Comic book television did not begin or end with the existence of the camp-driven 1960s Batman series, but the genre has yet to come close to matching its hilariously absurd tone and approach. It's equally likely no superhero TV show will be able to match the leading man prowess of Adam West, whose comedic efforts extended beyond the TV screen and into, believe it or not, phone books. It turns out the actor, who sadly passed away just days ago, used his local phonebook for a fun prank that felt a little more Riddler than Batman.
A former resident of Sun Valley, Idaho, Adam West made his presence known in a nifty way that definitely rewarded people who like poring through phone books. (Pretend like I just made the expected joke about nobody having used phone books since AOL Instant Messenger was communication central.) If someone would attempt to look up West's phone number and/or address, as pop culture activist Rusty Blazenhoff had previously done, that person would get the excellent note to "See Wayne, Bruce (Millionaire)." I'm pretty sure no actual millionaires would post such a distinction publicly.
So if you go down this bat-rabbit hole a little deeper by heading to the Bruce Wayne entry, then you'll see a brilliant new direction to take your search. Bruce Wayne the millionaire cannot be reached by direct contact, so seekers are told to consult the Crimefighters section of the Yellow Pages. A pretty bizarre piece of advice, to be sure, and it's made all the more amusing when one notices that there's only one entity in Sun Valley that gets the distinction of being a Crimefighter.
Ha! And, as one might have guessed, heading back to check the Batman entry in the White Pages will send readers right back to looking up Adam West, creating what is probably the first and only "Bat-closed circuit of telephone book identification." Technically, this all goes a little too far in connecting Batman and his secret identity, but I suppose it's forgivable since none of it is real. (I totally know it's all real, guys.) Check it out below!
This was thankfully far form the only time that Adam West has shown his love for the Batman brand in the decades after the TV show came to an end. He provided fun behind-the-scenes stories and conversations about his time as Batman for the show's conversion to Blu-ray a few years ago, and he even legitimately returned to the role of Batman itself for last year's animated feature Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. (And while not necessarily Batman-related, he provided voicework for NBC's short-lived Powerless, set in the DC Comics universe.) But if any of West's fans ever tried giving him a ring without having an inside line to the Bat-Phone, then it likely wasn't as easy task.
Farewell once again, Adam West, and we're hoping that big Batcave in the sky couldn't be more comfortable and inviting. You will be missed.
