Batman, in my opinion, is one of the most human superheroes, because unlike all the others he does not fly or have superpowers. What makes him powerful compared to any other is that he is a super millionaire that decided to make a super suit, design a Batmobile, build a Batcave and even have a Batgirl.
Behind the character born in the 60s, was the American actor Adam West, who gave life to the masked Batman and his alter ego, the millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne who was always accompanied by the faithful Robin, played by the 21-year-old actor Burt Ward.
The idea of the TV series was simple: the adventures of a superhero who, together with his partner Robin, would face the most feared villains of Gotham City, such as The Riddler, The Joker or The Penguin.
It was not an easy task to find an actor who could keep the comic lines of Batman’s character and at the same time who could embody the serious millionaire Bruce Wayne.
And although Batman was the role of his life, Adam West himself recounted that he turned down the opportunity to replace Sean Connery as the legendary secret agent 007, James Bond.
The 60s costume of Batman was very colorful; very distant from the current one that is reinforced with a prosthesis in his pectorals and abs and a super mask with which you can barely recognize his face.
Thus began one of the biggest television phenomena of that decade, creating many absurd prejudices such as that the mesh of Batman’s suit marked his genitals. The taboo was so much that it was even suggested to the actor a hormone treatment to reduce the size of his penis.
However, the biggest rumor that many believed until today was that the characters of Batman and Robin were homosexuals, but even if that had been so, there were no arguments to support it.
The reality was different. In the studio, West and Ward were two womanizers who did not miss any opportunity to enjoy their fame and the sexual revolution of the 60’s, unleashing all their lust and sexual debauchery.
In his memoir, “Boy Wonder. My Life in Tights”, Burt Ward wrote,: “Up until the show, I had only dated a few girls, but nothing had happened. Adam dragged me into the greatest sexual adventures imaginable. From nothing to everything. Wild, non-stop sex. It was hard to get out of the suit, because of the limitations of the costume, so we had quickies,” the actor commented.
Adam West added: “Burt and I were like two kids in a bakery. We were in the ’60s, times of free love, swingers and women throwing themselves at us. I remember one night I had sex with eight women. Orgy is a harsh word, but on that occasion there were eight. I had fellow actresses waiting for me in the dressing room at 7:45 in the morning.”
And although West’s sex life was hidden from the public, off set he was constantly participating in orgies. On one occasion, West and Frank Gorshin, who played The Riddler, were at a sex party: “We walked in and I immediately got into character as Batman and Frank as The Riddler. We had lots of laughs. It was so much fun for us that we got kicked out of the orgy,” he said.
When the series ended in 1968, the actor suffered a severe depression as he was unable to get another important role. In 1970, he married for the third and last time to Marcelle Tagand.
In an interview, Adam West confessed that: “Magical things happened in the recording studio. We had sex behind the sets, between scenes, in the dressing rooms, everywhere.”
In his autobiography, he even revealed that one of his unfulfilled fantasies was to have a “Batthreesome” with Yvonne Craig, the actress who played Batgirl.
Adam West died on June 9, 2017 at the age of 88 in Los Angeles, California, after a brief battle with leukemia. His children will always remember him as their hero and as The Dark Knight who inspired his fans to have a positive attitude towards obstacles in their lives.
No Comments