his hideaway, where the model sits below a full-size replica of the Batcopter (and near a repro Batcomputer, as well as a trio of cardboard standees of everyone’s favorite heroes): OK, a couple things: First, it’s amazing how well this has been kept up since 1966, when the movie was both shot and released. Second, I love the attention to detail by the model-builders. In the days before CGI, we really took for granted the practical effects that moviemakers utilized to pull off their cinematic illusions. Instead, viewers had a tendency to point out the flaws. But there’s serious artistry at work here: Up close you can see the line work, the seams and the glue but on screen, it looks true to life. I just wish I’d had the presence of mind to bring some Batman ’66 action figures to complete the scene. Perhaps next time. Meanwhile, check out some more pix: — MORE — SNEAK PEEK: The Greatest BATMAN ’66 Collection You’ll Ever See. Click here. — Dig This UP-CLOSE LOOK at an Original PENGUIN Costume. Click here. — 13 QUICK THOUGHTS: The Magnificence of Burgess Meredith’s PENGUIN. Click...

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