Gorilla Grodd and Sydney Greenstreet: Separated at Birth?

Paul Cornell has been taking readers on a wild ride across the DC Universe as he presents Lex Luthor’s quest for an Orange Lantern ring in the pages of Action Comics. Along the way he has faced off against Mister Mind, Deathstroke, and this month he goes toe to toe with Gorilla Grodd (one of my personal favorites).

I was interested to learn that Paul Cornell hears Sydney Greenstreet’s voice when he pens Grodd’s dialogue. I don’t typically think about how that characters sound when I’m reading, unless it’s how Chris Claremont wrote Gambit or Rogue with their stereotypically thick Cajun and Southern accents respectively.

I’m a huge fan of Greenstreet’s work in Casblanca and the Maltese Falcon. He brought such an imposing presence to every scene, but he wasn’t the heavy; much like Grodd, he’s the brains behind the brawn.

If you’ve never heard Greenstreet, fast forward the following clip from Hollywood Canteen by 35 seconds. He shares a scene with famous co-star Peter Lorre. I’m wondering what villain Lorre might voice if he were still alive.