Holy Shit, Batman - It's Adam West!

Took the kids to see 'Batman - The Movie' starring Adam West, Burt Ward from 1966 on Friday night at the Toronto Underground Cinema. As a contender for 'Best Father of the Year Award' this is something a good parent does.

The first time I did it, First-born child was about three years old when I took her to a Saturday matinee at the old New Yorker Repertory Cinema to see the movie about 25 years ago. Just like Friday night, the place was packed. But back then it was packed with mostly young parents bringing their kids and the usual downtown hipster crowd. I should point out that this was BEFORE everyone and their dog owned their own home video-cassette recorder/player.

About a year later, I took her on her first train trip. It was up to Toronto where Adam West and Burt Ward were doing a personal appearance/autograph signing at a car-show at the somewhat new Metro Convention Centre. And they were still young enough to do it IN COSTUME without looking silly. Surprisingly, this being a car show, George Barris was not there with all his Batman vehicles.

Not long after, 'Batman - The Movie' came out on VHS and I remember buying it for about ten bucks in the discount bin at Zellers in Westmount Mall. And ever since, that movie and homemade VHS tapes of the TV series have been a part of my kids' childhoods. Just like 'The Andy Griffith Show,' 'Dark Shadows,' 'Eraserhead,' 'Twin Peaks,' 'Austin Powers' and Edward Scissorhands' and 'Leave it to Beaver.' And so far, they're pretty well-adjusted kids. I grew up on most of that stuff AND the 'Three Stooges' and I'm okay.

A couple of summers ago, second-born female and the boy and I went out to Steve Plunkett's classic-car show to see Adam West and Julie Newmar (easily the best of the Catwomen,) arrive in George Barris' Batcopter and then be driven to the autograph tent via the original Batmobile - and it's true, it can't go faster than 30 miles per hour. I believe that has already been documented on this blog so I won't rehash all that.

... anyhoo, the opportunity to see Adam West at a big-screen screening of the original movie was too much to pass up as a 'family event.' Even though I made sure that all my kids had personal autographs from Adam West, we had never seen the original movie on the Big Screen together.

And I gotta tellya - last Friday night, that theatre just rocked with laughter. It was a verification that regardless of what all the purists - and 'serious' film critics will tell you, the 1966 movie and the TV-series is a far more entertaining film - moment for moment - than the later works by Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan.

Even before the opening credits, this is what you see written on the screen - "This movie is dedicated to lovers of adventure, lovers of pure escapism, lovers of unadulterated entertainment and lovers of the ridiculous and the bizarre."

And *everyone* in the theatre Friday night GOT it. Easily the most fun I've had in a movie theatre since the midnight 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' screenings at the New Yorker a few decades ago.

After the movie, Adam West (in town with former co-stars Burt Ward and Julie Newmar for autograph signings at FAN EXPO,) came out for a Question & Answer session. For someone who is 82, he looks pretty good - and has a sharp wit.

Here are a couple of the highlights -

Question - Do you ever see Burt Ward these days?
Answer - "He's outside right now waiting in the limo."

Question - When was the last time you put on the old costume from the TV-show anymore?
Answer - "Last night in the hotel room."