I was wondering, with all the various Jokers over the years, what was it that made Cesar's the most sinister? As goofy and madcap as he was there was just something about him that made him the ultimate Joker. Was it his expressions, his eyes, his voice, that creepy high-stepping soft-shoe walk he would do, or all of it together? To this day many people, when talking about the show, always state how he would send a shiver up their spine and how the sight of his grinning face even now still faintly disturbs.
Could you have imagined if the series was played in a serious tone what he would have been like? More so if he agreed to remove the moustache and it wouldn't have distracted visually. He would have been one of the scariest dudes to ever grace the screen. I always found he had a menacing aura in serious films like Vera Cruz or comedies such as the Kurt Russell Disney films. A true testament to his talents.
"Hmmm... I don't like the twist this joke is taking. Let us away! Let us away!"
Riff Raff and Batty-Man were voiced by the same actor! And since Batty-Man was sort of a parody of Batman, that brings this thread right back on topic! LOL
You make some good points, Yellow Oval. I think it was partly the laugh and partly the way Cesar said his lines. He could toss off silly lines like 'Honesty doesn't pay' to a disobedient Venus and it came across with real menace and anger.
'I thought Siren was perfect for Joan.'--Stanley Ralph Ross, writer of 'The Wail of the Siren'
My hobbies include gazing at the Siren and doing her bidding, evil or otherwise.
'She had a devastating, hypnotic effect on all the men.'--A schoolmate describing Joan Collins at age 17
Yellow Oval wrote:...the sight of his grinning face even now still faintly disturbs.
I always found he had a menacing aura...
The sight of his grinning face brings one to my face. I never noticed a menacing aura, I just had so much fun watching him, it was like cheering on a villain. You can tell he had a great time doing the character.
There was a way he shifted down to an old-school mobster voice that could be very startling. That's one of the most sinister stylings I'm picking up as I revisit his performances on YouTube.
He was my favorite all the way...I loved Penguin ALMOST as much, but it always bothered me to see Meredith get "Extra Special" billing in their episode together!
I would agree that Cesar was the scariest. Especially since the Joker resembled more of a clown than someone who fell into a chemical bath (which as a child in 1966 you likely didn't know of this origin and it's more than apparent they only painted Cesar's face) and you are used to clowns (like Bozo) being happy, fun & safe. So right away, the Joker image coupled with Cesar's great acting ability combined together to scare the bejezus out of me anyways. He had the character down perfectly - better than any of his successors. I can only imagine his un-restrained portrayal in a Christian Bale type Bat-movie.
I recall, but not sure from where, that the network made them tone down the villains, Joker in particular, because it was scaring children and it shows as the episodes became more camp. Lost In Space, Batman's CBS competition, also suffered from this same effect & I know that this was because Batman was more campy/comical and that's how they plotted to compete. But it makes me wonder if Batman had not become so campy, would LIS have stayed more dramatic and would Batman have ultimately survived for at least the 3 seasons it did?
I mentioned this in a thread a while back. I distinctly remember watching the show in '68 when I was 4 and my mom's friend came over. The lights were off in the room and an episode with the Joker was on. Joann walked by me and said "If your're not good, the Joker will come and take you away". I was already scared of the character, but after that, I couldn't watch with the lights off and was really scared of him for a long time. I think the combination of the white face, the mouth, the laugh, is what got to me.
A scene where it really dhows is in"the Joker Goes To School.". The Joker pops up from behind he screen ans says "Hello kiddies, Meet the Joker!" Dick 's not frightened nut the other kis clearly ate. Susie of course id frightened for a different reason than the other kids. Stil you can see how intimidating his presence is.
