Talk:Burgess Meredith

DOB?

When was he actually born, in 1908 or 1909? This source says 1908...

IMDB says 1907, so let's go with that. :) Kurt 20:11, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Interesting source, but not a primary one, so it's unclear what the original source of the 1908 birthdate is. In addition, the 1908 birthdate conflicts with Meredith's ages as shown in the censuses. He is shown as 3 in the 1910 census (conducted in a one-month period starting April 15, 1910) and 12 in the 1920 census (conducted in the month starting January 1, 1920). Since his birthday wasn't until November, on the basis of the censuses the question is whether Meredith was born in November 1906 (1910 census) or November 1907 (1920 census).

A good guess is that Meredith's age was rounded up to the next highest year in the 1910 census, but not in 1920. The 1908 date may have been deduced, incorrectly, from Meredith's age being given as 12 in 1920. At any rate, I think the source is better evidence for Meredith's being born in 1907 (the birthdate seen in most sources, and also the birthdate in the California Death Database) than 1908. I respectfully suggest, to more experienced Wikipedia users than myself, that the date be changed accordingly.James B. W. Bevis (talk) 21:44, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

This is to confirm birth date November 16, 1907. His birth wasn't registered until 1933. His father was attending physician. You may find copy of birth certificate here: https://www.familysearch.org/search/image/show#uri=https%3A//api.familysearch.org/records/pal%3A/MM9.1.i/dgs%3A004582667.004582667_00034 I registered so I could submit this information. I stumbled upon this as I was doing genealogy research of my own. Madiswil (talk) 10:04, 5 July 2011 (UTC)Madiswil July 5, 2011

If this is the case....shouldn't we change the age of death on the right to 89 instead of 88?? That math is incorrect. ---Ryan Sun, Feb 3rd 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.90.140.125 (talk) 12:11, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Graphics

I've substituted a more dignified picture of this fine actor, substituting a studio head shot for the one of him in costume for Batman. I think this photo is more representative of his work. Also I changed the position of the Story of GI Joe poster so that it does not butt up against the infobox.--Silverscreen 23:57, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

Blacklisted

Why was Meredith blacklisted in the 50s?

Perhaps because of his prominence in Equity, the actor's union? The article on Equity says he was president in the 30s, although this article doesn't mention his activism.

In discussing Meredith's role in 'Tail Gunner Joe,' Senator Joseph McCarthy is simply referred to as "the anti-Communist leader," a bland description that glosses over the controversy surrounding McCarthy. Imagine if Adolf Hitler was described as "the leader of Germany from 1933 to 1945." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.131.142.97 (talk) 03:37, 2 January 2010 (UTC)

Don't compare a pro-American warrior like McCarthy to a Marxist dictator with a Napoleon complex like Hitler. It's a cheap shot and dishonor's Mr. Meredith's article as well. Despite the disagreements and results of McCarthy and Mr. Meredith's conflict, McCarthy is 100% correct about what has happened since the 1950s. Sierraoffline444 (talk) 16:51, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

You're kidding, I hope? (If not, you must of course be a total nutjob. McCarthy a "pro-American warrior" and Hitler "Marxist" -- damn, I hope you're making money as a comedy writer!) -- CRConrad (talk) 21:40, 9 July 2010 (UTC)

overacting

There is no discussion of the occasional accusation that Burgess Meredith was guilty of hammy overacting. Meredith brought a great deal of appropriate color to his performances. He never comes across as someone merely delivering his lines. WilliamSommerwerck (talk) 17:25, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

Hi WilliamS - I hadn't heard this particular critique of Meredith, but I could see where it might well have been said about any actor as overt and externalized in his performances as BM was. Any addition to the article of critics' comments in BM's time (I mean, of course, real critics, not that Rotten Tomatoes-type plague that infects many Wiki articles on films and actors) would, I think, be a welcome addition to the article. Do you have some sources or critics in mind? regards, Sensei48 (talk) 23:51, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

Meh, he was no worse than his Batman costar Cesar Romero, who could make a Monte Cristo sandwich look perfectly kosher by comparison. Actually, I think it was a rule that all the villains in that show ham it up a bit. --The_Iconoclast (talk) 12:44, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

Smoking

It was said that Meredith was a non-smoker and coughed when he had to smoke as The Penguin in Batman, which he converted into a nasal laugh. Yet in: "Time Enough At Last", Twilight Zone, ep 8 (20 Nov 1959), he smoked without any problem.(124.121.72.116 (talk) 13:55, 22 January 2017 (UTC))

WW2 Training Film for US Soldiers

he is in a ww2 Training Film from 1943 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltVtnCzg9xw — Preceding unsigned comment added by Man74 (talk • contribs) 15:35, 9 April 2017 (UTC)

Early life and descent from Catherine Howard

Re. the unsourced statement "He was a descendant of the house of Howard through Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of King Henry VIII": I don't see how this can be correct considering that Catherine Howard married Henry when she was 16 or 17 and had no children by him. It's possible but extremely unlikely that she had a child (out of wedlock) before marrying Henry; if she did, that child's parentage must have been kept a secret.

The information on Catherine is easily available on her wiki page.

Therefore, if Meredith is a Howard descendant, it must be through some other member of the Howard family.

Ddeman (talk) 10:22, 5 June 2019 (UTC)

I concur. He could not be descended "through" Catherine Howard as she died without issue. If someone has information about his actual relationship to the Howard family then that statement should be corrected to reflect what that relationship was. Otherwise, it should just be removed. Beetfarm Louie (talk) 09:04, 7 October 2020 (UTC)

Personal life - caribbean home?

I'd heard for some time that Meredith had owned a home on Little Cayman ...

See:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0s6N8q8OIw (time mark 1:14)

and:

https://www.caymancompass.com/2017/07/04/burgess-merediths-son-recalls-little-cayman/

In May 2018, I also was personally told by a longtime Cayman Brac resident & local Caymanite artist (Tenson Scott, current age ~80) that he had worked on Little Cayman building a house for an American which IMO seems to align to when Meredith's house was built in the 1970s, as well as its general northside location. Tenson didn't name who this person was, though.

Its minor, but given how thin the overall Wiki biography page is for Meredith, this evidence of personal property away from Hollywood could be considered for inclusion.

-hh (talk) 11:01, 19 June 2019 (UTC)

Film Producer?

The Wikipedia article for Burgess Meredith makes no mention of his work as film producer or executive producer. Can anyone figure out to what extent he did, and therefore whether this article should mention it? According to IMDb's Trivia for When Worlds Collide:

George Pal wanted to film the novel's sequel, "After Worlds Collide," which depicted the struggle of human survivors on the alien planet. However, the failure of his film Conquest of Space (1955), and the declining health of uncredited executive producer Burgess Meredith, damaged his relationship with Paramount, and the sequel was never made.

The TV Guide entry for Diary of a Chambermaidcredits Burgess Meredith as co-producer.

GCL (talk) 17:07, 1 January 2021 (UTC)

Neither IMDB nor TV Guide are recognized as "reliable sources" on Wikipedia and cannot be used to justify an addition like "producer." If there is a reliable source available, then this could be added to the later career section.Sensei48 (talk) 22:00, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

"Winter of the Witch" 1969 short film (narration)

Burgess Meredith narrated the short film "Winter of the Witch" in 1969, starring Hermione Gingold as the titular character, and also featuring Ann Strasberg (under her maiden name, though married to Lee Strasberg). This should be added as well. It is a children's classic. 24.246.125.95 (talk) 15:06, 25 August 2022 (UTC)

ATTN:Editor of Wikipedia

Not listed GRUMPY OLD MEN (1993)

PLEASE UPDATE 173.218.236.62 (talk) 23:33, 15 September 2022 (UTC)