Adam West passes
The actor who most famously portrayed Batman from 1966 – 1968 has passed today from leukemia, according to his family at the age of 88 years. Mentioning Batman isn’t really fair though since he had an acting career that spanned seven decades and thousands of roles.
Like most his generation West was a veteran according to Wiki;
Drafted into the United States Army, he served as an announcer on American Forces Network television.
He probably served between WWII and the Korean War, since he was born in 1928. Wiki says that when he left the Army, he was a milkman.
Category: We Remember
The Bat Signal has gone dark and the Bat Cave has gone silent, R.I.P. and thanks for the memories, Sir.
POW!
BAM!
Like many of that era he served then didnt make a big deal of it.
Thanks for that campy show that filled many rainy mornings when I was a kid. If you haven’t watched the scene in the Batman Movie where he has a rubber shark dangling off a rescue ladder and whips hairspray..errr….shark repellant off his utility belt ( who rolls with spray shark repellent on their belt? ) then youtube it. Classic Schmaltz
It’s even better when it is dubbed in Japanese. I caught that version way back in the day while surfing the Japanese television channels for some soft porn.
You and Kurt Eichenwald? According to a meme making the rounds, Eichenwald, a writer for Newsweek, the NYT, MSDNC and others, inadvertently put up a shot of his computer screen, which showed one of the tabs he had open was for Japanese cartoon porn.
He got all flustered and claimed that he and the kids were searching for it, so he could show it to his wife. Check the site, it’s hilarious.
http://www.break.com/article/kurt-eichenwald-tweets-hentai-3112783
My favorite part of the movie was when he had the big cartoonish bomb and couldn’t find anywhere to throw it…”Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!”
I think everyone in the cast, especially the Villains, knew it was a hoot. I loved it.
My father had the big black Plymouth with the fins. When I got my driver’s license, I referred to that tank on wheels as the Batmobile. Yes, the car was built before the show went on the air, but it WAS the Batmobile, regardless.
Batman, along with The Flintstones, was one of those shows back in the day that you could expect a current celebrity to make a guest appearance. I recall Colonel Klink popping out of a window while Batman and Robin were doing the opposite of rappelling.
If I recall correctly, the original Batmobile was a Lincoln Futura concept car.
Holy Custom Hotrod, Batman!
Correct. It was heavily modified for the show, but the lines, bubble cockpits, etc are Futura.
Yes, the TV version was a custom-built deal. But Pop’s 1960 Plymouth was big, and black and had big fins. Big Fins were da bomb back then.
http://www.1960plymouth.com/
and the 1960 Chevy Impala
https://www.carsforsale.com/vehicle/details/31559678
Ceasar Romero, Burgess Merideth, Eartha Kit..they all had fun haming it up
Wow, that’s a shocker. Sucks it was due to leukemia. Cancers should only be reserved for scum of the earth.
I made the mistake of reading this. Then the theme song popped into my head. Now I can’t get the song out of my head. It just repeats over and over and over….
Here, let me help –
He was a voice actor on “Family Guy”, played Mayor Adam West of Quohog…
RIP…
My favorite show when I was a kid. Many have played Batman on the movie screen, but Adam West was my Batman.
Holy cancellation, Batman!
Rest In Peace sir. You are a treasured childhood memory, when heroes were the good guys, and villains always got
POW!
ZAP!
KLONK!
ZOWIE!
…defeated!
“He probably served between WWII and the Korean War, since he was born in 1928.”
More likely it was a little bit after or during the Korean War. His bio says he finished college and was doing post grad at Stanford when he got drafted. Figure he was at least 22.
Batman was so straight arrow & law abiding – it was comical. Even in a hot pursuit of a criminal, and Robin imploring “Hurry Batman, they’re getting away”, Batman would strictly obey the speed limit & was careful to avoid stopping the Batmobile in no-parking zones.
The dialogue was gold:
ROBIN: Her legs sort of reminded me of Catwoman’s….
BATMAN: You’re growing up, Robin…..
BATMAN: Robin, you haven’t fastened your safety bat-belt.
ROBIN: We’re only going a couple of blocks.
BATMAN: It won’t be long until you are old enough to get a driver’s license, Robin, and you’ll be able to drive the Batmobile and other vehicles. Remember motorist safety.
ROBIN: Gosh, Batman, when you put it that way.
ROBIN: We better hurry, Batman.
BATMAN: Not too fast, Robin. In good bat-climbing, as in good driving, one must never sacrifice safety for speed.
ROBIN: Right again, Batman.
ROBIN: Gosh, there could be diplomatic repercussions if we fail this time, Batman.
BATMAN: That’s not the point, Robin. What’s important is that the world know that all visitors to these teeming shores are safe, be they peasant or king.
ROBIN: Gee, Batman, I never thought of that. You’re right.
BATMAN: It’s the very essence of our democracy.
-RIP Adam West-
I got a Bat Belt with all the goodies for Christmas one year. I loved it and had tons of fun playing Batman in the huge Iowa backyard I grew up in.
RIP to a great guy and a really great American.