Batman's Shadow: How Adam West Reclaimed His Legacy (Episode 165)

Behind the mask of Batman was a man who fought his greatest battle not against the Joker or Riddler, but against the crushing weight of an iconic role that threatened to define—and destroy—his entire career.

Adam West's journey from farm-raised boy in Walla Walla, Washington to cultural phenomenon is a masterclass in resilience. While most remember him delivering deadpan lines in a blue and gray costume, few realize the profound struggles he faced after Batman was canceled in 1968. For nearly a decade, West wandered through Hollywood's wilderness—typecast, overlooked, and often broke—taking whatever work would pay the bills while directors couldn't see beyond the cape.

What makes West's story truly remarkable wasn't just his meteoric rise or painful fall, but his eventual renaissance. Rather than resenting the caped crusader who both made and broke him, West gradually embraced his Batman legacy with self-deprecating humor and grace. By the time a new generation discovered him as the hilariously unhinged Mayor West on Family Guy, he had completed one of the greatest character rehabilitations in Hollywood history.

This episode pulls back the curtain on the man behind the mask—from his early radio days to his wild Batman-era escapades (including getting kicked out of Hollywood orgies with the Riddler!) to finding peace as a devoted family man and voice acting legend. West's story reminds us that sometimes our greatest obstacles become our greatest gifts when viewed through the lens of time and perspective.

If you've ever felt pigeonholed, overlooked, or defined by one chapter of your life, Adam West's remarkable journey will show you it's never too late to reclaim your narrative with humor, resilience, and joy.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's going on?
Ditto Universe.
It's Kyle.
If you've been listening to usfor a long time, you know that
we generally don't start with apre-recorded message and if we
do, it's usually not great andour fans are not stupid.
So they've known a change hasoccurred, but not known why.
So I'm here to inform you guyswhy.

(00:20):
To our valued Dettos, I want toinform you of a significant
change to the podcast.
As of this week, alejandroDowling is no longer a part of
Death Entertainment and will notbe returning as co-host.
It's a brutal change thatalters the dynamic of the show,
especially for the people thathave been with us for the last
four years.
When Mark left, it was a gutpunch to many, including myself,

(00:42):
but he was not asked to leave.
He willingly left on good terms, always with the opportunity to
come back if he wanted a guestor come back as a host.
With Alejandro, that is not thecase.
I hope everyone realizes thatthis was not an easy decision.
It came after ongoingconversations and efforts to
address both performance-relatedconcerns and behind-the-scenes
challenges that were affectingthe creative and professional

(01:04):
direction of the show.
While I've appreciatedAlejandro's unique voice in the
moments he brought to thepodcast, it ultimately became
clear that Parting Ways was inthe best interest of the
podcast's future and the kind ofworking environment I'm
striving to maintain.
I understand that long-timelisteners may have questions or
mixed feelings about this change, and I completely get it, but
out of respect for Alejandro, Iwon't be sharing specific

(01:26):
personal details.
What I can say is that thisdecision reflects a need for
accountability, consistency andalignment with the standards I
hold for myself and the contentwe create.
I'm deeply committed toevolving the show in a positive
direction.
My focus remains, and hasalways remained, on delivering
high-quality episodes, thoughtprovoking discussions and fresh
ideas, something I'm genuinelyexcited to continue sharing with

(01:49):
you.
It sucks and I hate it, but ithad to happen due to bad
behavior, missed deadlines andrecently, some major breaches of
trust that we could not recoverfrom.
And again, I hope everyoneknows this decision was not made
lightly.
In the end, I've lost acoworker, a friend and my son's
godfather.
I want to thank Alejandro forhis time on the podcast and wish
him the best in his futureendeavors.
If you guys want to continue tofollow him, he has his own

(02:12):
YouTube channel at HollywoodVulture.
I appreciate you guys forsticking with me and sticking
with the show, if that's whatyou choose to do.
I'm grateful for your support.
I've always been, and I'mlooking forward to what's next,
and that's all I'll say for now.
Let's start the show.
Before Christian Bale wasgrowling and before Ben Affleck

(02:33):
was whatever he was doing, therewas only one man brave enough
to put on spandex, smirk atdanger and say some days you
just can't get rid of a bomb.
That's right, Adam West, the OGCaped Crusader who, karate,
chopped his way into America'shearts, then spent the next four
decades being ridiculouslytypecast.
But behind the POWs and theBAMs was a man who battled more

(02:56):
than just cartoon villains.
We're talking about a guy whowent from Hollywood's hottest
bat thing to doing voiceovergigs and car show appearances
just to keep the utility beltbuckled.
This week we dive into theeccentric and sometimes tragic
story of Adam West from fightingcrime in Gotham to fighting
irrelevance in real life andeventually rising from the pop
culture grave like a phoenix ina cowl.

(03:17):
Holy funeral Batman.
We're covering Adam West todayon Death in Entertainment.

Speaker 4 (03:38):
Adam West today on Death in Entertainment world.
Um, this makes me a littlenervous.
The hair stood up on my armsjust like in the movies.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
What do you call this thing?
Anyway, death in entertainmentgreetings, deado universe.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
What's going on?
Everybody?

Speaker 4 (03:55):
my name is kyle plouffe I'm ben kissel and this
is death entertainment.
Oh, I had a whole thing plannedout.
Are we looking north?
Are we going south?
Are we going east?
This is really good.
No, we're going.
Adam West Whoa, that was awful.
But today we're talking aboutAdam West, the quintessential

(04:16):
actor of his time, a sex symbol,despite what many of you have
said over the years, when yousee him in his Batman outfit.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
Yes, sex symbol.
Indeed, we're going to talkabout a lot involving that and,
obviously, the life and death ofAdam West, and, without further
ado, let's do it All right.

(05:01):
So, adam West, that was not hisname, actually.

Speaker 4 (05:06):
Adam West's, not a name, no, he was born.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
William West Anderson .

Speaker 4 (05:09):
That's a great name also.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Billy West.

Speaker 4 (05:12):
Billy West Anderson Sounds like an outlaw.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, he was born September 19th 1928 in Walla
Walla, Washington.

Speaker 4 (05:19):
I love Walla Walla Washington.
There was a woman from the realworld, seattle, from Walla
Walla Washington.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Remember that.

Speaker 4 (05:28):
Deep cut.
Yeah, probably 30 years old now, shit.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
Well outside of her Walla.
Walla Washington is known forbeing a quiet agricultural town.
It's actually known for thepenitentiary that's there.
Oh nice, obviously more thanits entertainment pedigree.

Speaker 4 (05:41):
Walla Walla Penitentiary, where all the
prison guards are koalas.

Speaker 1 (05:44):
Hey.

Speaker 4 (05:45):
Doesn't that sound like that?

Speaker 1 (05:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (05:47):
I mean, if you're going to go to one penitentiary,
you want to go to Walla, walla,walla, walla.
It's like Alcatraz, whereyou're like that sounds really
intense, or Walla, walla, itsounds real cute.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
Yeah, but who's locked up in this prison?
Who?
Gary Ridgway?
Oh no, kidding the Green Riverkiller who was convicted in 2003
of 48 murders he did between1982 and 1998.

Speaker 4 (06:10):
Well, he makes it less cute.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (06:12):
Yeah, Gary Ridgway, bad dude.

Speaker 1 (06:13):
Joseph McEnroe is also serving a life sentence
there.
He's the perpetrator of the2007 Carnation murders, in which
he assisted his girlfriend,Michelle Kristen Anderson, in
killing six of her familymembers.

Speaker 4 (06:24):
Any relationship to West.

Speaker 1 (06:26):
Oh West.
Yes, that's right, I don't know.
That's an interesting question.

Speaker 4 (06:30):
Interesting question.
Indeed, that's what I do Ibring the questions.

Speaker 1 (06:35):
Robert Lee Yates.
He's a serial killer convictedin 2000 of murdering 13 people,
and in 2002 he was sentenced todeath for two additional murders
.

Speaker 4 (06:42):
All right, is he dead yet.

Speaker 1 (06:44):
No, a lot of these people, all these people are
still alive.
Gerald Friend was also there.
He was a convicted serialrapist and kidnapper whose
crimes after his release servedas the inspiration for the
Nirvana song Pauly oh no kidding, pauly wants a cracker.

Speaker 4 (07:00):
That's about him.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
I think I should get off her first.

Speaker 4 (07:03):
I thought that was about a bird.

Speaker 1 (07:05):
Yeah, you would Wow, until you hear this story.
This is unexpectedly dark forsuch a goofy guy like Adam West,
but this is a crazy story thatI wanted to share, all right.
So Friend was originally jailedfor abducting a 12-year-old
girl from Sumner Washington.
This happened in July 1960 whenhe was 22 years old.
He picked up the girl.
She was hitchhiking.

(07:26):
People used to just fucking dothat.

Speaker 4 (07:28):
There weren't as many cars back then.

Speaker 1 (07:29):
What's going?

Speaker 4 (07:30):
on, you could trust folks.
I mean you couldn't, they wereall serial killers, but
theoretically you could trustfolks.

Speaker 1 (07:35):
My stepfather was just here last week.
He was telling me about how hethumbed all the way from one
side of Massachusetts to theother.
The guy who picked him up wasin his underwear why wouldn't he
be?
And he was like no, you sit upfront because my stepfather was
cute that's the quickest way toget thumbed he was thumbing.
And then he got thumbed exactlyoh boy.
So yeah he.
He forced the the girl and herbrother into the car at gunpoint

(07:55):
and then forced the boy out ofthe car at gunpoint so he's like
, hey, get in.
And then he got in.
Then he's like, wait, you getout, I'm keeping your sister.
He.

Speaker 4 (08:01):
He went to the Alec Baldwin School of Directing.
Yeah, interesting.

Speaker 1 (08:05):
Well, this girl survived.
He drove her to Mount Rainierwhere he beat her, raped her and
cut her hair.

Speaker 4 (08:11):
Cut her hair.
Yeah, he gave her a nice fade.
Okay, interesting barbershoptechnique.

Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah, he's like.
You're seeming like you'regoing through a crisis right now
.
Want me to cut you some bangs.

Speaker 4 (08:21):
Yeah, I missed that scene from the movie Barbershop
Deleted.
I guess A little too foul forthe comedy that was supposed to
be kind of lighthearted, yeah.

Speaker 1 (08:29):
So after the haircut, she eventually escaped by
jumping into the river, and shewas discovered there by a
passing motorist.

Speaker 4 (08:36):
Another situation where she had to hitchhike.

Speaker 1 (08:39):
Yeah, Arms up, wow.
Several days later, his fatherfound him hiding in a field near
their home.
Well, I don't understand howthat happened either.
He's just there, his dad, justwandering through a field, and
he's like hey son, it was thesixties, there wasn't as much to
do, you know.

Speaker 4 (08:55):
I mean, this is before even Batman started on
television.
So during the day you just kindof walk through fields, lived a
day you just kind of walkedthrough fields, lived your best
life, looked at butterflies andstuff.

Speaker 1 (09:06):
Friend drew a 22 pistol and was wounded in the
ensuing struggle against his dad.
His dad took him to thehospital and turned him into
police.
Friend was convicted of rapeand torture.
I don't like that.
This guy's name is friend no,it's really confusing me.

Speaker 4 (09:21):
That whole story confused me so the serial killer
.
He was confronted by his ownfather yes, in a field and then
he got into an argument and agunfight with his father.
Yeah bam, and he shot himself.

Speaker 1 (09:32):
And then he shot himself because he's a moron
yeah, and his dad was likeyou're going to jail now well,
friends like these, 25 to lifeso he was convicted of the rape
and the torture.
He was sentenced to a minimumof 75 years did, did.

Speaker 4 (09:45):
Did she have to pay for the haircut?
That can be really expensive.
That's 150 bucks for chicks.

Speaker 1 (09:50):
It is.
However, after serving 20 yearsat Walla Walla and escaping
twice, he was paroled in 1980.

Speaker 4 (09:57):
That's what I'm saying.
The entire prison's made ofyogurt.
Come on, walla, walla.
It's just not a scary enoughname he escaped twice.

Speaker 1 (10:06):
Usually you get time put on for trying to escape, not
even actually escaping.
He got out and was recapturedtwice and still got out in 20
years.
And when you're this kind offucking psychopath you can only
keep it in for so long.
So in june 1987 he abducted a14 year old girl at knife point
when she accepted a ride after arock concert.

Speaker 4 (10:23):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (10:24):
He repeatedly raped and tortured her while she was
tied to a pulley and suspendedfrom the ceiling of his mobile
home.

Speaker 4 (10:30):
All right, I got to ask where is Batman and where is
Robin.

Speaker 1 (10:33):
They're coming.

Speaker 4 (10:34):
Oh my Lord, they are late to the party.

Speaker 1 (10:37):
They're two years away from Tim Burton's Batman.
Okay, the girl escaped byjumping from his truck at a gas
station, so these girls are justrunning away willy-nilly.

Speaker 4 (10:47):
Well.

Speaker 1 (10:48):
Luckily, yeah.
A friend was stopped a daylater for a traffic violation
and arrested when the deputiesrecognized him.
He was convicted offirst-degree kidnapping and rape
that August and he was orderedto serve the remainder of his
1960 sentence in addition to asecond 75-year sentence, so 150
years.

Speaker 4 (11:05):
What is ghost?
You know, maybe we did need toget tough on crime in the 90s.
Yeah, maybe we did.

Speaker 1 (11:12):
The following year, in 1988, his victim sued the
state and the Department ofCorrections for prematurely
paroling him in 1980 and settledthe lawsuit.
Okay, this is a perfect placeto raise a family.
It doesn't sound like it.
Okay, this is a perfect placeto raise a family.

Speaker 4 (11:25):
It doesn't sound like it.
It sounds like an awful placeto raise a family.

Speaker 1 (11:29):
Yeah, you know Right near a penitentiary?

Speaker 4 (11:31):
Yeah, okay.

Speaker 1 (11:32):
So Wes' father, adam Wes' father, his name was Otto
Anderson.
Oh, he was a farmer and a wheatmill manager.

Speaker 4 (11:40):
Oh, I love it higher up.

Speaker 1 (11:41):
Yeah, his mother, audrey Spear, was an opera
singer and concert pianist.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1 (11:47):
So they're doing well , they're talented.
If you're a farmer and thesedays you're making a ton of
money, People are coming to youfor everything.

Speaker 4 (11:54):
He was managing the farm.
He wasn't in the fields per se.

Speaker 1 (11:57):
He was a farmer, later became the wheat mill
manager.

Speaker 4 (12:00):
Worked his way up.
Yeah, interesting.

Speaker 1 (12:03):
His early years Adam West, of course we're talking
about by most accounts wereordinary.
He attended Walla Walla HighSchool, which apparently you can
just leave in the middle of theday and not get in trouble.

Speaker 4 (12:15):
Hope you like pudding More pudding for lunch here at
Walla Walla High School.
Well, you used to be able toleave for lunch.
You didn't have an open campus.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
No.

Speaker 4 (12:26):
Oh, our public school SPASH in Stevens Point.
They had an open campus so theycould leave for lunch.
What?
Oh yeah, most schools did theCatholic school I went to.
We were unlocked and we were inprison.

Speaker 1 (12:34):
They didn't trust us in Massachusetts.

Speaker 4 (12:38):
Of course not.

Speaker 1 (12:39):
They know we wouldn't Exactly so.
He excelled at sports andacademics, but his heart was
already leaning towardperformance.

Speaker 4 (12:46):
I love it.
Probably got that from hisconcert pianist mother.

Speaker 1 (12:49):
Yeah, he was inspired by the early days of television
and the golden age of cinema.
He dreamt of more than just thesmall town life.
He saw around him, in theprison, in his backyard.

Speaker 4 (13:00):
It's actually sort of the origin story of Superman
Growing up on the farm knowinghe was here to do something
bigger.
Yes, something better.
Not that there's anythingbetter than farmers.
Thank you for all your hardwork.
And, monsanto, go to hell, loveit.
No, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, wedon't like it.

Speaker 1 (13:17):
That's bad.
Yeah, it's bad.
The one thing that is differentfrom Superman is that his
parents got divorced, which wasa rare and difficult event in
those times.
I mean, still it's not rare,but it's still a difficult event
in these times.

Speaker 4 (13:30):
Of course.

Speaker 1 (13:32):
Adam was taken with his mother.
They packed their bags forSeattle.
All right, going to the bigcity, yeah, so there he attended
Lakeside School, which was anelite private academy Okay,
where his horizons broadenedeven further.

Speaker 4 (13:46):
So this divorce may have actually been a good thing.
Kind of got out of a small town.

Speaker 1 (13:50):
It's rare, but it happens.

Speaker 4 (13:52):
It does happen.
Got to go see the big city ofSeattle.
A lot of hills, yeah, good forcardio, good for glutes.
Seattle has the best butts percapita because of those hills
they do.

Speaker 1 (14:03):
But they also have the Seattle freeze Right.
It's horrible.
The people are mad all the time.
They freeze you out.

Speaker 4 (14:09):
And the strip clubs are extra weird because they're
not allowed to serve any alcohol.
So people go in there pisseddrunk and then they kind of
sober up and then it's reallybizarre.

Speaker 1 (14:16):
Like what am I doing?

Speaker 4 (14:17):
I've got to get back to my wife.
Well, the dancers are allsupposed to be sober the whole
thing's wrong.

Speaker 1 (14:31):
Some things, without alcohol or drugs, make it
creepier, and strip clubs areone of them.
That is definitely true.
36 days no alcohol, by the way.
Hey, congratulations, thank you, you're doing great.
So he continued to immersehimself in literature, theater
and art.
He's, you know, sowing theseeds of a future career in show
business.
Yeah, he then went on to attendwhitman college, back in walla
walla.
So he's going back to get hisdegree.

Speaker 4 (14:47):
It's different Now you're in college a lot more
freedom.
Sometimes a college town that'sreally small, where the college
runs the entire place is realfun.

Speaker 1 (14:55):
Yeah, he was majoring in literature and psychology,
which Batman could benefit from.

Speaker 4 (15:01):
Very Bruce Wayne.

Speaker 1 (15:02):
Yeah, it was during these years that he developed a
fascination with the power ofthe human voice and the subtlety
of nonverbal communication.

Speaker 4 (15:12):
It does sound like one of those judo, one of those
fake karate masters who uses theenergy flow to fall over.

Speaker 1 (15:18):
You go down you go down yeah.
He also worked at the localradio station, beginning to
understand the mechanics ofperformance from behind the
microphone.

Speaker 4 (15:26):
Love it.

Speaker 1 (15:27):
Upon graduation, West was drafted into the United
States Army.
Let's go Serving as theannouncer on American Forces
Radio.

Speaker 4 (15:36):
That is the best gig you can possibly get.

Speaker 1 (15:39):
It's the real-life.
Good Morning Vietnam.

Speaker 4 (15:40):
It really is and talk about a captive audience they
can't legally leave.
They are going to be tried fortreason if they don't listen to
you every frickin' morning.

Speaker 1 (15:50):
That would be incredible.

Speaker 4 (15:52):
Yeah, that's great Kind of a celebrity there on the
base camp probably.

Speaker 1 (15:56):
State-mandated audience.
This role would not only refinehis distinctive voice, but also
expose him to a world audience,a harbinger of things to come.
When his military service ended, west set his sights on
Hollywood.
Let's go With little more thana hope and a headshot.
He moved to California,changing his name from William

(16:17):
West Anderson to the punchier,more marquee-friendly.

Speaker 4 (16:19):
Adam West.
I mean, he is one of these guys.
We've talked about a couple ofother ones who have great first
names.
Yeah, usually they are.
What is it?
Humperdinck?

Speaker 1 (16:28):
Engelbert Humperdinck .
Engelbert.

Speaker 4 (16:29):
Humperdinck that's usually these people's first
names.

Speaker 1 (16:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (16:32):
Brian Warner.
Let's go with Marilyn Mansoninstead.
He's actually got a name thatwould work either way.

Speaker 1 (16:38):
That's true.
His name was simple, but theambition behind it was anything
but so he went south to sunnyCalifornia.
Yes, the Hollywood of the 1950swas a place of dreams and
ruthless competition andcorruption.

Speaker 4 (16:52):
And steak dinners.
Yes, oh my God.

Speaker 1 (16:56):
Yeah, a lot of steak dinners.

Speaker 4 (16:59):
Bro, I was just at the Smokehouse.
You can smell the old producersjust lying to actors.

Speaker 1 (17:03):
Yeah, You're going to be a star girl.
Yep, Get under the table.

Speaker 4 (17:08):
Exactly.
Hey, why do my fingers smelllike fish, but I ate the steak?
Hey, come on, it was aboutmolestation.

Speaker 1 (17:15):
Yeah, Marilyn Monroe.

Speaker 4 (17:16):
And abuse towards actresses.

Speaker 1 (17:19):
And actors.

Speaker 4 (17:19):
And actors, and actors.
No, that's very true.

Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, and the parents of actors too.

Speaker 4 (17:24):
What?
Yeah, they would molest theparents, and they trickled it
down.

Speaker 1 (17:28):
Yeah, what was her face?
Shirley Temple, what theysexually assault.
One producer had Shirley Templein one room and the other one
had the mother in another room,and they both got assaulted at
the the same time oh my god itain't good I gotta put some
vodka in that drink, good lordfor adam west, the journey to
recognition would not beimmediate nor easy, which

(17:48):
usually is pretty good.
It seasons you up exactly, getyou ready for the the harshness
of the situation you're gettingyourself into well, everyone
says they want to be an actor.

Speaker 4 (17:57):
I'm going to go to hollywood, but that's really
where the rubber meets the roadand, yes, it's really fun.
But you got to go to Hollywood,but that's really where the
rubber meets the road and, yes,it's really fun, but you got to
go through hell to get there.

Speaker 1 (18:06):
Yeah, he started where many aspiring actors began
Commercials, minor roles andbit parts in television westerns
and B-movies.
In these early years, West'schiseled jawline and commanding
presence landed him in rolesthat emphasized action and
adventure.
He was a super stud, yeah heappeared in shows like cheyenne,
maverick and sugarfoot ohplaying cowboys, soldiers in the

(18:29):
occasional romantic lead well,you're gonna want to get that
amputated sugarfoot, the oldsugarfoot.
It's a story of diabetes,diabetes type 2 though these
parts gave him exposure, theydid little to distinguish him
from the sea of similarlyhandsome square-jawed actors.

Speaker 4 (18:46):
Also, people wonder why westerns were so popular.
And then I got to Los Angelesand that's just it.

Speaker 1 (18:51):
Yeah, the hills are out here.
It's all sandy and desert-y,it's a free set.

Speaker 4 (18:55):
The entire state is set for westerns.

Speaker 1 (18:58):
A lot of horses out here, santa Anita's out here.
But uh, state set for westernsa lot of horses out here, santa
anita's out here.
But uh, adam west was savvy.
He understood that the key tolongevity was versatility.
So in the early 1960s heexpanded into more comedic roles
, showcasing a dry wit anddeadpan delivery that would
later become his trademark.
Yes, perhaps and this is crazy,I did not know this the most

(19:18):
pivotal moment in his earlycareer came in the form of a
commercial.
In 1965, west starred in aNestle Quick television ad
playing a suave debonair spy, aclear spoof of James Bond.
Let's check it out.

Speaker 3 (19:33):
I see automation displaces labor in your
organization too, dr Sloan.
Ah, captain Q, join me in aglass of delicious chocolate
quick, won't you?
Thank you, doctor, I could usesome energy.
Incidentally, one of thosetorpedoes you fired at me was
circling and you're sunk somepeople will do anything to get

(19:58):
rich quick.

Speaker 4 (20:00):
Toodaloo.
I love it.
It showcases his action skills.
A little sense of humor there.
Obviously he's very handsome.

Speaker 1 (20:09):
That's exactly how he played Batman, so it was just
already.
The character was there, yes.
So the producers of ABC'sBatman saw that commercial and
they were like, huh, that's kindof the vibe we're going for.

Speaker 4 (20:20):
Right, and so, out of all the work he did, the
commercial is what got theattentions of the producers for
batman a goddamn nestle quickcommercial keep.

Speaker 1 (20:29):
That's why you say yes to most things yeah
everything right, but yes tomost things yeah, so in the late
60s, the mid 60s, abc wastrying to uh develop this batman
comic book series.

Speaker 4 (20:42):
Okay Now, at this time, comic books were still
considered for children.
Yes, they were very juvenile.
The dialogue, as opposed totoday, was super simplistic.
And for Adam West, I'minterested to hear about what he
thought about even beingproposed this role, because he
wants to be a serious actor.
Yes, in some ways Originally hedidn't turn it down, but he
wants to be a serious actor.

Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, so in some ways , originally he didn't turn it
down, but he did not want to doit.
It wasn't until he actuallyread the script for the pilot,
which that's really what turnedhim onto.
It Got you.
So I didn't even know this,because I thought Adam West was
the first on screen portrayal ofBatman.

Speaker 4 (21:16):
This is not the case.
Yes, my mother made us watchthe original Batmans.

Speaker 1 (21:21):
Really.

Speaker 4 (21:21):
Yes, they were from like what?
The 30s or 40s?

Speaker 1 (21:23):
43 and 49.
Yeah, columbia Pictures cameout with hours of short films
called the Batman Serials in1943 and the Batman and Robin
Serials, in which Lewis Wilsonand Robert Lowry portrayed each
Batman respectively.

Speaker 4 (21:36):
And this Batman was all goofy looking.
He had stupid ass ears, kind offat.

Speaker 1 (21:39):
Yeah, batman was all goofy looking, he had stupid ass
ears kind of fat yeah, and soliterally like but it was still
the same gritty, dark, broodingkind of Batman.

Speaker 4 (21:47):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (21:48):
And they were committing to fighting crime and
upholding the American way,because at the time it was, you
know, world War II time.

Speaker 4 (21:53):
Everything got tied into the American way.
Yes, it really did.

Speaker 1 (21:57):
So let's watch a little bit of this.
Like you said, these ears areridiculous oh, they're hilarious
.

Speaker 4 (22:02):
I remember I asked my mom for batman and this is what
she got me from walmart wowyeah, but after he became ill
and rather eccentric, wecompleted it.

Speaker 3 (22:12):
Where is he now at home in retirement, professor
hamill?
Professor Hamill, so you let mymachine be stolen, my life work
.
You're a pack of carelessidiots.
We're doing everything we canto get it back.
Whoever stole it probably hasmore brains than all of you.

Speaker 1 (22:34):
This guy comes in in a wheelchair.
Real hot.
Being like you have no brains,I'd be like bitch.
At least I got legs, whoa.

Speaker 4 (22:39):
Batman would never say such a thing.
He wouldn't, well, maybe haveno brains.
I'd be like bitch, at least Igot legs.
Whoa, batman would never saysuch a thing he wouldn't.

Speaker 1 (22:43):
Well, maybe he wouldn't.
No, he actually makes a veryastute observation right after
this.

Speaker 3 (22:47):
You'll never see it again.

Speaker 1 (22:51):
Take me home, Carter.

Speaker 4 (22:53):
So this guy gets taken out.
I know the plot twist.
I won't ruin it.
I don't want a spoiler alert,did you?

Speaker 2 (22:59):
tell Professor Hamill that his machine was stolen.
No, then how could he know itso soon?

Speaker 1 (23:05):
Oh, maybe because he was in on it.

Speaker 4 (23:07):
Mic drop yeah.

Speaker 1 (23:09):
Batman.
This is when he was a detective.
He was very smart.
Batman's always a detective.
Yes, but they really played upthe detective angle.

Speaker 4 (23:16):
That's kind of my favorite characteristic.
That's why I love the RobertPattinson Batman.
Yes, some people didn't like itToo detective-y.

Speaker 1 (23:22):
Yeah, but that's where it all started.

Speaker 4 (23:24):
That's what he is.
He's a detective.
Detective Comics DC.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (23:34):
So, with this said, adam West was the third
portrayal of Batman on screen,and so what's crazy is that it
was so groundbreaking, but Idon't think they realized how
much of a risk they were taking,because this was the original
Batman dark, brooding, andthat's what a whole generation
came to expect.
Right, but that's obviously notwhat ABC did.

Speaker 4 (23:49):
They went kind of Joel Schumacher with it.

Speaker 1 (23:51):
They went even goofier than Joel Schumacher and
it shows a crazy amount of riskand I don't even know if they
knew how much of a risk theywere truly taking I don't think
people would do most of the timewhen they get stuck on top of a
mountain yeah and then they'relike we shouldn't have done this
, but they gotta figure outtheir way down hey, they made a
choicewhy, not, and you gotta respect
that you can always ask forforgiveness later yeah, so the

(24:14):
batman of the mid-1960s was not,you know, the tormented dark
knight that people knew then andthat we know today.
Rather, he was a colorful,campy, over-the-top figure whose
adventures leaned heavily intoabsurdity and satire.

Speaker 4 (24:28):
No nipples.

Speaker 1 (24:29):
No nipples, that's correct.

Speaker 4 (24:30):
That was one of the things I always thought as a kid
, because his suit is so tightand it's cold sometimes.
Yeah, but I think Adam West asa human probably had small
nipples.
Probably small nipples probablyhad some pasties on oh could be
.

Speaker 1 (24:43):
Actually, burt Ward, who played Robin, came out and
said that his dick was too bigso he needed to get it tucked
back while he was wearing Burt.

Speaker 4 (24:50):
Ward's dick was too big.

Speaker 1 (24:52):
Robin's dick was too big, so they had to tuck it
while he was on camera with theunderwear on.
Who's laughing now?
Who's laughing now?
Who's laughing now?
Also, burt ward was a littleslut.
Yeah, they both were.
We'll get to that, good lord.
What abc needed was an actorwho could play the part with
total sincerity, no matter howridiculous the situation it
almost reminds me of liam neesonin the naked.

Speaker 4 (25:11):
Not liam neeson, I apologize, that's supposed to be
the new one the reboot of nakedgun leslie nielsen.
Of leslie nielsen, of course, avery serious, and he brought a
serious tone to that role, whichis why it was so funny yeah.

Speaker 1 (25:24):
Yeah, because in comedies you can't ham it up.
Really, you got to play it very.
It's the situation that'sridiculous, exactly, and how
serious everyone is in it.
So Adam West, with his boomingvoice, his square chin and his
earnest delivery, was theperfect candidate.
Yes, ernest Delivery was theperfect candidate.
Yes, they did a screen testthat paired him with Big Dick
Burt Ward a young actor cast asRobin.

Speaker 4 (25:45):
Oh my God, Dude, I'm telling you, it's always the
little guys.

Speaker 1 (25:48):
Yeah, Skinny vascular little fucking dudes have hogs
Yep.

Speaker 4 (25:57):
It's just the way that God worked it all out and
the rest of us got whatever.
We got Proportion, the scraps.

Speaker 1 (26:09):
Yeah, just the scraps us got whatever we got
proportion scraps for him.
I didn't realize that.

Speaker 4 (26:11):
Yeah, and they both won the roles that would define
and, for a time, can find theircareers burt ward in another era
.

Speaker 1 (26:13):
He could have been buffalo bill yeah, I'd fuck me,
would you fuck me?
He was already talking it.

Speaker 4 (26:18):
Exactly.
Take a look at Mr Winky.

Speaker 1 (26:21):
Yeah, in January of 1966, Batman premiered on ABC
January 12th 1966 to be exact.
Okay, and Adam West remembersthis because he remembers going
to the Malibu markets rightthere on the pier to go get some
things before heading home towatch Batman to see if it was
any good.
So he has no idea if he justmade a bust or the biggest thing

(26:42):
of his career yeah, even thoughthere were hours left until the
the show premiered, he had beenhearing people, like everyone
on the pier, being like hurry up, we can't miss batman tonight.

Speaker 4 (26:52):
Get your shit and let's go I love this and so I
love that he actually had to go.
You have to go out, yeah, andpeople were vocally talking
about it.
That must be such a coolfeeling.

Speaker 1 (27:02):
Right, and it was then he had.

Speaker 4 (27:04):
Also a lot of stress.
Yeah, you're like holy crappeople actually know this is
coming out.

Speaker 1 (27:08):
Yeah, this better not suck.
I don't even have nipples.
It was then he had a sneakingsuspicion that his life would
never be the same.
But luckily, and for better,for worse, the show was an
instant phenomenon.
For better, let's go, yeah, forbadder, hey.
The pilot episode of the 1966batman tv series is titled hi

(27:30):
diddle, riddle I think that's.

Speaker 4 (27:32):
I think that's the name of the trial going on right
now as well all right, it starsadam west as batman and burt
ward as robin.
Burt Ward could have been hiredfor one of those parties.

Speaker 1 (27:43):
And in fact he was, oh yeah.

Speaker 4 (27:46):
By the size of his batter-wang.

Speaker 1 (27:49):
In the episode, the dynamic duo faces off against
the Riddler who is attempting tosue Batman.

Speaker 4 (27:55):
I love he's going through the court system.
Yes, oh, that's the ultimateriddle.

Speaker 3 (28:01):
One cigarette overboard and made the boat a
cigarette lighter.
You saw him giving me a lightas I handed back his cross Out
riddled.
I thought you might be Batman.
That's why I brought witnesseswith cameras.
Oh, what is it that no manwants to have?
Yet no man wants to lose Alawsuit.
Correct boy wonder.

Speaker 1 (28:37):
He's just been waiting to serve Batman papers.

Speaker 3 (28:41):
After you've chewed over this one for a while, look
for two more.
Adios, amigos.
See you in court.
No.

Speaker 1 (28:49):
Outriddled.

Speaker 4 (28:56):
Outriddled.
Indeed, I love he also lookslike that Lesko character who
wears the suit that he'll helpyou cheat how to save money.
Cheat the system, yeah, or justwork with the system, maybe.
Maybe just working with it.

Speaker 1 (29:10):
That's what Donald Trump says.
So, as you can see, it'svibrant colors, dynamic camera
angles, fight sequences with thebam pow boom.

Speaker 4 (29:19):
The best fight sequences with the bam pow boom
the best.
They really did do a great jobof capturing the energy of a
comic book with the boom pop pow.
Like I loved it it was as achild very there's a lot going
on.
It's captivating for my adhdbrain yes, yeah, it's very quick
.

Speaker 1 (29:34):
There's very, uh very little silence happening in
this the show my god, I love thelawsuit angle.

Speaker 4 (29:42):
Yeah, also the first episode we know for a fact you
in court.
Riddler has no moral compasswhatsoever.
This is a great setup for whathe's going to become.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
Yes, for three glorious seasons, batman
dominated pop culture, launchingwest into international fame.
He made it to the cover of Lifemagazine, time magazine and
more.

Speaker 4 (30:02):
Dang not bad.

Speaker 1 (30:03):
It's crazy.
All of this happened.
I mean, everyone knows AdamWest, Batman, and it was only
two years of his life.

Speaker 4 (30:11):
And it all happened with a Nestle Quick commercial
and the show was fairly quick aswell.
So that just shows you.
You never know whatopportunities lie in front.
That's right Of you.

Speaker 1 (30:22):
Children idolized him .
Adults adored the show'splayful subversion of authority
and pop art aesthetic.

Speaker 4 (30:27):
I mean, the movie itself is just absolutely
fantastic.

Speaker 1 (30:31):
Sometimes you can't get rid of a bomb.
You can't.

Speaker 4 (30:33):
And he doesn't want to blow up a bunch of ducks.

Speaker 1 (30:35):
Yeah, exactly it's adorable.
West was suddenly everywhere.
He was on magazine covers andparades, even appearing as
Batman in public serviceannouncements.
Love it.
But as quickly as it rose, thebat signal dimmed.
Oh no.

Speaker 4 (30:49):
And it changed to Burt Ward symbol just a huge
cock and balls.

Speaker 1 (30:53):
I'm getting hammered.

Speaker 4 (30:54):
They say there's a horny woman in Gotham, and then
Burt says I'll go save her.

Speaker 1 (30:59):
So in 1968, Batman was canceled after declining
ratings in a saturated marketfor superhero media.

Speaker 4 (31:04):
Hmm, interesting.

Speaker 1 (31:05):
For Adam West, the fall was precipitous.

Speaker 4 (31:08):
Oh, this is back in the day.
There was no other rebounding.
There was no way to get yourname back out there.

Speaker 1 (31:13):
Yeah, exactly so he had become, in the eyes of the
industry, Batman and Batmanalone.
You bastards.
The curse of typecasting is acruel paradox in Hollywood.

Speaker 4 (31:22):
It really is.

Speaker 1 (31:24):
An actor achieves immense fame through an iconic
role, only to find themselvesshackled by it for the remainder
of their career.

Speaker 4 (31:28):
Technically, he did too good of a job.

Speaker 1 (31:30):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 4 (31:31):
And yeah, it's awful.
I do think again, with modernera technology it's a little bit
lightened, but back in the dayit's a little bit lightened, but
back in the day it was like,yeah, you're not working.

Speaker 1 (31:41):
Not even is it lightened, it's embraced.
At this point, if you become aniconic character.

Speaker 4 (31:49):
you can make a living off it for the rest of your
life and you can be a titularcharacter.

Speaker 1 (31:51):
Titular Tit.

Speaker 4 (31:52):
Or you can be sort of a side character and you can
make money with your Comic-Consand OnlyFans.

Speaker 1 (31:55):
Hey, whatever.

Speaker 4 (31:56):
It Only fans.
Hey, whatever it might becameos Imagine Burt.

Speaker 1 (32:00):
Ward, he could get Only Fans.
Now he really should.
Is he still alive?
He is.

Speaker 4 (32:05):
Oh, good for him.

Speaker 1 (32:05):
Throughout the late 60s and into the 1970s, West
struggled to find roles thatallowed him to step out of the
towering shadow of Batman.
Casting directors couldn't seebeyond the cowl Producers
worried.

Speaker 4 (32:17):
I mean, didn't they know that he's not Batman?
I'm not really him, guys.
No, but I'm Adam West.
That wasn't even me in the show.

Speaker 1 (32:23):
Right.
Producers were worried thataudiences would only ever see
Gotham's Dark Knight, no matterwhat role he played.
Oh, come on.
He himself acknowledged thisperiod as deeply frustrating.
He recalled auditioning forserious roles, only to be met
with polite rejection or, evenworse, laughter.

Speaker 4 (32:40):
Hey, do you got any shark repellent yeah?

Speaker 1 (32:44):
That would really suck.
To be like I'm coming in forserious stuff and you guys are
just laughing me out of the room.

Speaker 4 (32:49):
Right, it's a cruel beast.

Speaker 1 (32:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (32:51):
Fickle motherfuckers.

Speaker 1 (32:52):
Yet he refused to be bitter.

Speaker 4 (32:54):
There we go.

Speaker 1 (32:55):
You know, abundance mindset, things will come back
around.

Speaker 4 (32:58):
Let's go, it's gonna be okay, it will.

Speaker 1 (33:01):
He continued working, taking roles in low-budget
science fiction films, which, oh, that just sounds heartbreaking
.

Speaker 4 (33:12):
Dude, but I'm telling you again, sci-fi at this time
wasn't where it is today, whichis considered really popular
cinema.
Yeah, it was laughed at, it wasfor nerds.
This is when nerds didn't haveall the power, and now obviously
nerds have too much power andthey're ruining the world.
But this was when really sci-fiwas on the fringes.

Speaker 1 (33:24):
Yeah, he was actually doing cult shows and movies
like the Girl who Knew Too Muchand Robinson Crusoe on Mars.

Speaker 4 (33:31):
Yeah, the Girl who Knew Too Much, it was just math.
Yeah, there's a guy.
This girl knows too much.
We got to get her out of here.

Speaker 1 (33:39):
He showcased his ability to bring gravitas to
outlandish premises.

Speaker 4 (33:43):
Absolutely, and he did ground because Batman was so
goofy.
He did ground it in many ways.

Speaker 1 (33:50):
Absolutely.
His personal turbulencemirrored his professional
struggles During the 70s.
His personal life was marked bytwo divorces and a growing
sense of disillusionment withHollywood's fickle nature.

Speaker 4 (34:01):
It really is.

Speaker 1 (34:02):
He battled periods of deep depression, financial
difficulties and the loomingrealization that he might never
fully escape the shadow of thebat Dang.
But resilience was in his DNA.

Speaker 4 (34:14):
Reminds me of the new Batman, the new one that was
out three years ago.

Speaker 1 (34:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (34:18):
I am the shadows, remember that.
Yeah, they better make it again.
Batman 2 better come out.
They better not cancel this one.
I've been really mad.

Speaker 1 (34:25):
Yeah, all right he began to embrace his status as a
pop culture oddity.
So the 80s were a differenttime.
It was the advent of comic bookconventions and nostalgia
driven television reruns so wekind of yada, yada, yada there.

Speaker 4 (34:38):
So the entire 70s he was out of work.
Yes, wow.

Speaker 1 (34:43):
And so he was struggling to hang on.
He, you know, had to sell carsand stuff to just keep his money
around damn.

Speaker 4 (34:50):
Yeah, I mean, no one remembers those times no they do
pass, and then everyone's likewhat a life he must have had.

Speaker 1 (34:55):
It's like it must have been awesome all the time
Right?

Speaker 4 (34:59):
No, there's that whole 3,000 days of hell.

Speaker 1 (35:01):
That's a good name of a movie.

Speaker 4 (35:04):
Oh yeah, it is good.

Speaker 1 (35:05):
He became a fixture at these fan expos.
I didn't realize that theComic-Cons all started in the
80s.
I didn't know that either.
Yeah, he was signing autographs, posing for photos and sharing
stories of his days on Batmanthroughout the 1980s.
It's great.
Interesting, cool.
So for a younger generation,adam West became a living relic
of a more colorful, playful eraof superhero storytelling.

Speaker 4 (35:25):
You know, I really appreciate you coming, but could
you stop calling me a livingrelic?

Speaker 1 (35:29):
It just makes me feel real fucking old, everybody
give it up for Living Relic, ohgreat.

Speaker 4 (35:35):
I'm 43, by the way.

Speaker 1 (35:39):
But he was self-aware about it.
He was poking fun at his ownlegacy and appearing in comedic
roles where he parodied himselfor exaggerated his camp persona
yeah which is, you know,foreshadowing and you never know
what Hollywood is going to giveyou.

Speaker 4 (35:54):
Much like professional wrestling yes
sometimes they put a gimmick onyou and you're like what the
hell am I gonna do with?

Speaker 1 (36:02):
This self-deprecating approach endeared him both to
old fans and new.
It was in these years that AdamWest began to reinvent himself,
not as the Dark Knight, but asthe man who played the Dark
Knight and lived to tell thetale.

Speaker 4 (36:15):
So he had to be.
Like you know, I'm not reallyBatman.

Speaker 1 (36:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (36:18):
And people were like nah, I think you're Batman.
I saw it on TV.

Speaker 1 (36:21):
I'm this guy with thoughts and feelings, right.

Speaker 4 (36:23):
Yeah, I highly doubt it.
You're a relic.

Speaker 1 (36:27):
Yeah, you're a living relic.
According to both West and Ward, especially in later interviews
that they would give at thesecons or on TV or in print, the
Batman set was a carnival of1960s excess.

Speaker 4 (36:43):
I love it.
You can see them too at theComic-Con.
You got two microphones, notjust a really tiny microphone
for Burt Ward's huge cock.
My dick likes to do sometalking too.

Speaker 1 (36:52):
Yeah, they asked Burt Ward at one of the Comic-Cons.

Speaker 4 (36:55):
Did they talk about his dick?

Speaker 1 (36:56):
Yeah, they go, you know, is it true?
And he goes.

Speaker 4 (36:58):
They don't call me the Boy Wonder, for nothing
which is a line I'm day of hislife since January 12, 1966.
It's also a little grossbecause it's Boy Wonder and I
don't want to think about a10-year-old with just a massive
foot long.
But all right.

Speaker 1 (37:12):
Thanks, Bert.
He is supposed to be a minor inthe show.

Speaker 4 (37:13):
I know that's the thing.

Speaker 1 (37:15):
He was 20 in real life when he started the show.
But yeah, he's supposed to belike a 13-year-old's cock back.
It's too big.

Speaker 4 (37:25):
I mean hey, batman aside, bruce Wayne is still a
billionaire, so God knows whathe was up to.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
So Wes later claimed that he and Ward were constantly
propositioned by fans and thatthey used to use the costumes as
foreplay.
They would show up to sexparties and stuff dressed as
Batman and Robin, and even someof the villains would show up
the Riddler.
He went to some orgies withBatman.

Speaker 4 (37:46):
Wow yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:49):
Look at that.
They both have said that theirsuperhero status gave them near
rock star access to women.

Speaker 4 (37:54):
Let's go.

Speaker 1 (37:56):
In his memoir Back to the Batcave, wes wrote about
his wild orgies and fanencounters that would make the
Joker blush.

Speaker 4 (38:02):
Interesting.

Speaker 1 (38:03):
One of Wes' most infamous anecdotes involves
being kicked out of an orgy withFrank Gorshin, who played the
Riddler.

Speaker 4 (38:10):
Oh, my God.

Speaker 1 (38:11):
Because the other guests couldn't stop laughing at
Batman and the Riddler havingsex in their uniforms or their
costumes, that's fantastic.
There was just banging chicksand everyone was laughing.
The people in the orgy werehaving a great time, but the
hosts were upset and they kickedthem out.

Speaker 4 (38:26):
Oh, come on, you got Batman and the Riddler and
you're going to kick them out.
Yeah, Ridiculous.
I mean not a good day to be theset costume cleaner when they
come back from the gangbang, butyou know.

Speaker 1 (38:39):
Yeah, burt Ward also had his struggles on set.
He didn't have a stunt doublelike Adam West did.
He didn't.

Speaker 4 (38:45):
No, there were some stunts in that show.

Speaker 1 (38:47):
You had to roll around, jump around, get punched
, end up getting launchedthrough some boxes in the back
of a warehouse or something.

Speaker 4 (38:53):
He had tiny little legs.
He did but a huge piece.
Well, I was going to say threeof them.

Speaker 1 (38:59):
He ended up being injured repeatedly, from
explosions to car crashes, andhe was injured so often that the
studio reportedly reduced hissalary because of all the
insurance claims he took out onthe set, Wait.

Speaker 4 (39:10):
So you all are hurting me and I'm getting paid
less.

Speaker 1 (39:12):
Yeah, because he was actually taking out the
insurance claims.

Speaker 4 (39:16):
He should.

Speaker 1 (39:18):
Oh Jesus, yeah.
So he also wrote a tell-allbook in 1995 titled Boy Wonder,
my Life in Tights, nice.
He dished out everything onWes' escapades to his own sexual
prowess.
Like I said, his Robin tightswere too tight and he needed
special undergarments.

Speaker 4 (39:39):
All right, there we go.

Speaker 1 (39:40):
Burt Ward turned his focus to animal rescue after his
career because he was typecastas well and couldn't find work.

Speaker 2 (39:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (39:46):
He founded the Gentle Giants Rescue Ben.

Speaker 4 (39:48):
Don't look at me, don't even look at me.
Gentle Giant, that's what theysay.
Everyone says, oh, you're aGentle Giant.
Until they don't Gentle Giant,then everyone's mad at that too,
which is a bunch of lies.
But anyway, gentle Giant, andit's like it makes me seem like
you're autistic, which?
Is fine, yes, but it does makeyou feel slightly special needs.

(40:09):
Yeah, and that's fine.
Well, I just got myself in aquagmire, wow family guy.

Speaker 1 (40:14):
You know we will be talking about it in a second.

Speaker 4 (40:16):
I can't miss segues.
All I do is find segues.
Boom, boom, boom boom.

Speaker 1 (40:21):
But it was called the Gentle Giant's Rescue because
he rehabilitated and found homesfor large dogs.

Speaker 4 (40:25):
Oh, I love that.

Speaker 1 (40:27):
Very sweet.
So Adam West's willingness toembrace the absurdity of his
legacy would lead him into anunexpected renaissance.

Speaker 4 (40:34):
Let's go.

Speaker 1 (40:36):
Because the 1990s and the 2000s ushered in a new
golden age for Adam West, onethat saw him shift from
live-action hero to belovedvoice actor, I mean, his voice
is superb it you, yeah, it'sonce he talks.
You know, it's exactly him yeah, it's a rarity yeah, perhaps
the most notable of these roleswas his portrayal of a

(40:57):
fictionalized, exaggeratedversion of himself on the
animated series family guyfamily guy brought him back, yes
, in a big way, because there'sa generation who was like who is
that guy?

Speaker 4 (41:06):
Yeah, and then they go back and they're like oh no
shit.

Speaker 1 (41:09):
He's the best.
He is the best.
He played Mayor Adam West,which was an unhinged, bizarre
caricature of himself thatbecame an instant fan favorite.

Speaker 4 (41:16):
I love that he was able to lean in and have some
self-defacing humor.

Speaker 1 (41:20):
Yes, exactly so we.
So we'll show one of theseclips from one of his first
episodes damn it, swanson.

Speaker 3 (41:28):
I want them found.
Mayor west, we have everyavailable man looking for the
griffins.
We just don't have any leads,not the griffins.
You moron the rest of my light,bright pieces.
My name isn't adam we, or is it?
Who am I?
What number did dial?
Don't ever call here again.
I guess I told him nobodymesses with Adam Wee.

Speaker 4 (41:51):
Wow, that sounds like the last administration.

Speaker 1 (41:55):
Yeah, seriously, oh boy too real.

Speaker 4 (41:58):
Too real.
I love that.

Speaker 1 (42:00):
So this role introduced him to an entirely
new fan base, many of whom hadnever seen the 1960s Batman.
Through this animated form, Wesfound creative freedom he
hadn't experienced since hisearly days in the industry.
He could be outrageous, surreal, delightfully odd, all while
using his most powerful tool,his unmistakable voice.
Absolutely, and in addition toFamily Guy, he had an entire

(42:24):
voice acting career.
He lent his voice to numerousshows, including the Fairly Odd
Parents, the Simpsons and Batman.
The Animated Series by themid-2010s.
Adam West was not just anostalgia act.
He was a revered elderstatesman of pop culture.
Yes, He'd done the impossible.
He outlived his own typecasting, which that's.
All you really need to do isjust stay alive Absolutely Long

(42:47):
enough for people to come backto you.

Speaker 4 (42:48):
Totally, there's always a new generation coming
up.

Speaker 1 (42:51):
Yeah.
So behind the cape and cowl,adam West was a man of quiet
introspection, humor anddevotion to his family.
Through the early years inHollywood they were marked by
personal turbulence.
West ultimately found hisstability in his later years.

Speaker 4 (43:06):
Well, thank God for that.

Speaker 2 (43:07):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (43:08):
I can understand where he's coming from.
Hollywood's a little bit of a.
It's turbulent when you firstget here.
Yeah, a bit of a blender,because you don't realize that
you can't trust anyone.

Speaker 1 (43:16):
Right.

Speaker 4 (43:17):
And then when you realize that things start to
actually settle down.

Speaker 1 (43:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (43:20):
Then you know Exactly , you know it's not like new
york, where I mean I trusteveryone in new york because
they scream in your face andthey tell you what they think.
Yeah, and then here you have nofucking clue, so you just kind
of right assume the worst atthis point exactly unfortunately
we haven't talked much abouthis personal life, uh.

Speaker 1 (43:35):
But in 1970 I was saying the 70s were pretty bad
for him.
Yes, it wasn't all bad.
He married, uh, marcel learokay and a relationship that
would endure for the rest of hisnatural life.

Speaker 4 (43:45):
So he had two divorces and the third one stuck
.
Yes, gotcha.

Speaker 1 (43:49):
Marcel became not only his life partner but also a
grounding force during therollercoaster of his career's
highs and lows.
Together they built a home inIdaho.
No kidding Far from the glareof Hollywood.

Speaker 4 (44:01):
I wonder why he chose Idaho, because it's very anti
California.
So it's very anti-California.
So it's I know, but Idaho makesWisconsin look like there's
something to do, yeah.

Speaker 1 (44:12):
Like Idaho is really.
I mean, they got the potato,they do.

Speaker 4 (44:16):
But that's just a lot of field really.
Yeah, you could get sprawlingmansions for like $300,000.
I mean, that's why so manycelebrities live in Wyoming, for
example Montana.

Speaker 1 (44:25):
Yeah, yep, why so many celebrities live in wyoming
, for example montana?
Yeah, you know, you can have awhole farm.

Speaker 4 (44:29):
I look on five bucks you really can, and then you
could be like I think it's uh,yeah, rupaul, he's got, uh, he's
got so much land that he sellsit for fracking wow, some people
get upset about.
But whatever he's making hisnut and so he literally is just
he found, he struck gold yeah,it's amazing.

Speaker 1 (44:47):
So Adam ended up being a father to six children
Wow and spoke often about howfatherhood gave him a sense of
purpose beyond acting.

Speaker 4 (44:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (44:54):
He was known to be a warm, attentive and sometimes
playful father, never abovedonning the Batman mask at
family gatherings to amuse hischildren and grandchildren.

Speaker 4 (45:03):
An actor who was a good father.
Hey, wow.

Speaker 1 (45:06):
You know, that's rare .
Very rare, especially on thisshow you can do it, kyle.

Speaker 4 (45:11):
Yeah, that's true.
We did start the episode with aguy named Friend who wasn't so
friendly.
No, but you see, that's whythere's hope for you.
You are a good father, since hedoesn't need to be
rehabilitated as a father.

Speaker 1 (45:22):
Yes as a father.

Speaker 4 (45:22):
Yes, exactly, but no, that's very nice that he
actually cared for his childrenand he didn't bring the stress
of Hollywood into the home.

Speaker 1 (45:27):
In fact he would bring some of his sons onto the
actual set when they were young,you know, and oh, that's
awesome.
They would get to go up anddown the bat pole and hang out
and they said it was a blast.

Speaker 4 (45:46):
My dad was a truck driver, so I got to drive in the
truck and toot the horn everynow and again.
That was a pretty big deal.

Speaker 1 (45:50):
That's awesome.

Speaker 4 (45:51):
Imagine if he was Batman.
Hey, He'd get a Batmobile.
Kind of cool too, Dad.
Why weren't you Batman, Dad?

Speaker 1 (45:57):
Yeah, what the hell.

Speaker 4 (46:01):
That complaint number 1,104.
Why weren't you Batman Dad?

Speaker 1 (46:05):
In his final decades, west's public persona was that
of a man who had made peace withhis journey Love it.
He remained active, attendingthe conventions well into his
80s and still relishing theopportunity to connect with fans
who viewed him as a childhoodhero.
In interviews West spoke openlyabout the passage of time and
the nature of fame.
Also the value of embracingone's past.

(46:25):
He understood that, while theindustry might have moved on
from his style of heroism, thefans never had Absolutely, and
you know every time you watchthat I can't believe it was only
two seasons.

Speaker 4 (46:36):
Yeah, but when you watch the Batman, it is timeless
because it's goofy, obviously.

Speaker 1 (46:42):
Right.

Speaker 4 (46:42):
But it's such another world, yes, that it's timeless.

Speaker 1 (46:45):
Yeah, In 2017, Adam West's remarkable journey came
to an end.
On June 9th 2017, he passedaway in his Los Angeles home
after a brief battle withleukemia.
He was 88 years old.

Speaker 4 (47:01):
Hey, not bad.

Speaker 1 (47:02):
It was crazy because it's like Joe Biden they didn't
even fucking tell anybody untilhe was done.

Speaker 4 (47:07):
Well, it's a little different, you know, because he
wasn't the president.
But 88, hell of a run, damnnear made it to 90.
Wow, yeah, that's crazy and Iunderstand from a celebrity
standpoint.
I would equate it more to aNorm MacDonald.

Speaker 1 (47:22):
Yes.

Speaker 4 (47:23):
Because you don't want to bum people out, mcdonald
.
Yes, because you don't want tobum people out.
And it would have been nice ifwe could have pre-mourned Norm
where I would have DM'd him andbeen like I love you and he
wouldn't have responded.
Of course, maybe he would have,who knows?
I respond to my DMs.

Speaker 1 (47:36):
I played poker with him for like 14 hours one day.

Speaker 4 (47:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (47:39):
And I would have probably said a lot more.

Speaker 4 (47:41):
But he probably didn't want that.
Yes, so but he probably didn'twant that.
Yes, so we've got to respecttheir wishes, it's true.

Speaker 1 (47:46):
So because of that, news of his passing sent waves
across the entertainmentindustry and among fans around
the world.
Tributes poured in from actors,directors and comedians who
cited West as both an influenceand an icon.

Speaker 4 (47:59):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (48:00):
In LA.
Here the bat signal wasprojected onto City Hall.
I don't remember that.

Speaker 4 (48:05):
I don't remember that at all.
I wish I remembered that.
Did it work?
Did crime stop for?

Speaker 1 (48:09):
at least 10 minutes.
It picked up because everyonewas looking at the bat signal.

Speaker 4 (48:12):
Ah, yeah, they didn't get the squatters out of your
last van.
That ruined your life and madeyou homeless Even worse than
that.
Kaylina, the mother of my child, the mother of my child.

Speaker 3 (48:23):
A mother of my kid Of his child.

Speaker 1 (48:25):
Yes, she got her actual wallet stolen by a guy
who plays Joker on HollywoodBoulevard.

Speaker 4 (48:31):
That's amazing.

Speaker 1 (48:32):
Fucking ridiculous.

Speaker 4 (48:33):
She got too close, she got way too close.
She got too close to the flame.
Yeah, if you're visitingHollywood, and I'm sure you
already know this, but neverapproach any of the people that
you see dressed as Joker, batman, penguin, anything.
They are scary, scary people.
Drug problems.

Speaker 1 (48:46):
Right.

Speaker 4 (48:47):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 (48:48):
Adam West had journeyed from Walla Walla
Washington to the heights ofsuperstardom, through the
valleys of obscurity and backinto the hearts of millions.
I love that he was gone.
But the legend, the laughterand the lessons remained.

Speaker 4 (49:02):
We can thank syndication.

Speaker 1 (49:04):
Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 4 (49:08):
He really is.

Speaker 1 (49:08):
He's probably on tv more now than he was then, yeah,
he really wasn't prepared foryou know how his career would be
remembered and how his lifewould be remembered, and he, it
is so bizarre because it's outof your control it's completely
out of your control, like youtry to do all these
purpose-driven things and thensomeone just takes it to a whole
different area and you're likethat's not my intention.

Speaker 2 (49:26):
But hey perception is reality exactly, and if that's,
if something you do meansomething to somebody, that's
the best possible thing thatcould happen that's true so here
he is talking about becoming anicon I was more concerned with,
I think, just one step at atime, just trying to get roles
that were interesting and that Ifelt I could be creative

(49:50):
playing and bring somethingfresh to.
But again, I say that I wasfortunate because somehow my
timing was such with thosecommercials, with whatever I did
, they saw them and they said,kid, I think you can play Batman
.
And they called me in and I wasable to do it the way I wanted,

(50:13):
I mean, but I never had a senseof it being.
How can I say somethingpermanent, something as lasting
as it's?

Speaker 1 (50:26):
been.
It's out of your control, likeyou said, but when it resonates,
it resonates and you becomelarger than life.

Speaker 4 (50:32):
Absolutely, and I love everyone who, in person
that's a producer does it right,because that's it.
Hey Ken, you want to come inhere and sit on my lap, I might
get you a TV credit.
Producers, man Nasty yeah.

Speaker 1 (50:48):
So his journey mirrored that of many artists a
meteoric rise, public scrutiny,personal doubt and, ultimately,
a rediscovery of self.
For the world of television,west batman represented an era
of colorful, campy adventurethat brought joy and escapism
during a turbulent decade inamerican history yeah, it's such
an interesting time too.

Speaker 4 (51:04):
We haven't really we didn't really discuss the
backdrop of the 60s, butobviously a lot of turmoil.
People think peace, love,hippies, but the hippies it was
a fight yeah, it ended up beingcharles manson well, that that's
you know.
We can talk about the cia'sinvolvement in that, oh shit.
But it was interesting becauseagain, it was going for the
1950s cookie cutter.

(51:25):
Everyone lives in in thesuburbs.
This is America.

Speaker 1 (51:27):
Pleasantville.

Speaker 4 (51:28):
To 1960s being like no, this is America,
motherfucker, we're burning shitdown, we're changing the status
quo, we want civil rights, allthese sorts of things.
And then you had Batman, whowas seen as sort of a.
He dabbled in both worldsBecause he wasn't necessarily
counterculture, but if you watchsome of the footage, it was
counterculture Right.

(51:48):
But then also he's law andorder.

Speaker 1 (51:50):
Yeah, exactly For comic book culture.
He laid the groundwork forsuperheroes on screen, paving
the way for darker, more complexinterpretations that would
follow.

Speaker 4 (51:58):
And then George Clooney brought the nipples.

Speaker 1 (52:00):
Yeah, he brought some big-ass, hard-ass nipples.
Yes, he did Through rubber,which that's why the bat nipples
were weird, because they werepre-planted nipples.

Speaker 4 (52:08):
Well, that means Bruce Wayne.
When he was sculpted, he putthe nipples on.

Speaker 1 (52:12):
Yeah, he's like, I need room for these fucking
sausage nips.

Speaker 4 (52:14):
Unless it was really cold in there and he was
fighting Mr Freeze.

Speaker 1 (52:18):
That'd be the only time.
I'd imagine it'd be very hot inthere.

Speaker 4 (52:21):
Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 1 (52:21):
Yeah, adam West taught us it's never too late to
reclaim your narrative, theself-awareness and humor can be
tools of empowerment and thatwhat once felt like a burden can
, over time, become a blessing.

Speaker 4 (52:34):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (52:37):
He took what might have been a footnote in
television history andtransformed it into a lifelong
conversation with fans, criticsand the world at large.
His legacy lives on, not onlyin reruns and animated cameos,
but in the way he inspiredothers to approach their craft
with humility, resilience andjoy.
And in the end, Adam West didnot just play a hero, he became
one.

Speaker 4 (52:56):
I love it yes.

Speaker 1 (52:58):
So that will bring us to Final Thoughts.

Speaker 4 (53:03):
Hollywood fickle beast.
Yeah, he's seen all sides of itthe good, the bad, the middle,
the weird.
Adam West he saw everything ofHollywood.
He had success, he had somelows and, yes, we can all learn
through Batman.
But I think more than justlearning from Batman, we can
learn from Adam West.
Keep on rolling with thepunches, yes.
Let the powers roll off yourback, yeah, and keep on fighting

(53:27):
the supervillain that is.
I don't even know whatever yoursupervillain is, yeah, Just
keep on fighting it.

Speaker 1 (53:33):
You can defeat it you will defeat it.

Speaker 4 (53:35):
Yes, or you end up in an orgy with it, like you did
with the Riddler, and you guysmake friends and get laughed out
and have a burger together.

Speaker 1 (53:43):
I mean, when it comes to everything that would be the
most embarrassing to me to bekicked out of an orgy for having
too good of a time.

Speaker 4 (53:49):
Well, that's not that bad.
I mean because he was dressedas Batman.

Speaker 1 (53:53):
Yeah, but he was bringing joy to the people and
his cock to the people.

Speaker 4 (53:56):
Exactly, it was a different time, it was a better
time.

Speaker 1 (53:59):
Yeah, let people share what they're bringing to
the party.

Speaker 4 (54:02):
I feel like there's a correlation between the rise of
orgies and shag carpeting,which really you would think
it'd be the rise of orgies, andtile it just gets matted right
in there.

Speaker 1 (54:11):
Yeah, that's kind of.

Speaker 4 (54:13):
I feel like shag carpeting is probably better now
.
No one's having any fun.

Speaker 1 (54:17):
Yes, so let that be a lesson to you it's never too
late to take everything backinto your own power.

Speaker 4 (54:23):
Absolutely.
I love reading when people getair quotes success in their
lives.
Some people are 80, 60, 70.
Some people are 10.

Speaker 3 (54:30):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (54:31):
You know, you never know, and everyone's got their
own story and journey.
And you can't trade, don'ttrade places for anyone, because
whatever.
Yeah, at least you know whatyou're up against now.

Speaker 1 (54:42):
He was 37 years old, which is one year younger than I
am now, and that's when hebecame the most famous and then
dwindled away for the next 30,31 years.
So it wasn't until his late 60sthat he became, you know, the
biggest he ever was.
All right, it's incredible, uh,and that will also take us to

(55:03):
you've got mail?
Oh, my goodness, we got amailbag.
We got a mailbag.
Yeah, we're looking at spotifycomments here on the last
episode, which was very excitingnumber one force ghost, the
fallen stars of star wars.
Yeah, oh, doug runkle said everyweek you guys get better.

(55:24):
I really dug the episode andI'm not even a big Star Wars fan
.

Speaker 4 (55:26):
Okay, there we go.
Wow, there we go.
That's pretty big.

Speaker 1 (55:29):
Thank you.
Yeah, we talked about therebeing the anti-ASPCA and, as
seen by Dave said, isn't theanti-ASPCA technically PETA.

Speaker 4 (55:39):
It could be, couldn't it?
It could be.

Speaker 1 (55:42):
Because they murder every animal they come into
contact with and then threatenpeople with lawsuits.

Speaker 4 (55:47):
All right, much like the Riddler, yeah, all right.

Speaker 1 (55:50):
And then here in our Patreon chat Pano is talking
about.
He's saying about Adam West'slife the good, the bad and the
orgy.

Speaker 4 (55:57):
I love that that should be the name of his book.

Speaker 1 (55:59):
That might be the name of the episode.
I like that.
Thank you guys so much.
If you want to, you know,subscribe, share, uh, comment,
do it all, baby.
We need your support.
Tell your friends absolutely.

Speaker 4 (56:13):
Thank you guys so much for your support.
Okay, bud, pod at gmailcom ifyou want to shoot an email to uh
.
Okay, bud, or death andentertainment, why not?
At gmailcom, at gmailcom.
And yes, you can join ourPatreon at Die Bud and thank you
all so much for the support.
Hail yourself until next week.

Speaker 1 (56:32):
Don't go dying on us bye you have just heard a true
Hollywood murder mystery.

Speaker 3 (56:38):
I have never seen anything like this before the
movies, broadway, music,television, all of it a place
that manufactures nightmaresokay, everybody, movies,
broadway, music, television, allof it A place that manufactures
nightmares.
Okay, everybody, that's a wrap.
Good night.
Please drive home carefully andcome back again soon.