Tuesday, April 19, 2016

P is for Penguin

Day 16 - A to Z Challenge - "P"

P is for Penguin
Character Facts:
Abilities/Powers: Genius-Level Intellect, Engineer, Self-Taught Judo and Bare-Knuckle Boxing Techniques 
Occupation: Criminal, Stock Trader, Fixer, Nightclub Owner
Real Name/Secret Identity: Oswald Chesterfield Copperpot

Origin Story:
Bullied as a child and shunned by his family, aside from his mother, Oswald grew up to dislike people, but adore birds.  His favorites were the pet birds that his mothered owned.
Following the death of his mother, he was forced to sell the precious birds, to pay his mother's debt.  
He decided to turn to a life of crime, in order to elevate himself into the high society of Gotham City. 
(His mother (an eccentric woman) had filled his head with ideas of grandeur and that he was entitled to a fortune, that they no longer possessed.) 
So now, armed this his trusty umbrella, tuxedo, top hat and monocle, he is set to try and take over Gotham City.
(This origin story is an amalgamation of all the different stories that are present.) 

Interesting Tidbits:
-The Penguin was first introduced in December of 1941.
-The Penguin fancies himself a "gentleman of crime".
-The Penguin runs a nightclub called the Iceberg Lounge, which proves a cover for criminal activity.  At times, Batman uses the nightclub as a source of information about the criminal underworld.

My Observations:
Once again, a character that I enjoyed from the 1960s Batman TV show...
Burgess Meredith played the role of the Penguin and I always enjoyed hearing his signature laugh. (Did you know, one of the causes of the laugh was the cigarettes the character always smoked, which irritated Meredith's throat, since he was a non-smoker.) 
I didn't mind the Danny DeVito version of the character from the movie Batman Returns, but he was definitely creepier than previous versions.  I did enjoy the backstory they gave the Penguin in the movie.
 

11 comments:

  1. The Danny DeVito version scared (and scarred) me so much as a kid that I've never been able to watch that film. Even now (at 31) the thought of watching the film makes me feel nausceous. Is that the mark of a good actor, or an over-active imagination I wonder?

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    1. I have to agree with you Roslyn. I haven't watched that movie in a quite awhile and when I have, I tended to skip the parts featuring the Penguin. Danny DeVito did way too good of a job making the Penguin creepy.

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  2. From what I can remember, this character really brought the Batman series to life. I just love his real name, Oswald Chesterfield Copperpot. How eccentric and grand is that?! :)

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    1. Oh, I love the Penguin's real name! (I don't think I ever would have changed it.) I liked that in the Batman animated series, no one really called him the Penguin (at least not often), they usually referred to him as Copperpot or Oswald.

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  3. Yes another one I know ;)
    I really have to be thankful to Lego Batman games!

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    1. I have my parents and reruns of the 1960s Batman to thank...
      ...I ended up knowing a lot more of the characters than I thought I would.

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  4. It continue to amaze me how the TV series Gotham has so tried I think to follow a lot of these original stories into its characters - of course with a few tweaks. I never really cared for Penguin until I started watching Gotham and now I love him.

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    1. I agree Melinda. I haven't watched a ton of the Gotham show (definitely have to hop on Netflix), but from what I've seen, I really like what they have done with the characters. Very curious to see how the show progresses.

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  5. Again, brand-new information to me. Great stitching! :D

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