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| “ | The rhino's become a menace. I think he's talkin' to people he shouldn't be talkin' to. | „ |
| ~ Burke Bennett |
Burke Bennett is the main antagonist of the 2002 American dark comedy film Death to Smoochy.
He is a businessman who is also a talent scout for children's TV network Kidnet and the Parade of Hope charity organization, Frank Stokes' boss, and Sheldon Mopes' arch-nemesis.
He was portrayed by Danny DeVito, who also played Sam Stone in Ruthless People, the Penguin in Batman Returns, Bobby Ciaro in Hoffa, Harry Wormwood in Matilda, Mr. Swackhammer in Space Jam, Frank Reynolds in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Satan in Little Demon and a possessing Hatbox Ghost in Haunted Mansion.
Biography[]
Burke worked closely for the "squeaky clean" children's television network Kidnet and also with the charity organization known as the Parade of Hope.
He enjoys making money while working for that organization regardless of the consequences.
Burke later recruited the "squeaky clean" Sheldon Mopes and his character Smoochy the Rhino due to his partner Frank Stokes. Mopes quickly finds himself losing creative control over his show to his hardened producer Nora Wells. With Bennett's help, Mopes renegotiates his contract and is named executive producer. However, Burke has other plans for him.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Randolph, the corrupt children's TV host whom Mopes replaced, sets a plan to destroy Mopes' career and regain his show too all fail. Burke would also congratulate Mopes for his success and gives Mopes a revolver in a bag as a gift/"handy accessory" along with informing him the restaurant they are in is owned by Tommi Cotter and the Irish mob and explaining about Spinner Dunn and his condition. Burke later gives Mopes his very own patch of wheat grass, but Mopes soon becomes enraged to learn that Burke signed him up to star in a Smoochy ice show; he feels the event will exploit children. Burke and Merv Green unsuccessfully warn Mopes from backing out of the event. Later, after the show is halted and later restored due to Randolph framing Smoochy for being at an unlawful neo-Nazi rally, Smoochy commits to the ice show. He decides that half of all the proceeds will go to the drug rehab clinic he used to work at, which was closed due to lack of funding in addition that the other half goes to child literacy enhancement programs; the children will be given free souvenirs and healthy snacks. Because this means that the Parade of Hope will not be seeing any of that money, Burke and Green retaliate by planning to kill Mopes and hire a new host who will cooperate with their profit skimming. However, Green and his men accidentally kill Spinner in his Moochy costume, but Green was later discovered and killed by Cotter.
Burke and Frank Stokes behind Smoochy's attempted assassination.
Burke and Stokes hire Buggy Ding Dong, another former host, to assassinate Mopes during his ice show. Buggy steals a backstage pass to get inside. However, Randolph, who has been summoned to the ice show, tackles Buggy just as he tries to shoot Mopes from the rafters. Randolph and Buggy struggle for the sniper rifle until Buggy falls to his death. After Mopes realizes that Burke and Stokes set him up, he angrily chases after Burke into an alley.
Ultimately, Burke and Stokes are at Tommi Cutter's mercy while Nora and Sheldon left.
Deleted Scene[]
In the last deleted scene at the end of the film, after Tommy Cutter asks Burke and Frank Stokes, "You boys ever traveled together before?", she and her boys shoot the two crooks with their eyes shut in fear for the murder of her cousin Spinner. Sheldon and Nora on their way out heard the gunshots. Nora simply said, "They were assholes." and they both left.
Personality[]
Burke is very evil, greedy, arrogant, selfish, and overall mean-spirited.
Gallery[]
Coming soon!
Trivia[]
Coming soon!