# Who\`s your favourite henchman? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 5, 2002, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397 "2002-05-05T15:07:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/21 "2002-05-07T11:50:24Z")
Joel Cairo’s procolivities were never much of a questions, given his gardenia-scented calling card. Wilmer, on the other hand,… I’ve heard of “gunsel” used as a term for a hired-gun, enforcer, strong-armman, etc., but never for a young homosexual. Do you have a cite for that? ---
**Author:** ![delini8r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@delini8r](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delini8r)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/22 "2002-05-07T12:15:52Z")
I can’t believe we’ve gotten this far and nobody’s mentioned Luca Brasi. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/23 "2002-05-07T12:25:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by plnnr \* > I’ve heard of “gunsel” used as a term for a hired-gun, enforcer, strong-armman, etc., but never for a young homosexual. Do you have a cite for that? From [here](http://www.filmsite.org/malt3.html) > [@](#): > > At first, Gutman refuses to hand over Wilmer - feeling indebted to his ‘son.’ [At the time of the novel’s writing by Hammett, ‘gunsel’ strictly meant a young homosexual partner kept by an older man. Its meaning was stretched in the film to include Wilmer’s function as a gun-toting bodyguard.] ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/24 "2002-05-07T12:56:13Z")
Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/25 "2002-05-07T13:08:45Z")
What about **TV’s Frank**? Where’s the love? WHERE’S THE LOVE?! ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/26 "2002-05-07T13:30:39Z")
**I** gor from _Young Frankenstein_. What hump? A.B. Normal? Abbie Normal? ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/27 "2002-05-07T18:15:46Z")
Rexor and Thorgrim from _Conan the Barbarian_. They just stood around grinning and looking tough, and occasionally wiping out villages. Each one had a single line in the movie: Rexor’s was “KILL THEM!!!” and Thorgrim’s was an agonized “BLYEEEEAAAAARRRGH!” when he gets impaled on a booby-trap Conan had set for him. And then there’s Pee-Wee Herman’s vampire character in _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ with the Death Scene That Wouldn’t End. “Oooh! Eee! Ouch! Aaagh! Ow!” Now, let’s talk about least favorite henchmen: The Mutants, from _Thundercats_. I mean, come _on_, how were these buffoons a threat to anyone but themselves? No wonder Mumm-Ra never got anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/28 "2002-05-07T19:23:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by plnnr \* > \*\*Joel Cairo’s procolivities were never much of a questions, given his gardenia-scented calling card. Wilmer, on the other hand,… > > I’ve heard of “gunsel” used as a term for a hired-gun, enforcer, strong-armman, etc., but never for a young homosexual. Do you have a cite for that? \*\* Yojimbo gave a cite, but here’s an even better one, from the OED: > [@](#): > > 1. A (naïve) youth; a tramp’s young companion, male lover; a homosexual youth. > > 1914 JACKSON & HELLYER Vocab. Criminal Slang 40 Gunshel, current amongst yeggs chiefly. A boy; a youth; a neophyte of trampdom. 1923 N. ANDERSON Hobo vii. 101 Gonsil, youth not yet adopted by jocker. 1927 Amer. Speech II. 387/2 Men can be observed traveling with boys… The boy has many names,punk, gazooney, guntzel and bronc. Punk, guntzel and gazooney are also used to refer to any sort of green lad. 1929 D. HAMMETT in Black Mask Nov. 43/1 Keep that gunsel away from me while you’re making up your mind. 1931 G. IRWIN Amer. Tramp & Underworld Slang 88 Gonsil, a young tramp, not yet taken in hand and bent to his will by an older man. A boy. A passive male homosexual, usually a youth or younger man. Also gunsel. The first cite where the word to means “gunman” is from 1950, long after the movie. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/29 "2002-05-07T20:53:24Z")
What about Cad, Simon Bar Sinister’s henchman? Or Rockbottom, assistant to Felix the Cat’s foe, the Professor? Or Mugsy, the bank robber in “Bugs and Thugs”? Then there’s SIegfried’s henchman Starker, from “Get Smart.” ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/30 "2002-05-07T21:01:21Z")
How about **Irregular Assignment**? Actually, the coolest Austin Powers henchman (there were quite a few of them) was **Number Two** (Loved his straightman lines like “That has already happened” LOL). ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/31 "2002-05-08T02:11:04Z")
i was just checking in to submit cad, astorian. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/32 "2002-05-08T03:22:37Z")
Speaking of the henchman… In Chinese erotic classics, one nickname for the penis is “henchman.” (Cite: _Sexual Secrets_ by Nik Douglas and Penny Singer, p. 313.) This has got to be my favorite “henchman” of all. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/33 "2002-05-08T07:26:06Z")
I’ll second TV’s Frank and Starscream. TVF’s chemistry with Forrester was amazing and the power struggle between Starscream and Megatron was truly underappreciated in the TF saga. Also, Starscream was pretty much Cobra Commander (arrogant and overconfident), right down to the voice (the late, great Chris Latta voiced them both). ---
**Author:** ![Zap\_Rowsdower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3da27b/32.png) [@Zap\_Rowsdower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zap_Rowsdower)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/34 "2002-05-08T14:04:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arken \* > \*\*What about **TV’s Frank**? Where’s the love? WHERE’S THE LOVE?! \*\* And can’t forget Torgo. ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/35 "2002-05-08T14:28:13Z")
The… master… wishes… for… Torgo… to… be… mmmmmmmmentioned… ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/36 "2002-05-08T15:04:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > \*\*How about **Irregular Assignment**? Actually, the coolest Austin Powers henchman (there were quite a few of them) was **Number Two** (Loved his straightman lines like “That has already happened” LOL). \*\* Do you mean **Random Task**? ---
**Author:** ![mailman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@mailman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mailman)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/37 "2002-05-08T15:09:58Z")
What about Roman Polanski in Chinatown? Evil, smarmy, and ruthless, all in a cameo appearance. Does he qualify? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/38 "2002-05-08T18:12:32Z")
Any of the silly “henchpeople” on the old Batman show. “That sounds like a puuuurfect plan, Catwoman!” “Thank you, Katrina.” Incidentally, what IS a hench, anyway? And why would you need a man for it? I’d have a henchwench, myself 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397/39 "2002-05-08T18:43:16Z")
Good guys can have henchmen, too. I nominate Major Thomas “Long Tom” Roberts, one of Doc Savage’s assistants. He was a bad-tempered electrical genius who looked unhealthy as hell, but could whip nine out of 10 guys he met. The Doc Savage novels had plenty of interesting villainous henchmen. Two of my favorites are General Ino’s attorney Proudman Shaster who has a thing for decapitation and Toni Lash, a beautiful spy forced to help archvillain John Sunlight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-henchman/107397.md?page=1)