It's unlikely that anyone will ever credit Adam West with giving the most comic book accurate portrayal of The Dark Knight, but his incarnation of Batman holds a serious place in all of our hearts. The comical, campy Batman of the 1960's has become iconic in its own right, and in many ways it often represents a welcome reprieve from the doom and gloom of most other versions. Batman '66 was clearly fun to shoot, but which member of the show's villainous ensemble did Adam West like working with the most? As it turns out: he loved Catwoman. West explained:
That's easy. Catwoman. She gave me curious stirrings in my utility belt.
Adam West recently took the stage Fan Expo Canada 2016 for a Q&A session, where he dished about the original run of Batman back in the1960s. When asked about his favorite member of the cast to work with, he answered "Catwoman," citing the "curious stirrings" line uttered during an episode in Season 2 when he played Batman opposite Julie Newmar's Catwoman -- the line itself has actually become a fairly iconic innuendo from the 1960s.
Of course, Catwoman wasn't alone on that list. Adam West would go on to include the likes of The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) and The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) among his other favorites. From top to bottom, the Batman series of the 1960s was chock full of legendary portrayals of iconic characters; it's hard to pick favorites among them.
It's also worth noting that Adam West never specifically stated which Catwoman actress he preferred working with. He technically referenced an episode in which Julie Newmar portrayed the character, but Eartha Kitt stepped into the role of Selina Kyle a.k.a Catwoman during Batman's third season when Newmar had to depart the series to work on Mackenna's Gold. Both Newmar and Kitt have become equally iconic for their specific takes on Catwoman, so Adam West could really be referring to either (or both) of them.
But if you consider yourself a fan of Julie Newmar's take on the character, then you're in luck. Newmar will once again join Adam West and Burt Ward in the 1966 Batman mythos when the upcoming animated feature Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders hits shelves this fall. Even in a time dominated by gritty superhero movies, it's clear that people still have a soft spot for the camp of a bygone era.
Check out the trailer for the upcoming animated feature below:
Adam West may have aged since Batman's heyday, but he hasn't slowed down. He's as quick-witted and charming as he ever been, and we're so glad that he and Julie Newmar going to return to the roles of Batman and Catwoman later this year -- even if it's a voice-over job. Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders will be available on Digital HD on October 11, and the Blu-ray and DVD will hit shelves on November 1.
