Adam West Movies

Bet you thought that Lois has been ignoring all of her baby son Stewie's attempts to kill these past four seasons, didn't you? In truth, Lois is fully aware of Stewie's homicidal streak--and she holds her husband Peter to blame for not spending enough quality time with his infant offspring. Thus it is that Peter and Stewie make a mutually uncomfortable effort to bond. . .and it's a frightening thing to see. On the other hand, some viewers might get a case of the creeps while watching the episode's subplot, in which Stewie's slacker brother Chris becomes friends with Herbert, one of the weirdest of Family Guy's many peripheral characters. All this, plus quickie references to Michael Eisner, Penelope Cruz, Captain EO and the internet "flash cartoon" Peanut Butter Jelly Time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Swept away by a hurricane, Peter and his pals Quagmire, Joe and Cleveland manage to float to safety by using one of Quagmire's sex dolls as a raft (and don't ask what they ate during their ordeal!) Meanwhile, the town of Quahog holds a memorial for the "lost" neighbors, while Peter's wife Lois marries their family dog Brian, who is supporting the family as a used-car salesman. The fun begins when after four months, Peter returns, placing Lois in the awkward position of cheating on her husband WITH her husband! This inside-joke-studded spoof of the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away was ironically bumped from its scheduled September 11, 2005 telecast date due to ongoing news coverage of Hurricane Katrina. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Peter thinks he's suddenly become brilliant after winning a game of "Trivial Pursuit", little realizing that Lois had merely let him win. To let Peter down easy, Brian the dog arranges for his master to get an IQ test. As a result, Peter is classified as "retarded"--and he intends to take full advantage of the fact that the world gives a special pass to Special People. In the same spirit of taste and delicacy, this episode offers a musical performance by a singing tumor, and a knee-slapping reference to the bombing of Hiroshima. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fed up with being shot down by good-looking guys again and again, Meg decided to undergo a fashion makeover. The Griffins are so impressed by the results that they instantly form themselves into a family singing group. They are booked on Saturday Night Live, where Meg makes a rather abrupt transition from girlhood to womanhood. Those keeping track of the series' cultural references should have their hands full in this episode, which includes "quotes" from Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, King of the Hill, The Wizard of Oz, The Empire Strikes Back, Coyote Ugly, MAD TV and the collected works of Garrison Keillor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Holy Thomas Wolfe! The same team responsible for the "retro" TV movie Surviving Gilligan's Island (including executive producer and former Gilligan co-star Dawn Wells) were responsible for this nostalgic hark back to the classic Batman TV series of the late '60s. In rehashing the creation and popularity of Batman, screenwriter Duane Poole draws heavily upon the autobiographies of stars Adam West (Batman) and Burt Ward (Robin, the Boy Wonder) -- with special emphasis on Ward's recollections of the Dynamic Duo's alleged sexual escapades both on and off the set. To avoid a dry recitation of names, dates, and statistics, the producers contrive to "bookend" the flashback sequences with a campy present-day plot line, wherein the 74-year-old Adam West and 56-year-old Burt Ward (as themselves) team up to locate the original Batmobile, which has been stolen from under their very noses at a gala auto show. An unknown enemy of the two actors plants a series of cryptic clues, leading West and Ward on a picturesque journey back to Hollywood, with memorable stopovers at a roadside bar and a restored movie palace along the way.
Every so often, the veteran performers pause to remember significant events from their Bat-past (including the adulation of fans, battles with network censors, egotistical flare-ups on the set, and their own marital breakups), while in fine old Batman tradition an unseen narrator (whose identity is sublimely significant to the story line) delivers warnings of impending doom. Also keeping in the spirit of the original series are the bizarre, off-center camera angles, the onomatopoeic "Bam!," "Pow!," and "Zowie!" superimpositions during the fight sequences, the steady stream of inside jokes (including a running gag involving Adam West's notorious stinginess), and the amusing cameo appearances by former "special guest villains": Frank Gorshin, Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether. A bit of Pirandello wafts into the proceedings as well, whenever either West or Ward cheerily comments on the fact that he realizes he's only acting in a TV movie, or that a commercial break is overdue. Though it strains much too hard for laughs at times, the film at least deserves credit for trying to be different from the usual run of TV biopics. Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt made its CBS Bat-bow on March 9, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode features three short segments based on viewer suggestions. In "No Bones About It," a genie comes out of Peter's (voice of Seth MacFarlane) beer bottle and grants him three wishes. His first wish is to see what Kelly Ripa (who does her own voice) is like off the set. He wishes that he had his own theme music. This wish leads to trouble. While Peter enjoys the "traveling music" that plays as he rides the bus, another passenger takes offense, and threatens to "break every bone" in his body. So Peter makes his third wish -- "I wish I had no bones." The Griffin family is so unhappy with Peter's transformation into an amorphous blob that he tries to kill himself by letting himself down the drain. In "Super Griffins," the family is exposed to toxic waste and develops strange abilities. Stewie (MacFarlane) has telekinetic powers, Chris (voice of Seth Green) can conjure fire, Brian (MacFarlane) has super speed, Lois (voice of Alex Borstein) has super strength, Peter can shape shift, and hapless Meg (voice of Mila Kunis) can grow her fingernails really long in an instant. Despite Lois' call to use their powers responsibly, the Griffins soon run afoul of the authorities, and Mayor Adam West (voice of Adam West) exposes himself to toxic waste in order to do battle with them. In "Little Griffins," the characters are all bigheaded children, in some kind of godforsaken amalgam of Muppet Babies and The Little Rascals. Peter and Quagmire (MacFarlane) spend the night in a haunted house to prove to Lois that each is braver than the other. This episode features the voices of professional wrestler Goldberg, Adam Carolla, Michael Winslow, and Regis Philbin. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Lois (voice of Alex Borstein) learns that her sister Carol (voice of Carol Kane) is having a baby and that her husband has left her. Lois and Peter (voice of Seth MacFarlane) go to visit Carol, asking Quagmire (MacFarlane) to baby-sit. When Carol anxiously tells Peter that she's gone into labor, Peter warns her, "You let the kid start calling the shots now and you're screwed." Peter stops at the drive-thru on the way to the hospital. When Lois reminds him that Carol is having a baby, he adds a Kid's Meal to his order. At the hospital, the doctor injures himself, and Peter is called upon to deliver the baby. The experience leaves Peter yearning to experience fatherhood again, and he and Lois decide to have another child. When Stewie (MacFarlane) learns of their plan, he's horrified. He remembers "what happened to Bobby when they added Cousin Oliver to The Brady Bunch." "As God is my witness," he vows, "from this day forward, Peter and Lois shall not conceive." Stewie sets about thwarting his parents' intimacy by crawling into their bed at night. When he attempts to frame Peter by using Lois' lipstick to stain his shirt collars, he gets distracted by his reflection in the mirror and gets busted. "All this time spent trying to keep people from having sex!" he cries. "Now I know how the Catholic Church feels." Eventually, Stewie shrinks himself and his laser gun-equipped "spaceship" to near-microscopic size, and enters Peter with the intention of making all-out war on his sperm. But he's surprised to find a formidable opponent (voice of Wallace Shawn) in one of Peter's seed. This episode features the voice of frequent contributor Gary Cole as Mike Brady. Cole also played Brady in Brady Bunch feature films. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

To compensate for a huge pay cut, Drew (Drew Carey) rents his spare room to a gay couple named Mitch and Les--played, believe it or don't, by Adam West (Batman) and Max Gail (Barney Miller)! The couple proves to be quite handy helping Lewis (Ryan Stiles) and Oswald (Diedrich Bader) decorate their house in the park, and in helping Drew find a better job at a better store. Alas, Drew's new responsibilities as efficiency expert succeed primarily in cutting himself out of a job! When this episode was rebroadcast by ABC on May 1, 2002, viewers were treated to the "flub version", with blown lines and breakups intact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Frankie (Trevor Lissauer) is a young man who seems to have hit the jackpot: Moondoggie (Johnny Venocur), a cool -- if a little strange -- dude Frankie met at the beach, throws a wild party at Frankie's parents' house, with two beautiful and sexually adventurous women (Carmen Electra and Deborah Xavier) as invitees. But in the morning, the party people are still at the house. In fact, they have no intentions of leaving. In fact, they are all vampires and they intend to hide out at Frankie's house while dining on the neighbors and pets. Frankie enlists the help of the Big Kahuna (Adam West), a veteran vampire killer and legendary surfer dude, to rid his house of these pesky bloodsuckers. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide

This documentary contains footage of custom cars made famous in Hollywood movies. Interviews with the people who designed the vehicles are combined with footage of the cars in the movies and on the road. Among the famous wheels on display are the Batmobile, the cars from American Graffiti, and the time-traveling Delorean from Back to the Future. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Alex, an undergraduate art student at a California school, attempts to find meaning and purpose in his life in this satirical Canadian comedy-drama. He decides that the only way to accomplish this is to become a filmmaker. Unfortunately he has no inspiration as to a subject matter until he looks closely at his fringe-dwelling buddy Gnome, a Venice Beach comic-book store owner who considers every aspect of life a political cause to fight against. Gnome is truly a bizarre character and the perfect subject for a film. Now that Alex has a subject, he needs the cash to make his film. Helpful Gnome grabs his life-savings and heads off to Vegas to win some cash for his friend, leaving Alex and his pals to race after him before he destroys his life. During the chase, Alex finds himself falling for punk-rocker Maggie. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this installment of the series American Traditions, railroads are explored. Actor Adam West narrates this look at the combining of two railroads. American Traditions: The Golden Spike explores the joining of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads in Promontory Point, UT. ~ Linda J. Shriver, All Movie Guide

In this espionage drama, an ex-CIA agent is rehired to lead a special assault force against the guerillas who have abducted a scientist's daughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide