Sam Strangis directed and served as one of the unit producers for this hilarious episode. Strangis went on to produce for THE BRADY BUNCH and also LOVE AMERICAN STYLE. That said, you know Strangis was going to have fun with the cast. Enter the great Ethel Merman (playing Lola Lasagne)! Merman was also quite a comedian, and she does her schtick her. Actually, both she and Burgess Meredith (as the Penguin) make a terrific team as they attempt to fix a horse face, for the distinguished Bruce Wayne Foundation, using a glue factory horse as a switch! Look for tv detective Horace McMahon as Mr. Glu??? By the way, for classic movie completists, the plot is very similar to CHARLIE CHAN AT THE RACE TRACK (1937), some 30 years earlier, but just as fresh, all about swapping horses for a big race. Also on the radio you can hear the great Gary Owens blabbling away. Lola mentions her short, short marriage to Mr. Lasagne, which was probably a rub to Ernest Borgnine, who was married a very short time to Ethel Merman. Recommended with or without lasagna. SEASON 3 EPISODE 4 box set, now fully restored.
Review of The Sport of Penguins
