Holy Humor, Batman!

One of my favourite shows as a child was the 1960's live action Batman TV show. It was campy, and full of adult humor that I didn't get at the time, but I still loved it. Sadly, it hasn't been released on DVD, and from what I've read on the web, it doesn't appear it will be in the near future.

But in doing a little web searching, I ran across this page on a web forum where someone had posted a number of hilarious quotes from the show. (I haven't checked the website out thoroughly on which these are located, so beware. From what I've seen, however, the site looks to be safe. Also, those of you with more delicate sensibilities should beware of the numerous double entendres for which the show was so famous.) Here are a few of my favourites:


Robin: If we close our eyes, we can't see anything.
Batman: A sound observation, Robin.

Batman: Nobody wants war.
Robin: Gee, Batman. Belgravia's such a small country. We'd beat them in a few hours.
Batman: Yes, and then we'd have to support them for years.

Robin: You can't get away from Batman that easy!
Batman: Easily.
Robin: Easily.
Batman: Good grammar is essential, Robin.
Robin: Thank you.
Batman: You're welcome.

Batman: You're a rare lady, Catwoman, you're right on time.

Robin: How about rushing the place, Batman?
Batman: Shh. I think not, Robin. All they've done so far is stolen a few items, attempted to kill you, me, and Batgirl. No, I think they plan something really big.

Robin: [After the Black Widow has hypnotized Batman] Batman, I need you to sing a song! That way I can free you from the Black Widow's evil thrall!
Batman: Very well, Robin. I think a little Gilbert & Sullivan... [Picks up flower] I'm called Little... Buttercup... Poor Little... Buttercup... Though I could... never tell... why...

Batman: It is the duty of every good citizen of Gotham City to report meeting a man from Mars in a public park.

Gordon: Batman, you unscrambled that safe's combination in five seconds flat! How did you do it?
Batman: With my Bat-Five-Seconds-Flat-Combination-Unscrambler, Commissioner.

Batman: Just a second while I retrieve my beanie, my hair, my tweezers, and my notes.

Shame: Your mother wore Army shoes.
Batman: Yes, she did. As I recall, she found them quite comfortable.

Robin: Aren't you even going to try and get loose?
Batman: What's the cube root of pi, Robin?

Batman to Joker: Shall we go into the men's locker room and put on our baggies?

Batman (presenting his case in court): We are gathered here today to prove that Catwoman, Joker, and their men are guilty of several major offenses. To wit: robbery, attempted murder, assault.....and battery! Mayhem, and overtime parking.

Batman: Come on, Robin. Let's help a little old lady across the street, and into the penitentiary.

Barbara: I'm afraid I'm still naive enough to believe the impossible can't be done.

Riddler's henchman: Want a piece of cheese?
King Boris: Not without a good vintage port, you lackey.

Commissioner Gordon: You know I'm violently opposed to police brutality.

Batman: Planting a timebomb in a local library is a felony.

Paul Newman

A gentleman at my church attended Kenyon College at the same time that Paul Newman did. And while he wasn't good friends with Newman, he did know him as an acquaintance, as they traveled in somewhat the same circles. Newman, he told me once, hated small talk. In fact, he used to carry a telephone receiver around on his belt. Whenever he was around people who began to engage in small talk, Newman would take the telephone receiver from his belt and pretend he was talking to someone on it. As this was a long time before cell phones were invented, I'm sure it was a hilarious sight, if not an irritating and obvious insult to whoever Newman was reacting to when he did this. As one who hates small talk myself, I have a great appreciation for such a response to mindless babble.

Paul Newman died yesterday after a bout with lung cancer. He was 83.

Liberty

One magazine that I buy on a regular basis is Liberty. Liberty is, in its own words, "a libertarian and classical liberal review of thought, culture, and politics, published... by the Liberty Foundation." Like any other magazine, I don't agree with everything written in it. Nonetheless, it is unique in its perspective, its closest cousin (so far as I know) being Pat Buchanan's The American Conservative, not withstanding the degrees of separation between the two. The latest issue (October) has an article which serves as a good, short introduction to the Calvinistic roots of modern libertarian thought, for any who aren't familiar with libertarian history. Even if such an article would be old news for you, the magazine is worth checking out. Both our local Barnes & Noble and Border's carries the magazine, and I presume this would be true for most locations of these stores. For their website, click here.

Hari Puttar

From BBC News:

A court in India has postponed the release of a film entitled Hari Puttar, after complaints from the makers of the blockbuster Harry Potter films.

Hollywood company Warner Bros has filed a lawsuit against all parties involved in the production and distribution of the Hari Puttar film.

It has been quoted as saying the the title of the Indian movie is confusing.

That last line in the quote is what got me, and it's too funny on its own to merit further comment. For the whole story, go here.

At a Temple Somewhere in Minnesota...

As I type this, Sarah Palin is making her speech at the Republican National Convention. It is playing on the TV nearby, but I'm only halfway paying attention. And I only caught snippets of the Democratic National Convention last week. I thought about watching it, but I thought to myself, "Why watch it? I can lie to myself."

At both conventions, the attendees responded regularly with thunderous applause, especially to the keynote speakers. Seeing this has made me think it's worth repeating something I've said on this blog several times before: Politics won't save you. Politicians won't save you. The civil government, no matter who is running it, won't save you. Only Jesus saves. To look to anything but Him is to engage in idolatry. And based on what I've witnessed in both conventions, it is apparent that many people in the two parties fail to understand this.