Breaking news: Adam West passed away last night after a short battle with leukemia. He is best remembered for embodying the role of Batman in the 1960s. West had been a struggling actor in television and film, his first big role was with Paul Newman in The Young Philadelphians, but his career went meteoric when he accepted the lead role in William Dozier's tongue-in-cheek production of Batman for 20th Century Fox (1966-1968). They assembled a perfect team to bring the comic book adventures to the small screen and their combined sensibilities resulted in one of the most influential and iconic creations of the decade. Between the comedic timing of the actors, the colorful sets, the Dutch angle camera work, and on-screen typeface (Pow! Biff!), Batman brought Pop Art to mainstream television. The success of the show's campy quality also reverberated, for better or for worse, throughout other programs, such as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Lost In Space, which scrambled to compete for laughs and entertainment. But West's success also came at a cost. The actor found himself struggling once again to find work after Batman, which had typecast him forever in the industry as the caped crusader. West said that he eventually had to make peace with Batman and embrace the role and his loyal fans. He told Variety: "I decided that since so many people love Batman, I might as well love it too. Why not? So I began to reengage myself with Batman. And I saw the comedy. I saw the love people had for it, and I just embraced it." The spirit of this reconciliation was captured beautifully in a 1992 episode of Batman: The Animated Series, where West played a masked hero on TV and boyhood idol of young Bruce Wayne, The Gray Ghost (Beware the Gray Ghost). Fittingly, Bruce's faith in his hero is reaffirmed years later when the Gray Ghost comes to his aid during a mission. The interplay between the characters was quite moving. West's 1966 Batman saw a huge resurgence in the last few years. DC comics launched a new comic series based on the show's Pop Art style and humor, and a line of new toys were licensed. Spy Vibers were even treated to crossover titles with Batman paired with The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Avengers. Fans were once again seeing the familiar faces of West, Ward, Newmar, and the rest of the cast. And after decades of negotiations, the series was finally released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2014. The cast also reprised their roles for an animated Batman film, Return of the Caped Crusaders, in 2016. More below.
My first encounter with Adam West's Batman was in the late 1960s during the show's final season. Like most little kids, I was glued to the TV set to see Batman and Robin foil the fiendish plots of one of the greatest rogue's galleries of villains ever assembled: Catwoman (Julie Newmar), Joker (Cesar Romero), Penguin (Burgess Meredith), Riddler (Frank Gorshin), Egghead (Vincent Price), and many others. One of my earliest memories is sitting in my best friend's garage, where his parent's parked their long black Cadillac (with fins!). We'd pretend it was the Batmobile and turn the steering wheel and push buttons. Elements like the Batcave, the Batmobile, and all those marvelous gadgets were my introduction to the world of Spy-Fi. Sitting in the car, we were Batman and Robin, racing around Gotham City in high adventure. Batman was one of those shows that balanced humor and drama. While the adults may have been laughing, we kids were on the edge of our seats, worried about how our heroes would escape the death traps that famously ended every cliffhanger episode. For me there was a real sense of danger! Batman and Robin would be tied to a giant waffle iron, or some such contraption, and William Dozier's voice would come on to urge us to tune in again, "same Bat-time, same Bat-channel", to see if they would survive. They always did.
I saw Adam West in person just about seven weeks ago at a large convention. He was riding on a mobility scooter and passed right by me toward a massive crowd of fans waiting to meet West and co-star Burt Ward. It was thrilling to see my boyhood idol. But the real highlight was that he drove toward the cheering crowd, then in almost Blake Edwards perfect timing, he did a U-turn and rode away for a second. He was grinning from ear to ear. The crowd erupted in laughter. We all loved him.
Adam West's family released this statement today: "Our dad always saw himself as The Bright Knight, and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans’ lives. He was and always will be our hero." He was 88 years old. Related posts: Interview: Batman Celebration Book, Batman Anniversary, Interview: Batman Animated designer Shane Glines Interview, Interview: Ralph Garman and Ty Templeton, Interview: Ryan Heshka, Batman TV and Manga releases, Batman 66: The TV Stories Book, Batman in Swinging London, Julie Newmar, Batman 66 posters, Adam West Sings!, Adam West spy ad, Spy Vibe visits the Batcave, James Bond & Batman Robots, Andy Warhol Batman, Man From UNCLE & Batman Manga.
Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Fahrenheit 451 50th, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview:Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, Trina Robbins Interview, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review, David McCallum novel, Andre Courreges R.I.P., Who's Talking on Spy Vibe, UFO Blu-ray, Avengers Pop Art.
New release: While I continue to work on a Spy Vibe book (stay tuned), a number of folks have contributed to an upcoming collection of essays, Hero-A-Go-Go, that will be of interest to Spy Vibers. From the press release: "Welcome to the CAMP AGE, when spies liked their wars cold and their women warm, good guys beat bad guys with a pun and a punch, and Batman shook a mean cape. HERO-A-GO-GO celebrates the camp craze of the Swinging Sixties, when just about everyone―the teens of Riverdale, an ant and a squirrel, even the President of the United States―was a super-hero or a secret agent. Back Issue magazine and former DC Comics editor MICHAEL EURY takes you through that coolest cultural phenomenon with this all-new collection of nostalgic essays, histories, and theme song lyrics of classic 1960s characters like Captain Action, Herbie the Fat Fury, Captain Nice, Atom Ant, Scooter, ACG’s Nemesis, Dell’s super-Frankenstein and Dracula, the “split!” Captain Marvel, and others! Featuring interviews with Bill Mumy (Lost in Space), Bob Holiday (It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman), Ralph Bakshi (The Mighty Heroes, Spider-Man), Dean Torrence (Jan and Dean Meet Batman), Ramona Fradon (Metamorpho), Dick DeBartolo (Captain Klutz), Tony Tallarico (The Great Society Comic Book), Vince Gargiulo (Palisades Park historian), Joe Sinnott (The Beatles comic book), Jose Delbo (The Monkees comic book), and many more!" Sounds like fun! Watch out for the book launch in May! More details at Amazon and TwoMorrows. Thanks to Jhalal Drut for putting this on my radar. Enjoy!
Selected Spy Vibe Posts: 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview:Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, Trina Robbins Interview, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review, David McCallum novel, Andre Courreges R.I.P., Who's Talking on Spy Vibe, UFO Blu-ray, Avengers Pop Art Interview, Fergus Fleming Interview, Avengers: Alan Hayes Interview, Jaz Wiseman Interview, Diana Rigg BFI Interview, Casino Royale Interview: Mike Richardson, Lost Diana Rigg Interview, Honor Blackman at 90, UNCLE School.
It's been a busy week here at the Spy Vibe lair. Along with my usual teaching schedule, I've been working on an Avengers essay for an upcoming book in the UK, interviewing candidates for our new head of school, and writing reports and promos for some new programs. I'm happy to finally be able to share some interesting news items that crossed my radar recently. DC Comics Batman 66 line, which places the Caped Crusader in the colorful, pop art world of the 1960s TV series, is gearing up for two remarkable crossover events. It was announced that The Avengers (classic UK spy show) will be featured in a new mini-series with Batman and Robin. I must admit I can't quite visualize this concept. Although the color Emma Peel season became campier (and the show progressed down that line in the Tara King series), the tone was quite different from Batman. Adaptations of The Avengers often lose the charm of the original show in favor of cartoony exaggerations of what people think now about what Swinging London was like. Shades of Austin Powers, if you will? Still, as a fan of both Batman and The Avengers, my interest is certainly piqued. In more recent news, it was announced that The Man From U.N.C.L.E. will be featured in a miniseries with Batman and Robin starting in December. Apparently T.H.R.U.S.H. will be hiring super villains and our extended team of heroes must jet off to Europe to foil their plot. Again, I tread cautiously and hope for the best. From my perspective, U.N.C.L.E. began with some wonderful cinema-verite energy and edginess in the first season, which gave way to stagey camp when the series went to color. Hopefully a team-up with 1960s Batman in the comics won't simply repeat that trend and push the camp even further. I'm not sure how gun-play will work in the "pow-biff!" universe, for example. Even the first graphic released (below) seems slightly mismatched. The Batman series was so influential at the time, and we saw many shows, such as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Lost in Space, try to build viewership by riding the pop-art wave. I really enjoy the pop aesthetics of that period, but again, remain cautious about how these new adaptations will turn out. The original shows succeed I think, when the stories were played straight despite the campy trappings. I've read some cool Batman 66 stories (loved the issue with Lord Death Man!), so fingers are crossed. The Batman/U.N.C.L.E. comic will feature a story by Jeff Parker and art by David Hine. More news and images to come. See my interview with the Batman 66 Meets Green Hornet team, Ralph Garman and Ty Templeton. Enjoy!
Selected Spy Vibe posts: New Gillette 007 Covers, Pirate Radio, Spectre Advanced Poster, Honor Blackman at 90, UNCLE School, Ian Fleming Memorial, Radiophonic Exhibit, Portmeirion Photos, Doctor Who Exhibit, Farewell Steed, Pussy Galore Returns, Diana Rigg birthday, Sherlock at 221B, Invisible Agent, Saint Interview: Ian Dickerson, Saint Doppelgänger, Fleming's Typewriter, Rare Fleming, Fleming's Music, Ian Fleming's Japan, Jim Wilson Corgi Interview, Fantomas Design, Jeremy Duns on Bond, John Buss interview, Avengers Season 5 Titles, Saint Volvo, Mod Tales Interview, Agente Secreto Comics, Danger Man Comics 2, Danger Man Comics, John Drake Comics, Der Mann Von UNCLE, Golden Margaret Nolan, Man From UNCLE Rocksteady, Pussy Galore Calypso, Cynthia Lennon R.I.P., Edward Mann Fashion, Leonard Nimoy Tribute, Shatner at 84, Bob Morane series, Thai Bond Design, Bond vs Modernism, Art of Modesty, Tokyo Beat 1964, Feraud Mod Fashion, Green Hornet Manga, No 6 Festival, Avengers Interview: Michael Richardson, Ian Fleming: Wicked Grin, Jane Bond Hong Kong Records, Ryan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., Comics Week: Archie, Comics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMAN, Comics Week: Jimmy Olsen, Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Shakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers Interview, Richard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, Trina Robbins Interview, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.
