Wifey and I were wondering the other day:
What’s the earliest appearance of the stereotypical Evil Laugh? you know, the MWAHAHAHAHAH!!! type…
any ideas?
Simon Legree (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)?
Probably Simon Legree. I’ve been told I do a pretty good evil laugh, but I don’t claim to do the first one.
Great for scaring the cats though.
How about in (sound) movies?
It probably comes from the stage, where actors had to exaggerate things in order to be seen and heard by the audience in the cheap seats. The role of King Herod was famous for scenery-chewing. In Hamlet, Shakespeare mentions it.
Anyone know of any good, over-the-top villains from Greek or Roman theater?