20 years ago today; Remembering Cesar Romero (The Joker)

[simmytbone]

Hey guys,

and now, we remember a man that we said goodbye to 20 years ago on this day-New Year's Day 1994

Cesar Julio Romero, Jr. best remembered as The Joker

Romero was born in New York City, the son of Maria Mantilla and Cesar Julio Romero, Sr.

His father, a native of Italy, was an importer-exporter of sugar refining machinery, and his mother was a Cuban concert singer.[citation needed] That lifestyle[clarification needed], however, changed dramatically when his parents lost their sugar import business and suffered losses in the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Romero's Hollywood earnings allowed him to support his large family, all of whom followed him to the American West Coast years later. Romero lived on and off with various family members, especially his sister, for the rest of his life.

In October 1942, he voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and served in the Pacific Theater of Operations. He reported aboard the Coast Guard-manned assault transport USS Cavalier in November, 1943. According to a press release from the period he saw action during the invasions of Tinian and Saipan. The same article mentioned that he preferred to be a regular part of the crew and was eventually promoted to the rating of Chief Boatswain's Mate.

Romero played "Latin lovers" in films from the 1930s until the 1950s, usually in supporting roles. He starred as The Cisco Kid in six westerns made between 1939 and 1941. Romero danced and performed comedy in the 20th Century Fox films he starred in opposite Carmen Miranda and Betty Grable, such as Week-End in Havana and Springtime in the Rockies, in the 1940s. He also played a minor role as Sinjin, a piano player in Glenn Miller's band, in the 1942 20th Century Fox musical, Orchestra Wives.

In The Thin Man (1934), Romero played a villainous supporting role opposite the film's main star William Powell. Many of Romero's films from this early period saw him cast in small character parts, such as Italian gangsters and East Indian princes. He also appeared in a comic turn as a subversive opponent to Frank Sinatra and his crew in Ocean's 11.

Romero was also a romantic if aggressive leading man in films such as Allan Dwan's 15 Maiden Lane (1936) opposite Claire Trevor, in which he spins Trevor around in a dance sequence, and played the key role of the Doc Holliday character (with name changed to "Doc Halliday") in Dwan's Wyatt Earp saga Frontier Marshal three years later.

20th Century Fox, along with mogul Darryl Zanuck, personally selected Romero to co-star with Tyrone Power in the Technicolor historical epic Captain from Castile (1947), directed by Henry King. While Power played a fictionalized character, Romero played Hernán Cortés, a historical conquistador in Spain's conquest of the Americas.

Television

Among many television credits, Romero appeared several times on NBC's The Martha Raye Show in the middle 1950s. He played the role of Don Diego de la Vega's uncle in a number of Season Two Zorro episodes on ABC.

In 1958, he guest-starred as Ramon Valdez, a South American businessman, who excels at doing the Cha-Cha with Barbara Eden in her syndicated romantic comedy, How to Marry a Millionaire in the episode entitled "The Big Order". He performed the mambo with Gisele MacKenzie on her NBC variety show, The Gisele MacKenzie Show. He guest-starred in 1957 on CBS's The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour on the first episode of the seventh season ("Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana"). He also played a card shark on the episode, "The Honorable Don Charlie Story," of NBC's Wagon Train.

On January 16, 1958, Romero appeared on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.

In 1959, Romero was cast as the title character, Joaquin, in the episode "Caballero" of the CBS western series, The Texan, starring Rory Calhoun. Veteran character actor Whit Bissell appears in this episode as Shep Crawford.

In 1960, he was cast as Ricky Valenti in the episode "Crime of Passion" of the CBS sitcom, Pete and Gladys, starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams.

In 1965, Romero played the head of THRUSH in France in the episode "The Never Never Affair" of NBC's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum

The episode also featured Future Get Smart Star Barbara Feldon as U.N.C.L.E. Agent Mandy Stevenson

From 1966 to 1968, Romero played the the role that made him famous

Playing the role of The Joker in the abc television series, Batman Starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin The Joker was included in TV Guide's 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time

Cesar was 58 years old when he got the role of The Clown Prince of Crime

Cesar refused to shave his mustache for the role and so the Joker's white face makeup was simply smeared over it when playing the supervillain throughout the series' run, and in the spinoff 1966 film.

However, his facial hair can still be seen in some shots. Romero also appeared in an episode of Daniel Boone as Spanish army captain, Esteban de Vaca in 1966.

In the 1970s, he portrayed the absent father of the Freddie Prinze character Chico Rodriguez in Chico and the Man, and later Peter Stavros in the television series Falcon Crest (1985–1987). Among Romero's guest star work in the 1970s was a recurring role on the western comedy Alias Smith and Jones, starring Pete Duel and Ben Murphy. Romero played Señor Armendariz, a Mexican rancher feuding with Patrick McCreedy (Burl Ives), the owner of a ranch on the opposite side of the border. He appeared in three episodes. He also appeared as Count Dracula on Rod Serling's Night Gallery, and guest-starred in an episode of Bewitched.

Apart from these television roles, Romero appeared as A.J. Arno, a small-time criminal who continually opposes Dexter Riley (played by Kurt Russell) and his schoolmates of Medfield College in a series of films by Walt Disney Productions in the 1970s. He also appeared in a sixth-season episode of The Golden Girls, where he played a suitor named Tony Delvecchio for Sophia who disappoints her when she tells him "I love you" after a night of passion and he doesn't return the sentiment.

Cesar Romero was never married but made frequent appearances @ Hollywood events escorting actresses such as Joan Crawford, Linda Darnell, Miss Barbara Stanwyck, Lucille Ball, Ann Sheridan, Jane Wyman and Ginger Rogers; however, he was almost always described in interviews and articles as a "confirmed bachelor"

Cesar also appeared on the popular abc Game Show Family Feud with the KING of the Feud, the late Richard Dawson

Sadly, on New Year's Day 1994, Cesar Romero died in his home of from complications of bronchitis and pneumonia, he was 86

His body was cremated and the ashes were interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, CA

It's been 20 years since Cesar left the earth, but his spirit and legacy still lives on

and that's our tribute to a Hollywood Legend

Cesar Romero better known as The Joker on Batman

Cesar Romero as French THRUSH Villain Victor Gervais on The Man From U.N.C.L.E.


Cesar with Barbara Feldon as Mandy Stevenson


Cesar w/Lee Meriwether (Catwoman) the late Frank Gorshin (The Riddler) and the late Burgess Meredith (The Penguin) in the original Batman Movie from the Summer of '66


and now, here are some Video Clips:

Season 1 Episodes of Batman UNCUT

"The Joker is Wild"/"Batman is Riled" - Cesar's 1st appearance as The Joker

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku8aL7xLnXo

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITDxunicC7I

"The Joker Goes To School"/"He Meets His Match, The Grisly Ghoul"

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3jJKe5h9wo

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrdQ-JlPVMw

"The Joker Trumps An Ace"/"Batman Sets The Pace"

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdi51mmF884

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fElyId7_8GU

Entertainment Tonight Pays Tribute to Cesar Romero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knrbHn-iuzs

[Zoneboy]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Romero

[simmytbone]

Thanks Zoneboy, forgot to put the link to it