Burgess Meredith

Made films the shows talk about.

Counted as actor. The films the hosts said they acted in, which the two lists below run through too: Time Enough at Last (Twilight Zone episode) (1959); The Day of the Locust (1975); Rocky (1976); The Batman (2022); Advise and Consent; Batman (TV series); Grumpy Old Men / Grumpier Old Men; Rocky (series); The Twilight Zone.

Draws on

What the speakers say they, or a film of theirs, drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

Batman (1943 serial) (1943): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Batman (2022), which they acted in: Batman (1943 serial) ⇒ The Batman (the host's read). A New York screening of the 1943 Lewis Wilson serial caused bat fever and led Fox to greenlight the movie.
    “someone screened that in New York City and it was such a phenomenon.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:11:37 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)

Chuck Wepner: 1 line

  1. people (people) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: Chuck Wepner ⇒ Rocky (the host's read). Stallone watched Wepner take a beating from Ali for 15 rounds and was inspired to write Rocky in 3.5 days.
    “He's watching Webner Ali in 75, which was the real life version of this.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:19:58 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Seven (1995): 1 line

  1. unmapped (borrowing) · through The Batman (2022), which they acted in: Seven ⇒ The Batman (the host's read). The speaker had forgotten how indebted The Batman is to Fincher, mostly to Se7en.
    “I had forgotten just how indebted the Batman is to...”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 1:28:34 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

The Long Halloween (comic): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Batman (2022), which they acted in: The Long Halloween (comic) ⇒ The Batman (the host's read). Every adaptation pulls from The Long Halloween but has not used Calendar Man.
    “Everyone has pulled from the long Halloween, but not used calendar man.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:43:06 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

The Longest Yard: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: The Longest Yard ⇒ Rocky (the host's read). Longest Yard arguably started the big-event beats, but Rocky is what made the sports-movie recipe stick.
    “which I guess you could say longest yard started it, but once Rocky did this.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:06:09 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)

Drawn on by

What the speakers say drew on them or a film of theirs, marked the same way.

Creed (2015): 2 lines

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: Rocky ⇒ Creed (the host's read). Merchant says Creed repeated Rocky's trick of making you care about the character before the fighting.
    “when they rebooted it with Creed, I think they did the same thing”
    The Big Picture · Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130) · 0:46:07 · Stephen Merchant (0.95 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (lineage) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: Rocky ⇒ Creed (the host's read). Creed closely follows Rocky's structure, but opens with Creed obviously able to fight, unlike Rocky's grim opening bout.
    “in Creed, which very closely follows some of the structures of rocky.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:38:15 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)

Fighting with My Family (2019): 2 lines

  1. craft (craft) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: Rocky ⇒ Fighting with My Family (the maker said so: Merchant in this interview). Merchant says you cannot make a sports movie without watching Rocky and all its sequels.
    “make any kind of sports a movie without watching Rocky or indeed all of the Rockies”
    The Big Picture · Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130) · 0:45:46 · Stephen Merchant (0.95 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: Rocky ⇒ Fighting with My Family (the maker said so: Merchant in this interview). Merchant calls Rocky a template because it beds in character so you root for him before the fight, a lesson he applied.
    “a template in the sense that it really beds in character”
    The Big Picture · Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130) · 0:46:00 · Stephen Merchant (0.95 sure it was them)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012): 2 lines

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Batman (2022), which they acted in: The Batman ⇒ The Dark Knight Rises (the host's read). The ocean bomb-disposal sequence is thought to be directly referenced in the final act of Dark Knight Rises.
    “this sequence, a lot of people think, is directly referenced by the final act of Dark Knight Rises.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:18:49 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (lineage) · through The Batman (2022), which they acted in: The Batman ⇒ The Dark Knight Rises (the host's read). The giant bomb, the film's most iconic image, is what Dark Knight Rises lifts.
    “This is the thing that Dark Knight Rises kind of lifts.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:14:38 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)

(the modern sports movie): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: Rocky ⇒ (the modern sports movie) (the host's read). Rocky created the sports-movie prototype and the modern underdog.
    “created the sports movie prototype, like just period.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:05:47 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)

Batman Forever (1995): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Batman (2022), which they acted in: The Batman ⇒ Batman Forever (the host's read). Burton had a plane and a boat which Schumacher updated in Batman Forever; Batman & Robin gave Robin a motorcycle.
    “Burton has a plane and a boat.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:27:30 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Batman Forever / Batman & Robin: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Batman (2022), which they acted in: The Batman ⇒ Batman Forever / Batman & Robin (the host's read). Griffin says Schumacher's Batman films are directly shaped by the Adam West show's pairing and cliffhanger style.
    “Joel Schumacher is very influenced by the Adam West show.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:08:26 · Griffin Newman (0.45 sure it was them)

Batman Returns (1992): 1 line

  1. theme (theme) · through The Batman (2022), which they acted in: The Batman ⇒ Batman Returns (the host's read). Villains scheming together in Batman Returns and Schumacher films echoes the 1966 team-up, but those feel forced.
    “The team up does always feel a little forced”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:42:12 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)

Bull Durham (1988): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: Rocky ⇒ Bull Durham (the host's read). Bull Durham took the Rocky motto a level further in how a sports movie is written.
    “how can we take that rocky motto and actually go the next level with how we write a movie”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Natural’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin · 0:25:51 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)

Cinderella Man (2005): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: Rocky ⇒ Cinderella Man (the host's read). Rocky set up the idea that a victory transforms the supporting cast too, as in Cinderella Man where he fights for Giamatti.
    “by the time you get to like Cinderella man, you realize that he's not just fighting for him, he's fighting for Giamatti.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:28:11 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)

Conan O'Brien: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Batman (2022), which they acted in: The Batman ⇒ Conan O'Brien (the host's read). Conan's brand of obvious-shorthand humor is why this humor lands for the hosts; Conan echoes it.
    “Conan is actually probably a crucial reason this humor lands for us because Conan is echoing it.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:37:33 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Raging Bull (1980): 1 line

  1. theme (anti-genre) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: Rocky ⇒ Raging Bull (the maker said so). Scorsese shot in black and white to differentiate from Rocky-era bright red-white-and-blue boxing movies, and producer Winkler produced both.
    “Number one, I want to differentiate from the Rockies and all the other sort of boxing movies right now.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Raging Bull with David Krumholtz · 1:08:55 · Griffin Newman or David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Rocky Balboa (2006): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: Rocky ⇒ Rocky Balboa (the host's read). The little girl Marie from Rocky grows up to be the love interest in Rocky Balboa.
    “she then becomes the Rocky Balboa love interest.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 1:14:31 · Van Lathan (0.45 sure it was them)

The Karate Kid (1984): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Rocky (1976), which they acted in: Rocky ⇒ The Karate Kid (the host's read). Rocky is eight years before Karate Kid, which is called the 2.0 version of the same underdog story but a completely different movie in every respect.
    “We're 8 years away from karate kid, which is the next, the 2.0 version of this movie.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:11:32 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)

What the speakers said they did

Acting (9) everyone in acting

What was said about them, by kind

career (5)

  1. career (career): Burgess Meredith → Batman (TV series). A host knew Burgess Meredith as the Penguin in the Batman series.
    “So I knew Burgess Meredith as the penguin in the Batman series”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 1:01:38 · Bill Simmons (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. career (career): Burgess Meredith → Grumpy Old Men / Grumpier Old Men. Meredith went on to play the grumpy old man in both Grumpy Old Men films.
    “He also did like the fucking both of the grumpy old men movies.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:05:46 · Griffin Newman (0.45 sure it was them)
  3. career (career): Burgess Meredith → Rocky (series). Meredith was already in his late 50s here and ten years from the first Rocky.
    “This is 10 years away from the 1st Rocky, yes.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:14:09 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  4. career (career): Burgess Meredith → Time Enough at Last (Twilight Zone episode). Meredith is the reader in one of the most famous Twilight Zone episodes.
    “He's in a one of the most famous Twilight Zone episodes ever or time enough at last?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:22:07 · Griffin Newman (0.45 sure it was them)
  5. career (career): Burgess Meredith → The Day of the Locust. Meredith got an Oscar nomination for Day of the Locust the year before Rocky.
    “he was nominated the year before for a different movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:22:42 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)

people (3)

  1. people (people): Sylvester Stallone → Burgess Meredith. Stallone reportedly called Meredith one of the all-time great stick men, a story relayed via Rapaport.
    “One of the all time great stick men.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:12:58 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. people (people): Burgess Meredith → Paulette Goddard. Meredith was married to Paulette Goddard, Charlie Chaplin's wife, and was blacklisted.
    “He was married to Paulette Goddard.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:21:42 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  3. people (people): Burgess Meredith → Mickey Rooney. Meredith, Rooney and Dudley Moore are grouped as short-king Hollywood Lotharios.
    “Dudley Moore, Mickey Rooney, Burgess Meredith.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:31:54 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

what-if (1)

  1. what-if (what-if): Burgess Meredith → Batman Returns. Burton wanted Meredith to play the Penguin's father but he was too frail by then.
    “Burton wanted him to play, the father of Penguin.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:15:32 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)

Fun items about them

  1. fun, about Burgess Meredith: Stallone supposedly called Meredith one of the all-time great stick men; the phrase became a running gag.
    “One of the all time great stick men.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:12:58 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about Burgess Meredith: Meredith was blacklisted and then, jokes Griffin, quack-listed for years for being the Penguin.
    “He was also, unfortunately, I must mention, placed on the quack list for being the penguin.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:21:57 · Griffin Newman (0.45 sure it was them)