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NOCC: Dynamic Duo Disclose Delicate Details

Company: Wizard World
Product: Batman TV Series

Fans new and old of the dynamic duo from the campy comic TV series, Batman got their chance to pick the brains of Adam West and Burt Ward, the stars who played Batman and Robin, respectively.

When Adam West first saw the script for the original pilot, he loved the material and told his agent that if they want him for Batman, he wanted a contract right then... with nobody else considered -- and they did that -- on one condition: they said, "We know a young guy that we'd like you to test with, just to see if the chemistry is right." He said yes, and it was Burt and within one minute, Adam knew that he was the one to play Robin.

When asked why so many film stars begged to be a part of the Batman show, without hesitation, Adam West quipped, "Why did they do it? Just to work with real pros." Redressing the question a bit more seriously, West explained that they did have a lot of people, "...hammering at the gate wanting to work," because it was a wholesome show that they could watch with their children and grandchildren and because it was a very hot show at the time. Burt Ward added, "In a nutshell, to answer your question, Batman, because we became such a big hit, was very attractive to other people, you know, they heard about it, they saw it and they wanted to be a part of the excitement - and they did." Burt Ward divulged that the window scenes where famous celebrities made there guest appearances were actually a way to handle demand; many more stars wanted to make appearances on the Batman show that there were villain characters to fill.

When asked who their favorite villains were, Adam listed Burgess Meredith (as The Penguin) as his favorite, along with Frank Gorshin as The Riddler and Joan Collins as the The Siren. Burt Ward added Vincent Price as Egghead and Victor Buono as King Tut and added that there were a lot of great classic actors and actresses whom to work with was particularly an honor, such as Tallulah Bankhead (as Black Widow) and George Raft. Every one of them were professionals and it was a great experience to work with them. West further reflected on Edward Everett Horton, who played a ridiculous character called, "Chief Screaming Chicken," which cracks West up to this day.


Some of the more interesting and amusing questions included:

Q: What was the coolest piece or prop you got to keep from the production of the show?
Adam: "In my case, I think uh, well... I made friends with the guys at the gate and they never stopped me as I smuggled things out. I have half the Batcave at home." I've got all my original scripts... and the leading ladies would kiss the scripts.

Q: If you guys could punch any person, living or dead, who would it be?
Burt: "Well, I certainly wouldn't punch a dead person... Maybe the IRS?"
Adam: "I wonder, do you mean maybe somebody who's worked our show that we didn't like or they didn't behave well?"
Q: "Yeah, sure"
Adam: "That's interesting..."
Burt: "Let's start making a list..."

Q: My absolute favorite gag from the movie was "where to get rid of a bomb on a Sunday afternoon." What is your favorite gag from the show?
Adam: Um, that one. That sequence. It was so beautifully set up for us, you know, "Some days you just can't get rid of a Bomb..." So absolutely ludicrous, I loved it.

Q: How many costumes did you go through in the show?
Burt: Six costumes at all times, because things get torn and collars come loose and Adam had a whole bunch too. Getting into the Batmobile, tights would get snagged; it happened a lot.
Adam: "I had one zipper... and it was in the back... and... anytime... I had to visit the place... it was terrible. You know, so, we had to learn to... have... heroic control."

Q: Was Batman your favorite project?
Adam: My favorite is whatever I'm working on at the moment.

Q: What did you think when the Batusi was performed in Pulp Fiction?
Burt: "Adam created the Batusi. Does anyone know how he created the Batusi? Does anyone want to know? All I remember, and I do remember this well..."
Adam: "How could you?"
Burt: "The day we shot that scene, okay, and I saw these contortions that Adam did... really strange... really strange, I asked him, Adam, where did you get that idea? (...Wanna tell 'em?) He says something to the effect that the night before he'd been out on a hot date and been doing the horizontal mambo and that gave him the vision for creating the Batusi.

Q: You set the par as far as Batman and Robin on film goes, what do you think of the different direction that the movies have taken the character(s)?
Adam: "...They do their thing, and we did ours. There's the Dark Knight, but I'm the Bright Knight."
Burt: "Adam and I did a family show and our show was in peoples' homes, and they saw it whether they were dressed up to go out or just casually relaxing after work. The difference is we really liked doing stuff for the whole family as opposed to a segment of the population who, you know, like a lot of violence. That has its place too, but we're really happy with what we did and feel good about it because ...our show can play reruns for all eternity, as far as I'm concerned."

Q: Burt, what's your favorite catch-phrase?
Burt: "...There were a lot of Holy-this or Holy-that, but then there was another one, a real tongue-twister, 'Haven't you some anti-ballistic bat-flacks in your utility belt, Batman?'" One of the "Holy" catch-phrases that Burt didn't want to do because he thought it was a bit corny, "Holy Strawberries, Batman, are we in a jam!"

Q: What was the most grueling thing you had to do while acting in Batman?
Adam: Oh, that's very simple. I can speak for Burt, too; we both hated those scenes in which, for example, The Penguin with the umbrellas and the gas... "Penguin Gas," because in those days they used acrid smoke - colored smoke - and once a week, you'd hear sirens on the lot and it was just Burt and me going to the infirmary for oxygen. It was that unpleasant. To me, that was the worst thing.

Q: Throughout the entire show, you obviously had a lot of crazy things happen, between shark repellent and Penguin Gas and time being rewound. Was there ever a situation where something was suggested that ya'll do and mapped out, then halfway through it or even beforehand, you're like, "This is too ridiculous; this isn't going to work"?
Adam: Many Times. ...But we made it work most of the time. For example, the giant man-eating clam. It was the only cliffhanger in which we used our physical abilities to get out of the damn thing. It didn't work because they couldn't come up with any device or contraption.

Q: Burt, in the Batman/Green Hornet crossover episodes, were you actually supposed to defeat Bruce Lee as the Green Hornet in the show?
Burt: Burt revealed that Bruce Lee lived with his wife, Linda, and their baby, Brandon, in the same condominium complex with Burt and they were actually friends with each other before the show and sparred with each other, as Burt was a Black Belt in Karate. The same executive producer was producing both shows, and he thought that having The Green Hornet and Kato on Batman would be a great way to introduce the new show to the public. They were very careful to make sure that the interactions were very even. Any rumor that Bruce Lee got angry and challenged Burt Ward to a fight were totally untrue. In fact, Burt explained that their actual sparring off-camera was much more intense than their on-screen fight scenes, because they didn't want viewers to think that someone might actually get hurt.


So, what are they up to now? Burt Ward (Robin) has gone from saving lives in Gotham City to saving dogs' lives by the thousands. Burt Ward owns and operates a large-breed dog rescue and foster home, with over 50 dogs living communally in his home with him. Over the past 16 years, he's saved over 14 thousand dogs. In addition, Burt Ward has signed to do a reality show based on his dog rescue "Gentle Giants Rescue" and his house, where the dogs all live. He's hoping to get Adam West as the commentator for that show.

Adam West is the mayor on Family Guy, has done voicework for Robot Chicken several times and is the new voice nationally of Hebrew National Hot Dogs. He also has been doing paintings for about forty years, including paintings of the characters from Batman. He has his own website (see below), where you can find more information on his misadventures.



-Geck0, GameVortex Communications
AKA Robert Perkins

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