A BIRTHDAY LAFFER: The late, great Cesar Romero was born 117 years ago!
By SCOTT TIPTON
Batman fans have been blessed with a long line of great performances when it comes to the Caped Crusader’s arch-nemesis, the Joker. Nicholson, Hamill, Ledger – let’s be honest, they’re all kinda great, each bringing a whole new dimension to the character.
And yet, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the original screen Joker, the one and only Cesar Romero, who was born 117 years ago, on Feb. 15, 1907. The late Romero brought a kind of unhinged mirth to the Clown Prince of Crime that no one has ever been able to duplicate, and which guerilla toymaker Mars Toys has somehow managed to capture with their new 1/6-scale action figure release, marketed as “PRANK VILLAIN” due to the product’s unlicensed nature.
The attention to detail here is remarkable, right down to the distinct pinstripe pattern on the Joker’s fuschia-colored trousers. But the real star of the show here is the likeness of Cesar Romero, which is so good, it’s almost a little unnerving. And even better, you’re provided with three different head sculpts, allowing you a variety of classic Romero Joker expressions.
And as if that weren’t enough, they even include Commodore Schmidlapp’s Total Dehydrator Gun from the 1967 Batman feature film (clearly branded “Big Ben Distillery”) and the Joker’s domino mask that he wears during the United Underworld’s invasion of the United World Security Council.
Due to its lack of proper licensing, you won’t find this in stores, but those who need to bring a little laughter into their lives might want to do a little stroll around the virtual aisles of eBay. You never know what you may find…
—
MORE
— Why CESAR ROMERO’s JOKER Was Perfect For the Swingin’ Sixties. Click here.
— Dig This UP-CLOSE LOOK at an Original JOKER Costume. Click here.
—
Scott Tipton is 13th Dimension’s longest-tenured contributor-at-large. He’s best known as the writer of scores of Star Trek comics published by IDW.
February 15, 2024
Supporting this kind of piracy hurts the already ailing collectibles industry and we who have worked in it for decades. From the time I started with Hasbro and Bown in 2005 to many companies since, this takes work away from everyone and is flat out IP theft.
February 15, 2024
Interesting….. is the BATMAN logo on the stand not In violation somehow? If the proper legal channels were followed, does that mean Romero’s estate would benefit or are we just talking about some mix of the corporate entities involved in the tv show/movie?
February 15, 2024
Dan, is that you birthday present this year? It’s fantastic!
February 16, 2024
No, that’s all Scott!
February 16, 2024
A Riddler one coming too?