Tomorrow (5th October 2023), South African-born British actress GLYNIS JOHNS will turn 100 !!

Ms. Johns played In Disney's "Mary Poppins" and opposite Jackie Gleason in "Papa's Delicate Condition," the film that gave us the go-to lounge singer offering "Call Me Irresponsible."

She's probably best remembered as Bat-Villainess Lady Penelope Peasoup alongside Rudy Vallee as her husband Lord Marmaduke Ffogg; but that's the it is with most Bat-Thespians: Bat-Credentials supersede loftier accomplishments.

The great UK actor/producer Sir Maurice Evans will forever be linked to his Batman '66 role as The Puzzler and/or as Samantha's father on "Bewitched," rather than his Shakespearean stage oeuvre.

Burgess Meredith: as the Penguin and as Rocky's coach, and not for "Of Mice and Men," or as having been married to Paulette Goddard.

Not always the case:

Art Carney is still Ed Norton rather than The Archer; Milton Berle for his well-endownment rather than the forgettable villain Louie the Lilac; Liberace' ; Roddy MacDowell (he's got "Planet of the apes insteaD)

Remember Glynis Johns on her landmark birthay on the 5th.

B-b-bat's All, Folks!

That Derek

In article <fbd2e056-b4bc-45cb-a557-5fddc719bfc7n@googlegroups.com>,
That Derek <thatderek@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Tomorrow (5th October 2023), South African-born British actress GLYNIS JOHNS
> will turn 100 !!
>
> Ms. Johns played In Disney's "Mary Poppins" and opposite Jackie Gleason in
> "Papa's Delicate Condition," the film that gave us the go-to lounge singer
> offering "Call Me Irresponsible."
>
> She's probably best remembered as Bat-Villainess Lady Penelope Peasoup
> alongside Rudy Vallee as her husband Lord Marmaduke Ffogg; but that's the it
> is with most Bat-Thespians: Bat-Credentials supersede loftier
> accomplishments.
>
> The great UK actor/producer Sir Maurice Evans will forever be linked to his
> Batman '66 role as The Puzzler and/or as Samantha's father on "Bewitched,"
> rather than his Shakespearean stage oeuvre.
>
> Burgess Meredith: as the Penguin and as Rocky's coach, and not for "Of Mice
> and Men," or as having been married to Paulette Goddard.
>
> Not always the case:
>
> Art Carney is still Ed Norton rather than The Archer; Milton Berle for his
> well-endownment rather than the forgettable villain Louie the Lilac;
> Liberace' ; Roddy MacDowell (he's got "Planet of the apes insteaD)
>
> Remember Glynis Johns on her landmark birthay on the 5th.
>
> B-b-bat's All, Folks!
>
> That Derek

Let us also remember Glynis's father, Mervyn Johns, who played Bob
Cratchit in the Alastair Sim version of Scrooge/A Christmas Carol. I'm
ready to see that one again -- and just in time, too.

Much appreciate this posting, Derek.

I knew Johns was closing in on the century mark, but didn't realize it was imminent; I was probably too focussed on Jimmy Carter making 99 on Sunday....as well as his--and Rosalynn''s!--record-setting marriage to keep track of Johns...even though she's one of the few Batman TV series villains (or villainesses) left.

Continue with the centenary updates, please!

BRYAN STYBLE/?Florida

On Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 1:50:22 PM UTC-4, radioacti...@gmail.com wrote:
> Much appreciate this posting, Derek.
> > .even though she's one of the few Batman TV series villains (or villainesses) left.

hERE'S THE bAT-lIST AGAIN:

Here's who's left.

Opening Credits Bat-Villains only – listed in order of appearance:

1) JILL ST. JOHN (born 08-19-1940 … guest starring as Molly, colleague of The Riddler # 1 portrayed by Frank Gorshin, 01-12-1966 – series' premiere episode)
2) JULIE NEWMAR (born 08-16/-1933 … Catwoman # 1, 03-16-1966).
3) LEE MERIWETHER (born 05-27-1935 … in Batman theatrical movie as Catwoman # 2, 08-03-1966/movie release date)
4) JOHN ASTIN (born 03-30-1930 … The Riddler #2, 02-08-1967)
5) JOAN COLLINS (born 05/23/1933 … The Siren, 09-21-1967)
6) GLYNIS JOHNS (born 10-05-1923 … Lady Penelope Peasoup, colleague of Lord Marmaduke Ffogg, portrayed by Rudy Vallee, 11-23-1967)
7) BARBARA RUSH (born 01/04/1927 … Nora Clavicle, 01/18/1968).

On Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 3:37:05 PM UTC-4, That Derek wrote:
> > 1) JILL ST. JOHN (born 08-19-1940 … guest starring as Molly, colleague of The Riddler # 1 portrayed by Frank Gorshin, 01-12-1966 – series' premiere episode)

Molly as I recall was the only Batman character to fall to her death on screen.

That Derek <thatderek@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Tomorrow (5th October 2023), South African-born British actress GLYNIS JOHNS
> will turn 100 !!
>
> Ms. Johns played In Disney's "Mary Poppins"

Well done,Sister Suffragette!

[content about her other roles and people playing roles
like some of them snipped...Mrs. Banks is the one
role I identify her with]

-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.

>> Molly as I recall was the only Batman character to fall to her death on screen.

Yeah ... and Bruce Wayne got away with not reporting her deatrh which he indirectly caused by installing a nuclear reactor in a residential neighbourhood in the first place! "What a way to go-go."

Additionally, two henchmen of magician Zelda the Great (Anne Baxter) and Eivo Ekdal (Jack Kruschen) met their fates on Batman '66. One of them was Little House/Prairie co-star Victor French. The pair were ordered to take position inside two sarcophagi and fire into a crate containing Batman and Robin; however, the Dynamic Duo, while ensconced in the crate, had the foresight to employ their Bat-Shields, which deflected the bullets, which effectively bounced back and killed the two hoods.

IIRC, in the first Mister Freeze stanza with George Sanders, a motorcycle cop was frozen into a human popsical by the villain (or a flunky) and, presumably killed when chunks of ice, which constituted the cop, broke apart.

These incidents all occurred in early episodes. Catwoman/Julie Newmar and the Riddler/Frank Gorshin would apparently die and, somehow, survive to turn up in future episodes.

Bad guys were doomed in the early episodes and, I imagine, network execs with a bonafide hit show probably instructed the Bat-crew to tone down the grimness. Kind of like the way the Bat-Man actually shot and killed miscreants in the pre-Robin day of the late 1930s.

In article <ce710dd0-dc89-48b6-b9d1-dd9c794f7c7fn@googlegroups.com>,
That Derek <thatderek@yahoo.com> wrote:

> >> Molly as I recall was the only Batman character to fall to her death on
> >> screen.
>
> Yeah ... and Bruce Wayne got away with not reporting her deatrh which he
> indirectly caused by installing a nuclear reactor in a residential
> neighbourhood in the first place! "What a way to go-go."
>
> Additionally, two henchmen of magician Zelda the Great (Anne Baxter) and Eivo
> Ekdal (Jack Kruschen) met their fates on Batman '66. One of them was Little
> House/Prairie co-star Victor French. The pair were ordered to take position
> inside two sarcophagi and fire into a crate containing Batman and Robin;
> however, the Dynamic Duo, while ensconced in the crate, had the foresight to
> employ their Bat-Shields, which deflected the bullets, which effectively
> bounced back and killed the two hoods.
>
> IIRC, in the first Mister Freeze stanza with George Sanders, a motorcycle cop
> was frozen into a human popsical by the villain (or a flunky) and, presumably
> killed when chunks of ice, which constituted the cop, broke apart.
>
> These incidents all occurred in early episodes. Catwoman/Julie Newmar and the
> Riddler/Frank Gorshin would apparently die and, somehow, survive to turn up
> in future episodes.
>
> Bad guys were doomed in the early episodes and, I imagine, network execs with
> a bonafide hit show probably instructed the Bat-crew to tone down the
> grimness. Kind of like the way the Bat-Man actually shot and killed
> miscreants in the pre-Robin day of the late 1930s.

I recall a ca. 1942 story in which Batman strangled some sort of
marauding giant by throwing his Bat-rope around the giant's neck from
the Batplane and hanging him.

I don't think Superman ever purposefully killed anyone until he killed
Mxyzptlk in the final Silver Age story, which editor Julie Schwartz
published as an Imaginary Tale, but everyone (including Julie) knew it
really wasn't.

A new interview with Glynis Johns on her 100th Birthday:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Video-Tony-Winner-Glynis-Johns-Reflects-on-Her-Career-on-Her-100th-Birthday-20231005?mibextid=S66gvF

That Derek <thatderek@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>> Molly as I recall was the only Batman character to fall to her death on screen.
>
> Yeah ... and Bruce Wayne got away with not reporting her deatrh which he indirectly caused by installing a nuclear reactor in a residential neighbourhood in the first place! "What a way to go-go."
>
> Additionally, two henchmen of magician Zelda the Great (Anne Baxter) and Eivo Ekdal (Jack Kruschen) met their fates on Batman '66. One of them was Little House/Prairie co-star Victor French. The pair were ordered to take position inside two sarcophagi and fire into a crate containing Batman and Robin; however, the Dynamic Duo, while ensconced in the crate, had the foresight to employ their Bat-Shields, which deflected the bullets, which effectively bounced back and killed the two hoods.
>
> IIRC, in the first Mister Freeze stanza with George Sanders, a motorcycle cop was frozen into a human popsical by the villain (or a flunky) and, presumably killed when chunks of ice, which constituted the cop, broke apart.
>
> These incidents all occurred in early episodes. Catwoman/Julie Newmar and the Riddler/Frank Gorshin would apparently die and, somehow, survive to turn up in future episodes.
>
> Bad guys were doomed in the early episodes and, I imagine, network execs
> with a bonafide hit show probably instructed the Bat-crew to tone down the
> grimness. Kind of like the way the Bat-Man actually shot and killed
> miscreants in the pre-Robin day of the late 1930s.

How many Bat-appearances were there dated before 1940?
Detective #27 and what else?

-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.

Diner <bwaystars@gmail.com> wrote:
> A new interview with Glynis Johns on her 100th Birthday:
>
> https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Video-Tony-Winner-Glynis-Johns-Reflects-on-Her-Career-on-Her-100th-Birthday-20231005?mibextid=S66gvF
>

People had a story too.

-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.

A Friend <nope@noway.com> wrote:
> In article <ce710dd0-dc89-48b6-b9d1-dd9c794f7c7fn@googlegroups.com>,
> That Derek <thatderek@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> >> Molly as I recall was the only Batman character to fall to her death on
>> >> screen.
>>
>> Yeah ... and Bruce Wayne got away with not reporting her deatrh which he
>> indirectly caused by installing a nuclear reactor in a residential
>> neighbourhood in the first place! "What a way to go-go."
>>
>> Additionally, two henchmen of magician Zelda the Great (Anne Baxter) and Eivo
>> Ekdal (Jack Kruschen) met their fates on Batman '66. One of them was Little
>> House/Prairie co-star Victor French. The pair were ordered to take position
>> inside two sarcophagi and fire into a crate containing Batman and Robin;
>> however, the Dynamic Duo, while ensconced in the crate, had the foresight to
>> employ their Bat-Shields, which deflected the bullets, which effectively
>> bounced back and killed the two hoods.
>>
>> IIRC, in the first Mister Freeze stanza with George Sanders, a motorcycle cop
>> was frozen into a human popsical by the villain (or a flunky) and, presumably
>> killed when chunks of ice, which constituted the cop, broke apart.
>>
>> These incidents all occurred in early episodes. Catwoman/Julie Newmar and the
>> Riddler/Frank Gorshin would apparently die and, somehow, survive to turn up
>> in future episodes.
>>
>> Bad guys were doomed in the early episodes and, I imagine, network execs with
>> a bonafide hit show probably instructed the Bat-crew to tone down the
>> grimness. Kind of like the way the Bat-Man actually shot and killed
>> miscreants in the pre-Robin day of the late 1930s.
>
>
> I recall a ca. 1942 story in which Batman strangled some sort of
> marauding giant by throwing his Bat-rope around the giant's neck from
> the Batplane and hanging him.
>
> I don't think Superman ever purposefully killed anyone until he killed
> Mxyzptlk in the final Silver Age story, which editor Julie Schwartz
> published as an Imaginary Tale, but everyone (including Julie) knew it
> really wasn't.

I believe the switch from Mxyztplk to Mxyzptlk was the notional
switch from Earth-Two to Earth-One?

In article <ufpd4p$os$2@reader2.panix.com>, Louis Epstein
<le@main.lekno.ws> wrote:

> A Friend <nope@noway.com> wrote:
> > In article <ce710dd0-dc89-48b6-b9d1-dd9c794f7c7fn@googlegroups.com>,
> > That Derek <thatderek@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> >> >> Molly as I recall was the only Batman character to fall to her death on
> >> >> screen.
> >>
> >> Yeah ... and Bruce Wayne got away with not reporting her deatrh which he
> >> indirectly caused by installing a nuclear reactor in a residential
> >> neighbourhood in the first place! "What a way to go-go."
> >>
> >> Additionally, two henchmen of magician Zelda the Great (Anne Baxter) and
> >> Eivo
> >> Ekdal (Jack Kruschen) met their fates on Batman '66. One of them was Little
> >> House/Prairie co-star Victor French. The pair were ordered to take position
> >> inside two sarcophagi and fire into a crate containing Batman and Robin;
> >> however, the Dynamic Duo, while ensconced in the crate, had the foresight
> >> to
> >> employ their Bat-Shields, which deflected the bullets, which effectively
> >> bounced back and killed the two hoods.
> >>
> >> IIRC, in the first Mister Freeze stanza with George Sanders, a motorcycle
> >> cop
> >> was frozen into a human popsical by the villain (or a flunky) and,
> >> presumably
> >> killed when chunks of ice, which constituted the cop, broke apart.
> >>
> >> These incidents all occurred in early episodes. Catwoman/Julie Newmar and
> >> the
> >> Riddler/Frank Gorshin would apparently die and, somehow, survive to turn
> >> up
> >> in future episodes.
> >>
> >> Bad guys were doomed in the early episodes and, I imagine, network execs
> >> with
> >> a bonafide hit show probably instructed the Bat-crew to tone down the
> >> grimness. Kind of like the way the Bat-Man actually shot and killed
> >> miscreants in the pre-Robin day of the late 1930s.
> >
> >
> > I recall a ca. 1942 story in which Batman strangled some sort of
> > marauding giant by throwing his Bat-rope around the giant's neck from
> > the Batplane and hanging him.
> >
> > I don't think Superman ever purposefully killed anyone until he killed
> > Mxyzptlk in the final Silver Age story, which editor Julie Schwartz
> > published as an Imaginary Tale, but everyone (including Julie) knew it
> > really wasn't.
>
> I believe the switch from Mxyztplk to Mxyzptlk was the notional
> switch from Earth-Two to Earth-One?

The various Earths started as an idea by a guy who wrote The Flash for
Julie Schwartz, but I don't remember if it was Gardner Fox or John
Broome. (It was likely Fox, but I'm not sure at this appallingly late
date.) IIRC the saga of Earth-One started when Brainiac, the first
Silver Age super-villain, attacked Superman ("The Super-Duel in Space,"
Action Comics 242, July 1958).

On Wed, 4 Oct 2023 10:39:30 -0700 (PDT), That Derek
<thatderek@yahoo.com> wrote:

>The great UK actor/producer Sir Maurice Evans will forever be linked to his Batman '66 role as The Puzzler and/or as Samantha's father on "Bewitched," rather than his Shakespearean stage oeuvre.

I remember him as Doctor Zaius.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlmzUEQxOvA

That Derek <thatderek@yahoo.com> wrote:

>The great UK actor/producer Sir Maurice Evans will forever be linked to his Batman '66 role as The Puzzler and/or as Samantha's father on "Bewitched," rather than his Shakespearean stage oeuvre. . . .

I know nothing about his stage work. I do know that he poked a bit of
fun at being a Shakespearean actor, greatly emphasizing the hamminess.

If he was a great interpreter, we were denied that. I wish there were
more filmed stage performances.

On Friday, October 6, 2023 at 3:54:50 PM UTC-4, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>
> If he was a great interpreter, we were denied that. I wish there were
> more filmed stage performances.

Tell me about it - sort of. When was the last time anyone here saw a stage performance of a Shakespearean play...in full Elizabethan costume?

I understand that's expensive, of course, but the problem with playing free and easy with costumes is that the rest of the play tends to get modernized in one way or another as well.

And even the more recent FILM versions are all too often "modernized" as well, in unseemly ways.

While I didn't see the 1990 Mel Gibson version of "Hamlet," I heard that Gertrude (Glenn Close) was "clearly smitten with her handsome son." (She was constantly kissing him.)

That caused some other previous film Gertrude actress to complain (not verbatim):

"There are clear implications, in the original play, of Hamlet's oedipal feelings for Gertrude, but there's nothing that suggests that SHE leads the way!"