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Adam West: Batman and beyond
Earlier this week, actor Adam West passed away at the age of 88. While he had portrayed a wide variety of roles across a number of genres and media, he is best known for playing Batman in the classic 1960s TV series of the same name. The series made West, who was already known for films like “Robinson Crusoe on Mars,” into an icon, as his campy, colorful “Batman” came to define ‘60s pop culture alongside the likes of James Bond and The Beatles.
The series was unlike any produced before or since, eschewing the more serious tone the Batman comics of the 60s were returning to (after years of playing safe to avoid censorship).
But while the show elevated the character to iconic status by spoofing the source material, its popularity had the unfortunate effect of reinforcing public perception of comic and comic book characters as kids’ stuff for decades to come.
The overly-complicated death traps and inventive production design were merely window dressing for a show steeped in wit and subversive satire. By purposely combining high comedy with deliberate camp, producers William Dozier (who also served as the show’s narrator) and Lorenzo Semple, Jr. ensured that adults and kids alike had something to enjoy while riffing on everything from authority figures and hippies to pretentious art collectors.
Without the ‘60s TV show, it’s entirely possible that Batman wouldn’t be as popular as he is now. Back in the day, he was a distant second to Superman.
There were elements that have since been incorporated into the character’s overall iconography, like a jet-propelled Batmobile (even Affleck has one), Barbara Gordon as Batgirl (created for a possible spinoff), and villains such as Mr.Freeze (created for the show).
Even characters we take for granted, such as Catwoman (who had been absent from the comics for 12 years at that point), The Riddler, and The Penguin were rescued from obscurity by their inclusion on the show.
At the center of it all was West. A classically trained performer, he had the unerring ability to do and say the most ridiculous things with a straight face, anchoring the proceedings with a gravitas that made it all the more hilarious when his Batman had to do things like go surfing (with board shorts on over his costume) or deploy amazingly specific gadgets to save the day (Shark Repellant Bat Spray).
West became so identified with the role that he would have trouble finding work in the years that followed, as people had trouble imagining him as anything other than Batman. During those lean years, a frustrated West would balance the occasional TV guest shot with public appearances at fan gatherings and events that he attended to make ends meet.
The ‘70s and ‘80s would see a shift, as the comics produced during this time were seemingly designed to counter West’s lighter interpretation, culminating in the one-two punch of graphic novels “The Dark Knight Returns” and “The Killing Joke” before the release of Tim Burton’s 1989 blockbuster. Ironically, that film led to a resurgence of popularity for the old show, as people who grew up on it began sharing it with their kids, even as entirely new audiences around the world began discovering it via reruns.
West was in the spotlight once more, and this time, he wasn’t going to let his association with Batman dissuade him from making a living. As he told Variety recently, “There was a time when Batman really kept me from getting some pretty good roles…So I decided that since so many people love Batman, I might as well love it too…I saw the love people had for it, and I just embraced it.”
True enough, West was able to leverage his Batman connection into a late career renaissance that saw him appear as variations of either himself or his caped alter ego. One of the most notable instances was in 1992, in an episode of “Batman: The Animated Series” entitled “Beware the Gray Ghost.” West played Simon Trent, an actor whose career had stalled following his time as a popular TV superhero. The story had Batman (voiced by Kevin Conroy) seeking out Trent’s help when a mad bomber begins terrorizing the city based on an old episode of the actor’s show.
Today, most modern audiences know West from his role as the principal on Nickelodeon’s “The Adventures of Pete and Pete” or the deranged mayor of Quahog on “Family Guy.”
As per “Family Guy” creator and lead actor Seth MacFarlane, “Adam West was a joy to work with, and the kind of guy you always wanted to be around…I am beyond fortunate to have had the privilege of working with him, and he will be profoundly missed by all of us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have given, Mr. Mayor. You're irreplaceable."
Aside from recording the current season of “Family Guy,” one of West’s final animated projects, fittingly, was as Batman in last year’s “Return of the Caped Crusaders”, an animated film that painstakingly recreated the old show’s aesthetic and tone to great success. The project reunited West with his original Robin (Burt Ward) and Catwoman (Lee Meriwether, one of three to play the role in the 60s) for a wonderfully nostalgic, satirical tour de force that was very well received.
Luckily for fans, West was able to complete recording for the upcoming sequel, which will reportedly feature William Shatner (“Star Trek’s” original Captain Kirk) as Two Face.
Outside of animation, West had guest stints on programs like “30 Rock” and “The Big Bang Theory.” On the latter, he told the main characters that, unlike Christian Bale (“Batman Begins”), his Batman never had to introduce himself because people already knew who he was the moment he stepped into the room.
And how could they not? Adam West’s “Batman” was, by and large, mainstream audiences’ gateway to the larger DC Universe and for that, his contribution cannot be underestimated. By influencing every portrayal of Batman of the last five decades, Adam West moved from symbolizing a bygone era into the arena to becoming something far greater: a legend.
And that’s how we’ll remember him. — LA/AT/BM, GMA News
