Adam West Movies
Whitman College graduate Adam West began getting his first acting breaks in 1959. That was the year that West, newly signed to a Warner Bros. contract, was cast in the small but pivotal role of Diane Brewster's impotent husband in The Young Philadelphians. After two years' worth of guest-star assignments in Warners' TV product (he was hung by his heels and humiliated by James Garner in a memorable Maverick episode), West accepted the role of Sergeant Steve Nelson on the weekly TVer Robert Taylor's Detectives. In 1962, the series was cancelled, compelling West to free-lance in such films as Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964, as the astronaut who doesn't make it back) and Island of the Blue Dolphins (1964). In 1965, he landed his biggest and best role to date: Millionaire Bruce Wayne, aka the "Caped Crusader", on the smash TV series Batman. Approaching the role with the seriousness and sobriety usually afforded MacBeth or Hamlet, West struck the happy medium between "camp" and conviction. Though in recent years West has apparently basked in the adulation he has received for his two-year stint as Batman, at the time the series was cancelled in 1968, he vowed to distance himself as far from the character as possible, accepting villainous TV and film roles and even fitfully pursuing a singing career. His movie projects ranged from sublime (Marriage of a Young Stockbroker, Hooper) to ridiculous (The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington); no matter what the role, however, West's performance was invariably compared to his Batman work. Finally adopting an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" stance, West began making appearances at nostalgia conventions, supplied his vocal talents to the 1977 animated series The New Adventures of Batman, and publicly expressed disappointment that he was not offered a cameo role in the 1989 big-screen blockbuster Batman (he did however, provide a voice-over for the 1992 Fox TV series Batman: The New Adventures, not as Batman but as a washed-up superhero called the Gray Ghost). Adam West's most recent TV projects have included the weekly series The Last Precinct (1986) and Danger Theatre (1993); he also served as a spokesperson for the Nickelodeon cable network, a service specializing in nostalgia-inducing reruns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1984
- R
In 1966, Adam West starred as the Caped Crusader on Batman. One of the series' guest villains was Catwoman, played by Tina Louise. Eighteen years later, West and Louise were reunited for the raunchy motorcycle flick Hellriders. Both actors far outclass the plotline, which is the usual Wild One routine about a small town being taken over by skuzzy cyclists. Evidently, Adam and Tina survived the order of Hellriders, else why would they show up, none the worse for wear, as guest stars on a 1995 episode of TV's Hope and Gloria? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam West, Tina Louise, (more)
- 1983
I Take These Men is a variation on the 1941 Ginger Rogers theatrical feature Tom, Dick, and Harry. While being feted at a surprise 15th wedding anniversary party, Carol Sherwood (Susan St. James) startles the well-wishers by asking her dull dentist husband, Stuart (James Sherwood), for a divorce. As the party nervously continues, Carol fantasizes what her life might have been like had she married one of her three guests: pompous real-estate mogul Craig Wyler (Adam West), nerdish professor David Koenig (John Rubinstein), or good-natured truck driver Phil Zakarian (Brian Dennehy) -- who happens to be the husband of her best friend, Elaine (Dee Wallace). Just in case the viewer doesn't find all this funny, the producers have helpfully added a laugh track. I Take These Men was unveiled by CBS on January 5, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this spooky horror outing aimed at teen audiences, the innocent new girl in town tries to become friends with a rough but cool crowd. They are all pretty mean, especially the young woman who is mad that the girl stole her boyfriend, and they decide that the girl must survive an ordeal before they let her join their gang. They send her to a funeral home to spend the night by herself. Unfortunately, none of them realize that it is inhabited by a murderous ghost just waiting to suck the life out of all of them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meg Tilly, Robin Evans, (more)
- 1982
Former "Batman" Adam West appears in this episode as retired circus aerialist Edgar Garibaldi. While dating Edgar, Laverne (Penny Marshall) is flattered by his attentions, until discovering that she bears a startling resemblance to his ex-partner. Guilt-ridden since his partner's tragic trapeze accident, Garibaldi begins acting very, very strangely around Laverne--convincing our heroine that she is destined to be murdered! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Veteran comedy specialist Hal Kanter milks every chuckle, chortle and guffaw of Stanley Ralph Ross' teleplay for For the Love of It. The story gets under way when the bad guys surreptitiously plant top-secret documents on a model (Deborah Raffin) and a med student (Jeff Conaway). He's crazy about her, while she can't stand him. Even so, the two protagonists are compelled to join forces when the bad guys start pursuing them. The bulk of the film is a zany, Mack Sennett-style chase, replete with goofy sight gags. In addition, this may be the first made-for-TV movie to tap the comedy potential of Elvis imitators. For the Love of It was originally telecast September 26, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
- R
The notorious madam Xaviera Hollander travels to Tinseltown to film her illustrious autobiography in this comedy. The trouble begins when she encounters a few crooked producers looking to exploit her. Look for a variety of second-string and cult stars including Martine Beswick, Dick Miller, and Adam West. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martine Beswicke, Adam West, (more)
Following the blockbuster success of Smokey and the Bandit, Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and director Hal Needham reunited to make the very similar Hooper, an action-laced comedy about a Hollywood stunt man who enters a dangerous rivalry with a younger stunt man. Hooper (Reynolds) and the younger stunt man (Jan-Michael Vincent) compete in a series of increasingly complex stunts in order to earn the title of "the greatest stunt man alive." Hooper is lightweight, mindless fun that doesn't have much story, but it is a stronger film than Smokey and the Bandit, largely because the characters are somewhat stronger. Everyone involved looks like they're having fun; the good-humor translates on screen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Jan-Michael Vincent, (more)
- 1977
- R
When a sex scandal threatens to blow the top off Washington politics, celebrated madame and advice columnist Xaviera Hollander (Joey Heatherton) is drawn into the fray. The hooker at the center of the controversy is a friend, and when the girl conveniently disappears, Xaviera is outraged. Meanwhile, a group of senators attempts to deflect public attention from themselves by holding a series of hearings on sexual excesses in American society. They decide to scapegoat "The Happy Hooker" for her well-publicized exploits, and she is subpoenaed as a hostile witness in their crusade against loose values. Though Xaviera isn’t concerned, her attorney (George Hamilton) warns her that vital issues of censorship and personal freedom are at stake. They fly to Washington D.C., where Xaviera’s irreverent testimony breathes some life into the stuffy proceedings. She tweaks the sensibilities of the senators (David White, Phil Foster, Jack Carter and Ray Walston) and holds their hypocrisy up to the daylight. Halfway through the hearings, Xaviera is kidnapped by an undercover CIA agent (Billy Barty) and pressed into service for her country. She is secretly sent to Miami to seduce a politically important (and impotent) Arabian sheik (Jerry Fischer), and while doing her duty discovers the missing hooker among his harem. Xaviera returns to Washington and triumphantly discredits the senate sub-committee by exposing its members as perverts and white slavers, thus saving erotic freedom for Americans everywhere. Joe E. Ross, Larry Storch and Rip Taylor are among the celebrities who make cameos in this mild ribaldry. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joey Heatherton, George Hamilton, (more)
- 1976
Alice (Linda Lavin) has long been worried that her 12-year-old son Tommy (Philip McKeon) may not be growing up in an appropriate environment. Her fears would seem to be confirmed when she finds a picture of a naked woman in Tommy's wallet. Clearly, the time has come to tell Tommy the Facts of Life--and is Alice surprised when Tommy reveals how much he already knows! Former "Batman"Adam West guest stars in this episode, which originally marked Alice's move from a Tuesday-night to a Saturday-night timeslot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A handsome lawyer begins a passionate affair with an extraordinarily beautiful woman, not realizing that she is a paid assassin out to fulfill a contract with his name on it. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1975
An Indian half-breed skilled with a gun and his former mentor guard a shipment of explosives being transported across the Utah Territory. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- 1974
After the Rampart emergency team subdues a wild bear on a movie set, film star Vic Webster (played by Batman's Adam West) invites the firemen, paramedics and doctors to a lavish Hollywood party. But the crew barely has time to soak in all the glamour when another, more serious crisis occurs. Back at the hospital, Dr. Brackett (Robert Fuller) focuses his energies on a trichinosis victim. And in the field, a man threatens to blow himself up during a shootout with the cops. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Featured performances by American performers Adam West (best known in the U.S. as television's "Batman") and Rod Taylor distinguish this Yugoslavian action film about partisans. Anna is a Jewish girl who hopes to rescue her grandfather from the concentration camps. She encounters an Austrian soldier (West) whom she knew before the war. He wants to help her, but she will not allow it, knowing the danger involved. During their meeting the partisans attack, and she helps her friend escape then opts for joining the partisans rather than hiding out with the other Jews in her area. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In this comedy, a burned out bookkeeper thinks about selling his soul to Satan. His thoughts invoke the presence of a bungling messenger from the devil himself. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In this horror movie, set upon the English moors during Victorian times, children born under the astrological sign of Cancer are compelled to become part of a demonic union. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- R
A man who can't stop looking at other women finds that it might cost him his marriage in this farcical comedy. William and Lisa Alren (Richard Benjamin and Joanna Shimkus) are a young married couple whose relationship has begun to go stale. Bored and looking for diversion, William begins spying playfully on the sexual habits of their neighbors and watching attractive women passing by; while his voyeurism falls short of criminal activity, it doesn't sit at all well with Lisa. Eventually, she becomes so troubled by William's roving eye that she leaves their home and moves in with her sister Nan (Elizabeth Ashley), a harridan who has verbally browbeaten her attorney husband Chester (Adam West) into submission. At Nan's insistence and with Chester's help, Lisa begins divorce proceedings against William, but he tries to convince her to give him another chance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Benjamin, Joanna Shimkus, (more)
- 1970
Hollywood Blue is a compilation of scenes taken from cinematic pornography over the years. Mickey Rooney and June Wilkerson are interviewed and give their thoughts about the late Jane Mansfield. Supposedly, Marilyn Monroe is the subject of one film where the female writhes on the floor in her underpants. Another film is a homosexual meeting in a park between a sailor and a marine. One of the performers went on to a successful career as a rugged western film hero. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, June Wilkerson, (more)
- 1969
- R
Johnny Cain (Adam West) is a suave, smooth talking nightclub owner who helps the CIA undermine a conspiracy between the communists and the underworld in this routine mystery. With tips from his piano-playing pal Lucky (Buddy Greco), he manages to stay one step ahead of the villains as he races against time to stop their evil plan. Nancy Kwan, Nehemiah Persoff and Robert Alda also appear in this feature in which the promotional posters tried to capitalize on West's television success in "Batman." ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam West, Nancy Kwan, (more)
Tongue-in-cheek humor prevails in Batman, a witty homage to the Dynamic Duo's exaggerated exploits. The Caped Crusaders (Adam West and Burt Ward) are called in as a last resort when the criminal masterminds of the millennium team up to conquer Gotham City by turning the U.N. Security Council into dehydrated dust; among the villains are the Joker (Cesar Romero), Catwoman (Lee Meriwether), the Riddler (Frank Gorshin), and the Penguin (Burgess Meredith). The entire cast is excellent, particularly West and Ward, who distinguish themselves among a standout list with hilariously straight-faced performances. The film includes some truly memorable scenes, highlighted by a particularly tenacious shark with a vertical leap that would put Spud Webb to shame and a bomb on the waterfront with no place to explode (nuns, infants and lovebirds beware!). ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In this Alaskan adventure, kindly forest ranger Adam West endeavors to civilize a beautiful young girl who was raised by wolves after she saves him from a bear trap. Obstructing West's attempts are a greedy fellow who wants to sell her to a carnival. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam West, Linda Saunders, (more)
The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Joe De Rita) leave Boston for the Wild West when they are fired from the Society for the Preservation of Wildlife. With Eastern editor Kenneth Cabot (Adam West), the boys find themselves in lawless Wyoming and the target of every infamous gunslinger of the era. With help from Annie Oakley (Nancy Kovak), the Stooges and Cabot fight the likes of Billy the Kid, Johnny Ringo, Jesse James, Cole Younger, and the Dalton Gang, and soon Wild Bill Hickok and Bat Masters arrive in a blaze of bullets. Watch for longtime Stooges foil Emily Sitar in a triple role as Aberrant, a U.S. cavalry Colonel, and the Witch Doctor, with Henry Gibson as Charlie Horse, and Murray Alper as Chief Crazy Horse. Ellwood Ullman provides the screenplay from the story by director Norman Maurer, Moe's son-in-law. With character names like the Sunstroke Kid and Trigger Mortis, this last of the Stooges feature films ranks among the best. Annie has a fight in the middle of town with Belle Starr (Sally Starr), and the cowardly editor Cabot proves his bravery and falls for his heroine Annie. Years later in a tribute to history's longest running comedy trio, Adam West fondly remembered his experience in making The Outlaws Is Coming with the Stooges. West would score his biggest career plume with the television series Batman, but he was obviously in awe of working with Larry, Moe, and Curly Joe. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Fine, Moe Howard, (more)
- 1965
Just before gaining TV immortality as Batman, Adam West starred in this brutal spaghetti western. West plays a Texas ranger who comes up against four bandits (Robert Hundar, Red Ross, Robert Camardiel, Ralph Baldwyn). When they can't buy him off or kill him off, the Relentless Four frame West on a murder rap. When justice comes, it is swift, decisive and bloody. Funny how Relentless Four didn't get much play in the US until after Batman took hold. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
