WALTER THE DANCING PLASTIC SURGEONWALTER THE DANCING PLASTIC SURGEON
Real Name: Walter (last name unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Dancer, farmer, Gong Show participant
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: The Gong Show crew (Chuck Barris, Jamie Farr, Arte Johnson, Jaye P. Morgan, others)
Enemies: Annabelle and Her Singing
Appendix Scar (competitor), Thing robot
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Chicago, Illinois, USA
First Appearance: Fantastic Four I Annual#12
(1977)
Powers/Abilities: Walter the Dancing Plastic
Surgeon had superhuman powers and despite his stage name, he did not
display any particular dance skills either. According to Chuck Barris,
he was a farmer so he likely had some skills at farming.
Height: Unrevealed
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Gray
History: (Fantastic Four I Annual#12 (fb) -
BTS) - Walter was a farmer from Chicago, Illinois.
(Fantastic Four I Annual#12) - Walter appeared on The Gong Show television
show to dance as Walter the Dancing Plastic Surgeon. Introduced as a
man who swore love meant never having to watch another television show
starring Bob Denver, Walter prepared for his televised act but was
interrupted when a robot of the heroic Thing (created by special
effects expert Luigi Cantalope for a Fantastic Four movie being made by
director Lorenzo and control man Mr. Kanto) crashed through the
television studio wall. The Gong Show
crew all dove for cover and host Chuck Barris commented to Walter that
he didn't remember the Thing robot being part of Walter's audition.
Walter, however, feeling as if the robot was upstaging him, insisted
that he was the dancing plastic surgeon and not the robot, but Chuck
Barris remarked that he had suspicions about the entire scenario.
Following the destruction of the Thing robot at the hands of the real
Thing, Chuck Barris had the Gong
Show judges judge the fight between the two Things and Barris
soon announced that evening's winner as Annabelle and Her Singing
Appendix Scar.
Comments: Created by Marv Wolfman, Bob Hall,
Keith Pollard and Bob Wiacek.
The Gong Show,
Chuck Barris, Arte Johnson, Jaye P. Morgan and Jamie Farr all existed/exist
in real life (or Earth-1218 for you keeping score). Eventually,
Marvel's sliding time scale will pass them by as topical references and the show and its host
will relegated to a generic variety show and its fictional hosts.
Profile by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Walter the Dancing Plastic Surgeon has no known connections to:
Annabelle &
Her Singing Appendix Scar
Annabelle and Her Singing Appendix Scar was a
competitor of Walter's on The Gong
Show. Following a battle between the Thing and a Thing robot
that interrupted Walter's performance, Annabelle was proclaimed the
winner of that night's Gong Show
episode.
--Fantastic Four I Annual#12 - BTS
Chuck Barris was the host of The Gong Show. When Walter prepared to do his routine, Chuck Barris introduced Walter, only to witness Walter's performance interrupted by an out of control Thing robot. Chuck informed Walter that he didn't recall the robot being a part of Walter's audition and remarked that he had been suspicious of Walter the entire time. Once the robot was destroyed, Chuck asked the judges their opinion on the fight and, after the judges gave their scores, Chuck declared that night's winner as Annabelle and Her Singing Appendix Scar.
Chuck Barris (1929-2010) was a
real-life television game show host and host of the real-life, original
"Gong Show."
Luigi Cantalope was a movie special effects man who designed a robot of the Thing to be used for a Fantastic Four movie directed by Lorenzo. Proud of the hydraulic lifts he had designed that allowed the robot to move, Luigi insisted to a fellow control room worker, Mr. Kanto, that there was nothing to fear from the lifts and bragged about his greatness. Fiddling with the robot's controls in an effort to prove how safe the hydraulic lifts were, Luigi pressed the incorrect button and the robot went berserk as Luigi attempted to regain control. Luigi's robot was eventually decapitated by the real Thing.
Jamie Farr was a judge on The Gong Show. When Luigi
Cantaloupe's Thing robot crashed through the studio wall during a
taping of The Gong Show,
Jamie questioned fellow judge Jaye P. Morgan, who was equally stunned
by the robot's arrival. After the real Thing decapitated the robot,
Jamie, along with the other judges, gave the fight a score of 6 out of
10 (although Jamie wrote the score down as a Roman numeral "VI").
Jamie Farr is a
real-life actor (known for his role as Maxwell Q. Klinger on the
television series "M*A*S*H") and judge on "The Gong Show" during the
show's original run.
Arte Johnson was a judge on The Gong Show. When Luigi
Cantaloupe's Thing robot crashed through the studio wall during a
taping of The Gong Show, Arte
remarked on the robot's arrival, joking about it being a part of Walter
the Dancing Plastic Surgeon's act. After the real Thing decapitated the
robot, Arte, along with the other judges, gave the fight a score of 6
out of
10.
Arte Johnson (1929-2019) was a real-life comedian known as a regular on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" and judge on "The Gong Show" during its original run.
Mr. Kanto was a worker in the control room on the set of the Fantastic Four movie directed by Lorenzo. Kanto was extremely cautious and a bit nervous about the Thing robot designed by Luigi Cantaloupe, as he was unsure about the robot's hydraulic lifts. Luigi attempted to assure Mr. Kanto that the lifts were safe but soon lost control of the robot, frantically asking Kanto for assistance in regaining control of the robot.
Lorenzo was the director of a Fantastic Four movie. When the real Fantastic Four visited the movie's set, the Thing joked that Lorenzo could have hired the real Thing for less than he paid to have Luigi Cantaloupe design an animatronic Thing. Mr. Fantastic soon spoke with Lorenzo regarding script changes and his suggestion of writing the Human Torch out of the film to save money on special effects. Lorenzo replied by insisting the script was magnificent and also responded to the Thing's comments by saying the Thing robot was also magnificent. He then continued, claiming the public would love his Thing and that when it cried, the people would cry with it. Lorenzo then remarked that he would make his viewers cry by putting an onion smell on the film's soundtrack.
Jaye P. Morgan was a judge on The Gong Show. When a Thing robot crashed through the studio wall during a taping of The Gong Show, judge Jamie Farr asked Jaye P. about the robot but Jaye P. knew nothing about it. She was then shocked when the real Thing came barreling through the wall to halt the robot Thing's rampage. Following the battle, Jaye P., along with the other judges, gave the Thing's fight a 6 out of 10 (with Jaye P. adding in some profanity when giving her score).
Jaye P. Morgan is a real-life singer, actress and was a judge on "The Gong Show" during the series' original run.
images: (without ads)
Fantastic Four I Annual#12, p8, pan4 (Walter the Dancing Plastic
Surgeon main image & Chuck Barris)
Fantastic Four I Annual#12, p9, pan3 (Walter, headshot)
Fantastic Four I Annual#12, p6, pan3 (Luigi Cantalope)
Fantastic Four I Annual#12, p10, pan6 (Jamie Farr, Arte Johnson &
Jaye P. Morgan)
Fantastic Four I Annual#12, p6, pan2 (Mr. Kanto)
Fantastic Four I Annual#12, p5, pan3 (Lorenzo)
Appearances:
Fantastic Four I Annual#12 (1977) - Marv Wolfman (writer, editor), Bob
Hall, Keith Pollard (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks)
First Posted: 08/08/2020
Last updated: 08/08/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
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