#Dizzoner the Penguin

[supermediabrothers6]

The Best of Batman!!!

Here’s my guide of the best Batman stories in film and TV.

I’m going the skip the theatrical serials because they are terrible and racist.

So that means our first example is

The 1966 TV Series

This series is a comedy that often made direct adaptations of comic book stories of the day. The reasoning being that the comic stories were so absurd that adapting them straight from the page would be perfect for yuks. Ironically despite making fun of the source material, this means that it’s also one of the most straightforward and accurate adaptations of the adventures of the Caped Crusader.

Most stories are at least two parts so for each I’ll name all the episodes that encompass them separated by a “/“.

Hi Diddle Riddle/Smack in the Middle

Batman is set up by the Riddler and is in danger of being forced to reveal his secret identity in court. But what is the riddler’s real plan?

The Joker is Wild/Batman is Riled

The Joker is tired of being bested by Batman and decides to create a utility belt of his own!

Instant Freeze/Rats Like Cheese

Batman must deal with his guilt over causing mad scientist Mr Freeze to be cursed with a condition that means he can’t survive outside of subzero temperatures. Meanwhile Freeze himself plots his revenge.

The Joker Goes to School/He Meets His Match the Grisly Ghoul

The Joker plots to corrupt the youth of Gotham by giving them free lunch. Batman must teach the children about the magic of capitalism. (Yes this is satire).

The Curse of Tut/The Pharaoh’s in a Rut

A man convinced he is actually the reincarnation of the ancient Pharoah Tut, goes on a crime spree, and forces Batman to dance!!!

The Movie

The Joker, The Penguin, the Riddler, and even Catwoman team up to make a bid for world domination.

Hot off the Griddle/The Cat and the Fiddle

Catwoman disguises herself as a senior citizen to perpetrate the purrrrfect crime.

Hizzoner the Penguin/Dizzoner the Penguin

The Penguin and Batman campaign against each other in a race for mayor of Gotham.

Surfs Up, Joker’s Under

The Joker and Batman compete in a surfing competition.

The Funny Feline Felonies/The Joke’s on Catwoman

Catwoman and the Joker team up to hunt for treasure. Catwoman knows it’s likely they’ll be caught, but she has the best lawyer in the business on her side.

Return of the Caped Crusaders

An animated reunion film made many years after the show went off the air. All of Batman’s enemies team up to defeat Batman by undoing his very being!

More in Part 2…

[stephen-barry]

"Hizzoner the Penguin" (1966) episode of the Batman TV Show was Burgess Meredith's first appearance in the second season, and easily his best.

A series of carefully conceived 'good deeds' have the effect the cagey bird requires, since he has decided to run for mayor and depose Mayor Linseed...

Batman reveals that the Gotham City Charter *allows* convicted felons to run for mayor...

Penguin, seeing his margin for victory close, goes off for one last dirty trick: he kidnaps the Board of Elections, who have to count the vote for it to be legitimate...

The 1960's pop rock group Paul Revere & the Raiders appear as Themselves... as the band at The Penguin's campaign party...

[mouseratz]

best of penguin 🐧

(recommendation list for the character)

the essentials

comics:

-secret origins special #1 "The Killing Peck" The Penguin reveals to a group of interviewers how he came to be.

TV:

- btas "Birds of a Feather" (the rest of the episodes before tnba are really good as well, but this I consider required material!) Penguin is released from jail & tries to live on the straight and narrow.

- Batman 66 & the accompanying movie. favorite episode: "Hizzoner the Penguin/Dizzoner the Penguin"* Penguin runs for mayor. (if you only watch one, make this this one)

other:

- Batman The Audio Adventures, entire series, nothing special happens but it is such a lovely and well rounded version of the character

other recommendations/stories I enjoyed

comics:

- detective #58 "One of The Most Perfect Frame-Ups of All Time!" his first appearance! (be warned it is a bit fatphobic, as are many of his appearances, honestly.)

- detective #610 & #611 "Snow and Ice" Penguin has died, but not all is as it seems.

- detective #824 "The Night of the Penguin" Penguin has opened a new casino, and Batman suspects foul play. Riddler's in this one.

- joker's asylum: penguin #1 "He Who Laughs Last....!" Penguin finds love in an unlikely place, but his need for revenge will get the best of him.

- Batman One Bad Day Penguin #1 "Last Bullet" Penguin's had his entire crime empire taken from him, and has to go back to his roots to get it back.

- Batman the Audio Adventures comic series (set in the same world as the audio show)

TV:

- Batman Returns (Danny devito, how can you go wrong? iconic in so many ways and an excellent movie for other characters as well. at times can be very uncharitable though and arguably fatphobic/ableist.)

- Gotham, Fox TV series (a major character in this and very genuinely some of the best writing he's ever gotten imo. he is also canonically gay, but does not end up in a relationship. however, it does represent him as a much younger and skinnier man than he is in anything else, and the show isn't all about penguin, overall it's quality is also pretty rocky. definitely worth checking out, but doesn't suit everyone's tastes.)

as an end note, these certainly aren't all the good penguin stories- these I just consider my favorites and/or most memorable and/or best for starting with if you're just interested in him. unfortunately, a lot of his stories are entrenched in fatphobia and ableism generally, but that doesn't mean he's a bad character; you just may be disappointed when you go looking for more. personally, I still really love to read about him overall, its just worth saying that much.

[makaientjluvdaprince]

I just watched Batman 2x18 "Dizzoner the Penguin"

[holybatusibatman]

Ep. 51-52: Hizzoner The Penguin / Dizzoner The Penguin

Villano: Pingüino

Terminado el Spiderman, volvemos al bat-show... ¡y en qué momento! Creo que puedo afirmar sin temor que este episodio que nos ocupa puede ser el mejor de la serie hasta el momento y me consta que no estoy solo en esto.

Décadas antes de que Nolan se planteara que quizá la guerra por Gotham debía tomar lugar en terrenos más civilizados, nuestro Batman sesentero ya se ve en situación de tener que presentarse a alcalde para poder competir contra el malvado Pingüino, a la sazón ya candidato y encima con todas las de ganar.

Desconozco si mucho del humor referencial, por lo general bastante obvio, alude a algún detalle concreto del paisaje político americano de la época, pero la comedia chorra de la serie nunca ha funcionado mejor a la hora de, por qué no, querer aparentar ser más ingeniosa e incluso inteligente del habitual slapstick con moralinas al que nos tienen acostumbrado. Impagables las escenas de besar bebés o el careo televisado, con un corresponsal en medio de las bofetadas y equipo de analistas. Incluso el recuento de votos cuenta con una cierta tensión no solo plausible sino con una resolución tan divertida como 100% coherente con la serie.

Y cómo no, Burgess Meredith clavándolo como siempre, en un episodio donde solo el Pingüino podría tener un plan así y hay que estar a la altura. Vaya que si lo está.

Tampoco quiero dejarme sin destacar el cameo musical a cargo de los legendarios Paul Revere & The Raiders, así se las gastaron esa semana. Un episodio perfecto con todas las de la ley.

Puntuación: 5/5

[haunteddisco]

now what are the issues? there is only one-

batman

[falconlord5]

Dizzoner The Penguin

I.e. how mayoral campaigns don’t work.

Special Guest Villain Burgess Meredith as The Penguin

Produced by Howie Horwitz

Written by Stanford Sherman

Directed by Oscar Rudolph

His parents are dead, Penguin.

Robin, at least, has the right of things.

Any time a politician says there will be no mudslinging, there’s going to be a lot of mudslinging.

How every political debate should end: with a fistfight. C’mon, we all know Hilary would’ve handed Donny his ass.

I love how the commentators haven’t called the police or anything, they’re just keeping score.

Note to self: don’t take lessons on how mayoral campaigns work from Batman.

[mr-e-nigma]

Hizzonner the Penguin / Dizzoner the Penguin is one of if not my favorite episodes of the 60s show. It is both hilarious and depressing to see that politics has not changed since this Batman themed parody made almost six decades ago.

[timelesstimesgoneby]

Episode

Season 1

Disc 1

S01E01 Hi Diddle Riddle 1

S01E02 Smack In The Middle 2

S01E03 Fine Feathered Finks 1

S01E04 The Penguin's A Jinx 2

S01E05 The Joker Is Wild 1

S01E06 atman Is Riled 2

S01E07 Instant Freeze 1

S01E08 8 Like Cheese 2

S01E09 Zelda The Great 1

S01E10 A Death Worse Than Fate 2

S01E11 A Riddle A Day Keeps The Riddler Away 1

S01E12 When The Rat's Away The Mice Will Play 2

Disc 2

S01E13 The Thirteenth Hat 1

S01E14 Batman Stands Pat 2

S01E15 The Joker Goes To School 1

S01E16 He Meets His Match,

S01E17 Grisly Ghoul 2

S01E18 17 True Or False Face 1

S01E19 Holy Rat Race 2

S01E20 The Purr-fect Crime 1

S01E21 Better Luck Next Time 2

S01E22 The Penguin Goes Straight1

S01E23 Not Yet, He Ain't 2

S01E24 The Ring Of Wax 1

S01E25 Give 'em The Axe 2

Disc 3

S01E26 The Joker Trumps An Ace 1

DISC FOUR

S01E28 The Curse Of Tut 1

S01E29 The Pharaoh's In A Rut 2

S01E30 The Bookworm Turns 1

S01E31 While Gotham City Burns 2

S01E32 Death In Slow Motion 1

S01E33 The Riddler's False Notion 2

S01E34 Fine Finny Fiends 1

S01E35 Batman Makes The Scenes 2

DISC FIVE

Disc 1

S02E01 Shoot A Crooked Arrow 1

S02E02 Walk The Straight And Narrow 2

S02E03 Hot Off The Griddle 1

S02E04 The Cat And The Fiddle 2

S02E05 The Minstrel's Shakedown 1

S02E06 Barbecued Batman? 2

S02E07 The Spell Of Tut 1

DISC SIX

S02E09 The Greatest Mother

S02E10 Them All 1

S02E11 Ma Parker 2

S02E12 The Clock King's

S02E13 zy Crimes 1

S02E14 The Clock King Gets Crowned 2

Disc 2

S02E15 An Egg Grows In Gotham 1

S02E16 The Yegg Foes In Gotham 2

S02E17 The Devil's Fingers 1

S02E18 The Dead Ringers 2

S02E19 17. Hizzoner The Penguin 1

S02E20 18. Dizzoner The Penguin 1

S02E21 19. Green Ice 1

S02E22 20. Deep Freeze 2

S02E23 21. The Impractical Joker 1

S02E24 22. The Joker's Provokers 2

S02E25 23. Marsha's Scheme

S02E26 Of Diamond 1

S02E27 24. Marsha's Scheme

S02E28 Of Diamonds 2

S02E29 Disc 3

S02E30 25. Come Back, Shame 1

S02E31 26. It's How You Play The Game 2

S02E32 27. The Penguin's Nest1

S02E33 28. The Bird's Last Jest2

S02E34 29. The Cat's Meow 1

S02E35 30. The Bat's Kow Tow 2

Disc 4

S02E36 31. The Puzzles Are Coming 1

S02E37 32. The Duo Is Slumming 2

S02E38 33. The Sandman Cometh 1

S02E39 34. The Catwoman Goeth 2

S02E40 35. The Contaminated Cowl 1

S02E41 36. The Mad Hatter Runs Afoul 2

S02E42 37. The Zodiac Crimes 1

S02E43 38. The Joker's Hard Times 2

S02E44 39. The Penguin Declines 3

S02E45 40. That Darn Catwoman 1

S02E46 41. Scat! Darn Catwoman 2

S02E47 42. Penguin Is A Girl's

S02E48 Best Friend 1

Disc 5

S02E49 43, Penguin Sets A Trend 2

S02E50 44. Penguin's Disastrous End 3

S02E51 45. Batman's Anniversary 1

S02E52 46. A Riddling Controversy 2

S02E53 47. The Joker's Last Laugh 1

S02E54 48. The Joker's Epitaph 2

S02E55 49. Catwoman Goes To College 1

S02E56 50. Batman Displays

S02E57 His Knowledge 2

S02E58 51. A Piece Of The Action 1

S02E59 52. Batman's Satisfaction 2

S02E60 53. King Tut's Coup 1

S02E61 54. Batman's Waterloo 2

S02E62 Disc 6

S02E63 55. Black Widow Strikes Again 1

S02E64 56. Caught In The Spider's Den 2

S02E65 57. Pop Goes The Joker 1

S02E66 58. Flop Goes The Joker 2

S02E67 59. Ice Spy 1

S02E68 60. The Duo Defy 2

Season 3

Disc 1

S03E01 1. Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin

S03E02 2. Ring Around The Riddler

S03E03 3. The Wail Of The Siren

S03E04 4. The Sport Of Penguins 1

S03E05 5. A Horse Of Another Color 2

S03E06 6. The Unkindest Tut Of All

S03E07 7. Louie, The Lilac

S03E08 8. The Ogg And I 1

S03E09 9. How To Hatch A Dinosaur 2

S03E10 10. Surf's Up! Joker's Under!

S03E11 11. The Londinium Larcenies 1

S03E12 12. The Foggiest Notion 2

Disc 2

S03E13 13. The Bloody Tower 3

S03E14 14. Catwoman's Dressed To Kill

S03E15 15. The Ogg Couple

S03E16 16. The Funny Feline Felonies 1

S03E17 17. The Joke's On Catwoman 2

S03E18 18. Louie's Lethal Lilac Time

S03E19 19. Nora Clavicle And

S03E20 The Ladies' Crime Club

S03E21 20. Penguin's Clean Sweep

S03E22 21. The Great Escape

S03E23 22. The Great Train Robbery

S03E24 23. I'll Be A Mummy's Uncle

S03E25 24. The Joker's Flying Saucer

Disc 3

S03E26 25. The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra

S03E27 26. Minerva, Mayhem And Millionaires

Batman: The Movie

[oriley42]

ok y’all so I watched the Batman ‘66 episodes “Hizzonner The Penguin”/”Dizzoner The Penguin” last night and I am now CONVINCED that the Gotham writers saw this episode and were like “holy shit this is half of season three, right here, written for us, amazing”

and i have evidence

it all starts with our pal Ozzie being suspiciously civic-minded, and fighting off some bad guys...

And then ~shockingly~ Penguin decides to run for mayor!

the people loooove Penguin

[two (2) bouncy boys!!]

[good Politician Hand Gestures™]

[^^^ retro Penguin fangirls]

He’s gonna clean up Gotham! Make it safe for law-abiding citizens!! *wink, wink, nefarious plotting* 

....and....

!!!!! #vintagenygmobblepot; half a century of Penguin/Riddler confirmed

alas, things end badly for Penguin’s political ambitions when the Dynamic Duo interfere, and he (unsuccessfully) tries to get rid of them via unnecessarily complicated death scale....

melting ice + acid = death .....familiar???????? 

hey eddie the 60s called and they want their ridiculous murder contraption back

anyway........

conclusion: the gotham writers love batman 66 as much as I do and i can only assume this means that season four will begin with the joker terrorizing gotham city with his own personal flying saucer

[batmanbeyondrocks]

Penguin For Mayor

Batman 1966 - Season 2 Episodes 51 and 52 - “Hizzoner the Penguin” / “Dizzoner the Penguin,”

Batman Returns,

Batman Adventures Volume 2 Issues #1-#13,

**Gotham - Season 3 Episode 4 - “New Day Rising” **

[dominoed-daredoll]

My Barbara Gordon Timeline

Batman and Robin’s Ascension

1.       “Hi Diddle Riddle”/”Stuck in the Middle”

2.       “Fine Feathered Finks” / “The Penguin’s a Jinx”

3.       “The Joker is Wild” / “Batman is Riled”

4.       “Instant Freeze” / “Rats Like Cheese”

5.       “Zelda the Great” / “A Death Worse than Fate”

6.       “A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away”/ “When the Rat’s Away the Mice Will Play”

7.       “The Thirteenth Hat” / “Batman Stands Pat”

8.       “The Joker Goes to School” / “He Meets His Match, the Grisly Ghoul”

9.       “True or False Face” / “Holy Rat Race”

10.   “The Purr-fect Crime” / “Better Luck Next Time”

11.   “The Penguin Goes Straight” / “Not Yet He Ain’t”

12.   “The Ring of Wax” / “Give ’em the Axe”

13.   “The Joker Trumps an Ace” / “Batman Sets the Pace”

14.   “The Curse of Tut” / “The Pharaoh’s in a Rut”

15.   “The Bookworm Turns” / “While Gotham City Burns”

16.   “Death in Slow Motion” / “The Riddler’s False Notion”

17.   “Fine Finny Fiends”/”Batman Makes the Scenes”

18.   “Shoot a Crooked Arrow” / “Walk the Straight and Narrow”

19.   “Hot Off the Griddle” / “The Cat and the Fiddle”

20.   “The Minstrel’s Shakedown” / “Barbecued Batman?”

21.   “The Spell of Tut” / “Tut’s Case is Shut”

22.   “The Greatest Mother of Them All” / “Ma Parker”

23.   “The Clock King’s Crazy Crimes” / “The Clock King Gets Crowned”

24.   “An Egg Grows in Gotham” / “The Yegg Foes in Gotham”

25.   “Mirth from Above”/”The Riddler's Ruse”**

26.   “The Devil’s Fingers” / “The Dead Ringers”

27.   “Hizzoner the Penguin” / “Dizzoner the Penguin”

28.   “Green Ice” / “Deep Freeze”

29.   “The Impractical Joker” / “The Joker’s Provokers”

30.   “Marsha, Queen of Diamonds” / “Marsha’s Scheme of Diamonds”

31.   “Come Back, Shame!” / “It’s How You Play the Game”

32.   “Mr. Freeze Breaks the Ice”/”Batman Doesn't Play Nice”**

33.   “The Penguin’s Nest” / “The Bird’s Last Jest”

34.   “The Cat’s Meow” / “The Bat’s Kow Tow”

35.   “The Puzzles are Coming” / “The Duo is Slumming”

36.   “Emperor Penguin”**

37.   “The Sandman Cometh” / “The Catwoman Goeth”

38.   “The Contaminated Cowl” / “The Mad Hatter Runs Afoul”

39.   “The Zodiac Crimes” / “The Joker’s Hard Times” / “The Penguin Declines”

40.   “That Darn Catwoman” / “Scat! Darn Catwoman”

41.   “Penguin is a Girl’s Best Friend” / “Penguin Sets a Trend” / “Penguin’s Disastrous End”

42.   “King Tut Barges In”/”Bat in Time Again”**

43.   “Batman’s Anniversary” / “A Riddling Controversy”

44.   “The Joker’s Last Laugh” / “The Joker’s Epitaph”

45.   “Catwoman Goes to College” / “Batman Displays His Knowledge”

46.   “The Conqueror Bookworm”/”The Inevitable Jail-Term”**

47.   “The Queen of Diamonds' Big Heist”/”Batman Makes Marsha Pay the Price”**

48.   “A Piece of the Action” / “Batman’s Satisfaction”

49.   “The Joker's Layoff Riot”**

50.   “King Tut’s Coup” / “Batman’s Waterloo”

51.   “To Be or Not To Be”**

52.   “Scrambled Eggs”**

53.   “A Stand Up Guy”**

54.   “The Sandman Says Good Night”/”Batman Sleeps Tight”**

55.   “The Osiris Virus”/”Batman in/on Papyrus”**

56.   “The Sheriff of Crime”**

57.   “Black Widow Strikes Again” / “Caught in the Spider’s Den”

58.   “Showdown with Shame!”**

59.   “Pop Goes the Joker” / “Flop Goes the Joker”

60.   “Ice Spy” / “The Duo Defy”

61.   “Don't Change that Bat Channel”/”The Bat Host with the Most”**

62.   “The Butler Did It!”**

63.   “The Penguin Turns the Tables”/”Batman Shows He's Able”**

64.   “The Joker Sees Red”/”Batman Hunts the Dead”**

65.   “Hunt the Croc Down”**

66.   “On the Wrong Track”/”The Heroes Fight Back”**

67.   “An Unlikely Pair”/”The Treacherous Snare”**

68.   “The Duo Sticks Together”/”The End of Crime's Tether”**

69.   “The BatRobot Takes Flight”/”Bat-Villains Unite”**

70.   “Caught in the Widow's Web”**

71.   “The Quagmire of Clayface”**

72.   “The Groovy Grave of Solomon Grundy”**

73.   “Diamond Disaster!”/”Batman Moves Faster!”**

74.   “Scarecrow Comes to Town”**

Batgirl’s Arrival

1.       “Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin

2.       “Ring Around the Riddler”

3.       “The Wail of the Siren”

4.       “The Sport of Penguins”/”A Horse of Another Color”

5.       “The Joker's Big Show”/”Gotham Goes HoHoHo”/”The Dynamic Duo & Batgirl Say Hello!”**

6.       “Catwoman Comes About!”**

7.       “The Unkindest Tut of All”

8.       “The Tail of the Tiger Topaz”**

9.       “Louie the Lilac”

10.   “The Ogg Couple”

11.   “The Ogg and I”/”How to Hatch a Dinosaur”

12.   “Surf's Up! Joker's Under!”

13.   “The Londinium Larcenies”/”The Foggiest Notion”/”The Bloody Tower”

14.   “Catwoman's Dressed to Kill”

15.   “The Funny Feline Felonies”/”The Joke's on Catwoman”

16.   “Louie's Lethal Lilac Time”

17.   “Penguin's Clean Sweep”

18.   “The Kissing Cossack”**#

19.   “The Great Escape”/” The Great Train Robbery”

20.   “Bats, Books and Crazy Crooks”**

21.   “Chandell's Chanteuse”**#

22.   “I'll Be a Mummy's Uncle”

23.   “The Joker's Flying Saucer”

24.   “The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra”

25.   “Minerva, Mayhem and Millionaires”

26.   “The Hatter Takes the Crown”/”A Chase in London Town”**#

27.   “The Clock King Strikes”**#

28.   “The Garden of Death”/”Batman's Final Breath?”**

29.   “Cleopatra's Reign”**

30.   “The Villain of Vapor Street”/”Foggy Bats Can't Be Beat”**#

31.   “Night of the Harlequin”**#

32.   “Bad Men”**

33.   “Bane Enters the Ring”/”Batman Does His Thing”

34.   “Poison Ivy's Deadly Kiss”/”Batman's Aim Must Not Miss!”**#

35.   “Eggolution: Egghead Unbound!”/”Batman's Rebound”**#

36.   “The Batman Affair”**

(It was sometime after this case that she was unmasked by King Tut and had to come clean about her identity to the Batfamily and her father, as well as dye her hair red to further protect her identity.  It was also around this time that she formally broke off her pseudo-relationship with Bruce Wayne.)

37.   “Gotham Academy First and Second Semester”

38.   “Wonder Woman ’77 meets Batman ‘66”**

(It was sometime after this case that the Joker and Catwoman sabotaged her motorcycle and exposed her to the radiation from the sparkplug, burning her legs beyond all hope of healing and confining her to a wheelchair.  Out of a desire to continue helping the Batfamily, she becomes Oracle.)

**--Comic storylines from the 2013 Batman 66 line and various crossovers

#--Batgirl not present in this episode after her debut

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Batman for President and the American Political Imaginary

Burgess Meredith as the Penguin in “Batman” (1966–1968) (via Flickr/Shed On The Moon)

As we come to terms with what might be the most consequential presidential election in American history we can attempt to make sense of our present landscape by reflecting on previous political conundrums. Donald Trump is one of a kind, however. His Presidency can only be compared with a work of fiction — in particular, with the 1960s live action TV series Batman. In November 1966, a two-episode drama aired, in which Batman runs against the Penguin in a race for Gotham City’s mayoralty. The episodes — “Hizzoner the Penguin” (November 2, 1966) and “Dizzoner the Penguin” (November 3, 1966) — aired almost fifty years to the date of the 2016 presidential election. The two spectacles were uncannily similar. By examining the parallels between them we can begin to make sense of the Trump administration, and the political climate in which Trump was elected. Batman, we might say, created the space in the American political imaginary for a President Trump.

The most obvious similarities are between Trump and the Penguin. Both rotund, middle-aged men, they are equally brash and insensitive. They squawk and plot nefarious maneuvers to gain control of their respective cities.

In terms of politics, the similarities run deeper still. Penguin, like Trump, was an unlikely candidate. Born Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, he came from wealth, which was reflected in his attire: he wore a top hat, monocle, and tuxedo with tails. Rejected by his high-society family for his abnormal appearance — a beak-like nose, webbed hands and feet– the Penguin turned to crime. He first appeared in the Batman franchise as a fine-art thief, stealing paintings from museums. With his quick wit, the Penguin became a criminal mastermind, backed by the vilest criminals of Gotham City. Running for public office was one of his most audacious schemes. His candidacy surprised even Batman and Robin. “It’s a free country,” Batman told an agitated Robin when they learned of the Penguin’s mayoral campaign. “It won’t be if he’s elected,” Robin replied. “I don’t think there’s any danger of the Penguin being elected, Robin,” Batman consoled his sidekick. “The people of Gotham City are not as simple-minded as he might think.” Donald Trump’s political promise was just as unlikely; political analysts similarly could not imagine his political viability early in 2016.

Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona (via Flickr/Gage Skidmore)

The Penguin’s campaign, like Trump’s, was strategically apolitical. It emphasized showmanship and was built on opposition to his opponents rather than serious political issues. Like the Penguin, Trump avoided in-depth explication of his stance on political issues. He and the Penguin assumed that the American electorate would respond to “plain honest talk.” This was part of Trump’s appeal. He marketed himself not as a technocrat, ensconced in a political establishment, to which he callously referred as a “swamp”; instead, he presented himself as a businessman who could employ efficient public administrators to carry out his plans for the country.

“Double the assessments! Triple the size of the posters! Quadruple the number of campaign buttons!” the Penguin commanded his staff, wielding his iconic cigarette in one hand and an umbrella in another. “We’ll give the voters of this city the kind of campaign that they want: Plenty of girls and bands and slogans, and lots of hoopla! But remember: No politics. Issues confuse people. See a big smile, a hardy handshake, a very catchy campaign song. That’s the way to win an election!”

Paul Revere and the Raiders, a real-life garage rock band, appeared on the show, stoking enthusiastic supporters at a Penguin Party event, while belly dancers and cheerleaders mingled with the crowds. “Champagne for everybody!” the Penguin shouted, filling glasses for three venerable women. “It is a pleasure to hear plain honest talk from a candidate,” one of them exclaims excitedly, “instead of the usual political mumbo-jumbo.” Such spectacle at Trump rallies outweighed substantive discussion of political issues. Freedom Girls, three prepubescent girls wearing high skirts and halter-tops, danced for Trump supporters at a rally in Pensacola, Florida on January 13, 2016. The audience clapped along excitedly, echoing the performers, “President Donald Trump knows how to make America great, deal from strength or get crushed every time!”

According to ABC News/Washington Post polls, forty-six percent of voters considered Trump more “honest” than Hillary Clinton on the eve of the election. Clinton’s honesty levels, according to that same poll, wavered throughout her campaign. The perception of Trump’s honesty was a galvanizing force. Like Trump, the Penguin appeared less secretive than his masked opponent. Straight talk, for both the Penguin and Trump, was vital rhetorical weapon.

In contrast to the Penguin Party’s roaring festivities, Batman and Robin contemplated strategy and tackled issues explicitly. Batman was convinced that “all voters are interested in issues, not window dressing.” The American electorate, he explained to Robin, “is too mature to be taken in by cheap vaudeville trickery. After all, if our national leaders were elected on the basis of tricky slogans, brass bands, and pretty girls, our country would be in a terrible mess, wouldn’t it?”

Batman and Robin (via Flickr/Mark Anderson)

Yet poll numbers favored the Penguin throughout the election. Trump’s appeal is much like Penguin’s in that the American electorate in this presidential election, and Penguins supporters, desired change — both candidates were disengaged from the American political establishment and told their demographics what they wanted to hear. “I can’t help it if I have enthusiastic fans,” Penguin boasted at his debate with the caped crusader, “[T]he voters won’t be bored to death by Batman’s babble.” The Penguin represented a deviation from the normal course of municipal politics. He excited supporters, despite his lack of experience, explicitly because he was like no other mayoral candidate in Gotham.

In the first half of the mayoral race the fictitious polling firm Gallus, Rooper and Trendek announced their projections. A nervous incumbent Mayor John Linseed (a stand-in for NYC mayor John Lindsay) asserted, “They’re never wrong.” The Penguin had 60% of the support from Gothamites, over Linseed’s 30%, while the Harry Goldwinner, the “monarchist candidate” (a reference to the 1964 Republican Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater) had 2% from “two old ladies.” Given this bleak forecast, Mayor Linseed and Commissioner Gordon pleaded with a reluctant Batman to enter the race. He entered, of course, and won despite the initial polls. “There have been other candidates who trusted too much in the polls,” Batman tells Mayor Linseed, “and they found that it’s the votes that count. Smart politicians trust the voters, not the polls. After all, if you can’t trust the voters whom can you trust?” Batman, in this instance, rehearsed a valuable lesson in electioneering: the fallacy of political polls. The sociopolitical climate of the electorate and deep-seated attitudes of a populous, Batman reminds us, is as important, if not more so, than numbers.

Batman promptly resigned so that Linseed could reoccupy the Mayor’s office. Yet this did not stop calls from both major parties asking Batman to run for President of the United States in 1968. Humbled, Batman graciously declined, “I’m afraid my Gotham City duties take precedence.” A different law-and-order candidate would take his place. What would it have meant if Batman had run for President? As an independently financed anti-crime force, the Dynamic Duo represents the privatization of municipal services. They represent a conflation of private corporate interests and state authority. They served to supplement Gotham’s inept police and fire departments, and even ran —  and won — an election. Batman would have been a Presidential candidate with the financial support of his own corporation (Wayne Enterprises Inc.), privatizing America’s highest public office. He would have been an outsider candidate, bent on saving the American political process from itself at all costs. In this light, Batman as President might not be so different than a President Trump.

Looking back to the late 1960s, the Batman TV series may have created the possibility of a Trump campaign and presidency in the minds of many Americans, even subconsciously. The show targeted white middle-class suburban boys from six to twelve. Fifty years later this same population, now fifty-six to sixty-two years old, was a key demographic for Trump’s campaign, and Ronald Reagan’s before him (another unlikely candidate). Batman was a phenomenal spectacle for hundreds of thousands of suburban children during the late 1960s. Predating educational shows like Schoolhouse Rock (1973-2009), and Sesame Street (1969-present), Batman was a lens through which children understood politics, parsed good and evil, and developed a moral compass. A president Trump was as unlikely as a President Batman or a Mayor Penguin. One question remains, however: who will save us from our demise?

The post Batman for President and the American Political Imaginary appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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In the fall of 1966, one of the most popular shows on TV was "Batman". On the ep...

In the fall of 1966, one of the most popular shows on TV was “Batman”. On the ep…

[ad_1] In the fall of 1966, one of the most popular shows on TV was “Batman”. On the episode that aired on Nov. 2nd of that year, titled “Dizzoner The Penguin”, those of you lucky enought to be watching got to see one of the hottest bands in the country (US), Paul Revere & The Raiders. They were guest stars as themselves in the episode. Do you remember seeing this episode 51 years ago today? w/…