It’s WMC weatherman and wrestling host Dave Brown’s last day on the job. He’ll be missed for many reasons. In addition to weather reporting he was a disc jockey, and hosted local TV shows like Dialing for Dollars. But this is how your Pesky Fly chooses to remember him— moderating a squabble between Jerry Lawler and Adam West.
When Dave Brown Met Batman.
To the King Cave!
This week the internet discovered something Memphis wrestling fans have known for a long time. King Jerry Lawler is one of the biggest nerds on Earth.
Buzz culture website Uprox.com had this to say:
“Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler owns an original 1966 Batman TV show Batmobile. Maybe you already know this. It’s one of those stories I see, assume everyone knows about, see written up on Deadspin four days later and have to post about on day five for residual traffic. So, yeah, whether you were aware or not, Jerry Lawler owns a goddamn Batmobile.”
It’s true, of course. Sort of. Lawler owns a replica, pulled from the original Bat-mold.
Jerry Lawler in a Batmobile (2)
In 1966 George Barris built the original TV Batmobile. There were six additional stunt cars modeled after the original, and five duplicates built for promotional use. Lawler, a longtime collector of Disney, Coke, and superhero memorabilia purchased his a little over a year ago from Bat-fan and fabricator, Matt Dollar.
It makes perfect sense, of course. Lawler’s origin story, as explained by former ring announcer Lance Russell, goes something like this. When the King was still a young prince he wanted to be a comic book artist and spent much of his spare time learning to draw the superheroes of DC comics. The skills he developed, however, lead to a surprise opportunity to draw Memphis wrestlers for use on WHBQ’s weekly televised wrestling programs. That, in turn, lead to Lawler’s colorful career in wrestling, which included dressing up in a superman suit and sparring verbally with West/Batman.
Jerry Lawler in a Batmobile