A BIRTHDAY SALUTE to the actor…
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UPDATED 4/22/24: Hey, it’s Jack Nicholson’s 87th birthday! Time for our annual salute to his Joker! This piece first ran in 2016 in slightly altered form. Dig it. — Dan
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You can thank me for Jack Nicholson’s Joker.
Really, you can.
When I was, I dunno, 10 or 11 — right around the time I was reading this — I would write to DC Comics with my dream cast for a Batman movie, and the only actor I wanted as the Joker was Jack Nicholson.
Wouldn’t you know that a decade later, he was cast in Tim Burton’s Batman.
So you’re welcome!
By the way, if it were a Ra’s al Ghul movie, I’d want Christopher Lee as the Demon’s Head (click here for more on that coolness) and Caroline Munro as Talia (click here for more on that awesomeness).
But back to the Joker.
Jack Nicholson is 86 — he was born April 22, 1937 — and so I figured the best way to celebrate his birthday is with his 13 best quotes as the Clown Prince of Crime. I’m even going to rank them!
Here goes:
13. “I have given a name to my pain, and it is Batman.”
12. “Hello, Vinny. It’s your Uncle Bingo. Time to pay the check!”
11. “We have a flying mouse to kill, and I wanna clean my claws.”
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10. “Nice outfit.”
9. “I didn’t ask.” (OK, it was as Jack Napier. But still.)
8. “Rememberrrr youuuuu… are my Number One-uh… guyyyyy!”
7. “I’m glad you’re dead!”
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6. “My balloons. Those are my balloons. He stole my balloons! Why didn’t somebody tell me he had one of those… things?!”
5. “This town needs an enema!”
4. “You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?”
3. “Where does he get those wonderful toys?”
2. “You can call me… Joker. And as you can see, I’m a lot happier.”
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1. “Wait till they get a load of me.”
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MORE
— The Complete BATMAN ’89 WEEK Index. Click here.
— 13 THINGS I Still Love About BATMAN ’89 (Mostly). Click here.
April 22, 2016
What about the line….”You dropped me into that vat of chemicals! That wasn’t easy to get over, and don’t think that I didn’t try.”
April 23, 2016
“Gonna need a moment alone boys”
April 24, 2016
To follow up on number three. I distinctly remember the Joker, after saying this, turning to his gang and saying “Don’t just stand there, go and ask him.” The film cuts to the gand running out of the mueseum and going after Batman. Unfortunately, for some reason, this line has been cut from all video and dvd releases. Too bad because its great.
April 25, 2016
“Never rub another man’s rhubarb!”
June 27, 2019
This was what I was looking for!
April 23, 2017
When Joker and Vicki Vale are up in the belfry dancing. “Ah. Beauty and the beast. Course if anyone calls you beast,
I’ll rip their lungs out.”
April 23, 2017
“With new and improved JOKER brand. I get a grin,again and again!”
January 14, 2018
As to number 1, I always thought the quote actually went like this, “Winged freak. Wait till they get a load of me!”
June 27, 2018
im only laughing on the outside,my smile is just skin deep.if you look inside im really crying,you might join me for a weep (ffffffffffffffffffffffff)
August 8, 2018
Todd has the number #1, let’s all be honest with ourselves! Ha ha ha!
June 27, 2019
“What kind of a world is it when a man dressed up like a bat gets all of my press? This town needs an enema!”
July 15, 2019
“We have a flying mouse to kill, and I wanna clean my claws.”
Thanks for sharing great article
September 25, 2019
“If you gotta go, go with a smile.” #1
September 26, 2019
“I’m of a mind to make some mookie!”
October 8, 2019
How about when he’s looking through the pictures and he first sees Vicki Vale. He says “stop the press” My mom and I always quote that line
November 14, 2019
You wouldn’t hit a guy with glasses on, would you? Huh?
April 22, 2020
Happy birthday to Jack Nicholson!
April 25, 2020
I always liked when the Joker sez “I gotta get you to the church on time.” Happy birthday Mr. Nicholas, .
June 13, 2020
“Rememberrrr youuuuu
… are my Number One-uh… guyyyyy!”
April 22, 2022
This is probably my favorite Batman movie of them all
April 24, 2022
Love it. Unfortunately for my well-being, there have been many times I’ve done the chuckle and said, “I’m glad yer dead.”
April 22, 2024
The title of the article is misleading. These are not Nicholson’s quotes. They are quotes from the writers of the script. Nicholson merely delivered them.
April 22, 2024
Sure. But it was “how” they were delivered that made them memorable.
April 22, 2024
OK