Parodied Names in the '66 series

[BatmanFan102]

In California, in 1964 a place called the "Whisky A Go-Go" opened on the Sunset Strip.

I imagine the Milkshake a Go-Go was a parody on that name.

I just watched the episode the other day where Joker entered the Gotham City art contest and won. I forget the other names, but all the other artists' names were parodied from famous artists.

[epaddon]

They were parodied from Jackson Pollock and Leonardo da Vinci I recall. I forget if the Spanish one was parodying Picasso or Dali.

And one of the paintings Joker defaces I noticed was a knockoff of American Gothic but not identical to it.

[twint9]

Wasn't that one called the Gotham Gothic?

[epaddon]

No, the Gotham Gothic was the rare stamp Colonel Gumm was apparently interested in trying to steal in the GH crossover episode (though that part of the plot got muddled in part 2).

[twint9]

That's right...I stand corrected.

[Dr. Shimel]

A couple of Ben Casey parodies in the show:

The temperamental "Dr. Vince" who is able to "unfreeze" the duo in the opening scene of the George Sanders Mr. Freeze conclusion (which is on tonight) was a little jab at Vince Edwards, who played Casey.

In the first Archer episode, when Gotham City is giving money away to the homeless, the first person to receive money (which turns out to be counterfeit) is "Zoltan Zorba," who's played by Sam Jaffe--who played Dr. Zorba on Ben Casey.

Ironically, that second Mr. Freeze ep also has a cameo of John Zaremba playing Mr. Freeze's butler. Zaremba had a recurring role on Ben Casey, playing a hospital administrator.

[Jim Akin]

Just watched "Hizzonner the Penguin/Dizzoner the Penguin". Besides the previously mentioned spoof names for newscasters Chumley, Dooley and Klondike, at least two of the pollsters' names are plays on actual survey companies (and the men who founded them): "Gallus" plays off Gallup, and "Rooper" off Roper. The third pollster's name, Trendek, sounds like it could be a parody, too, but if it is, I can't figure out of what -- other than the obvious play on "trend."

The pollsters' reports, first to Batman, Linseed and Gordon and then to Penguin, include another parody name: At fourth place in their rankings is "Harry Goldwinner, the Monarchist candidate," a play on Barry Goldwater, Arizona senator and 1964 presidential candidate.

Cheers,

QQ

[epaddon]

Trendex was another ratings service back in the day.

[Jim Akin]

"U. Magnum," the fancy store Chief O'Hara pilfers under Marsha's spell in "Marsha Queen of Diamonds," is a spoof of I. Magnin, a high-end department store based in Oakland CA, and eventually absorbed into the Macy's chain.

Cheers,

QQ

[Jim Akin]

Messy James and Oakie Annie have already been mentioned, along with Shame himself, but at the beginning of "Come Back, Shame," the Conniving Cowboy of Crime boosts a racing car, mid-race, from ace driver Grimaldi Smith, whose name spoofs real-life racing legend Parnelli Jones.

Cheers,

QQ

[Jim Akin]

In The Sport of Penguins, abducted jockey Wally Bootmaker is a send-up of Willie Shoemaker, arguably the most famous jockey ever.

[twint9]

Baby Jane Towser from the Joker episode was a take-off on Baby Jane Holzer, who was an artist and associated with Andy Warhol.

[Progress Pigment]

In the Egghead episode Bruce Wayne mentions to Dick that he had obtained raccoon pelts -- from a raccoon coat he had purchased from "a crooner who'd fallen on hard times". He meant Rudy Vallee, who later played Lord Ffogg! And Maid Marilyn was a takeoff of Maid Marion from Robin Hood of course. In a Catwoman two-parter there was a painfully stupid policeman called "Captain Courageous". Of course based on the book "Captain's Courageous". But I have wondered if it was partially meant to be a jab at "Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse", a cartoon character very broadly based on Batman & Robin, and created by Bob Kane!

[Gorshin Romero]

Although it was never used because the censors blocked it, one joke that Stanley Ralph Ross wanted to use was a weapon known as the "Ronald Ray Gun" but since Mr. Reagan was governor of California at the time, the censors disallowed this. Stanley Ralph Ross also mentioned a name he used for a sheik, but the censors said it "sounded dirty" even though it was gobbldygook, so Ross had to change it. Ross said that the name he gave the sheik was an Arabic word meaning "Sheik Sonovab----"

And of course, the episode where Batman is in the Bat Cave and Alfred the faithful Butler comes to our hero with some clarifying information to which Batman asks "What's it all about...Alfred?" This is a parody from the Michael Caine movie "Alfie" where the song asked "What's it all about, Alfie?"

[Jimmy L. 66]

Catwoman steals a CATalog from Lacey's dept store van ( blue van sighting)
isn't that Macy's?