Adam West (Batman, Batman: The Movie)
Boom! Zam! Ka-Pow! Ouch! There are a few things that immediately come to mind when we think of Adam West’s era as the Bat: the cartoonish adverbs, the wall climbing, the Joker’s moustache (yes, Caesar Romero refused to shave his trademark ‘stache off), and the Boy Wonder’s many “Holy!” proclamations. West’s time under the cowl certainly had a level of lightness surrounding it that not many of the other Batmen had, and because of that, he’s often left out of the running in these kinds of lists.
But Adam West, over his years on the ‘60s Batman series, has spent the most time in the Batcave. His goofy charm, and over-the-top portrayal of Batman has had fans either raging or rejoicing for over fifty years. And though he has a lot of supporters, there are many who believe his laidback approach to the Caped Crusader lessens the character.
However, in the 1960s, the Batman TV Show and West were hits. You’ve got to remember that the badass Christian Bale wouldn’t even be born for nearly 10 more years, let alone play the Bat. So audiences had no perspective into the darker realm of the Batman psyche, and without that knowledge, West’s elegance, charm and goofiness was a lot of people’s first and favorite glimpse of the Batman.
