Download Back to the Batcave Adam West Jeff Rovin 9780425143704 Books
Download Back to the Batcave Adam West Jeff Rovin 9780425143704 Books
Download As PDF : Back to the Batcave Adam West Jeff Rovin 9780425143704 Books
The star of television's legendary show
Download Back to the Batcave Adam West Jeff Rovin 9780425143704 Books
"Adam West talks about his time before and during portraying Bruce Wayne/Batman. An excellent read and a fantastic treat for anyone wondering WHAT KIND OF MAN SLIDES DOWN A POLE AND GOES RACING OFF DRESSED AS A BAT. Really takes you along for what was a thrilling ride."
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Tags : Back to the Batcave [Adam West, Jeff Rovin] on . The star of television's legendary show <IT>Batman <RO>gives a behind-the-scenes tour of what really went on in Gotham City,Adam West, Jeff Rovin,Back to the Batcave,Berkley,0425143708,Entertainment Performing Arts,Actors, American;Biography.,Batman (Television program).,Television programs;United States.,1928-2017,Batman (Fictitious character),Biography,Biography Autobiography,Biography Autobiography / Entertainment Performing Arts,Biography Autobiography / General,Biography/Autobiography,Biography film, television music,GENERAL,General Adult,History,Non-Fiction,TELEVISION PLAYS AND PROGRAMS,Television,Television programs,United States,West, Adam,West, Adam,,Batman (Television program)
Back to the Batcave Adam West Jeff Rovin 9780425143704 Books Reviews :
Back to the Batcave Adam West Jeff Rovin 9780425143704 Books Reviews
- If you follow my reviews, you know that I like Batman on a whole which probably makes me biased. Now to be sure, this book is probably not for you if you aren't a fan of the old 60s series. Well, that said, the book is absolutely phenomenal. I apologize for the cliche, but I 'just couldn't put it down.' The book is nicely divided into several chapters, and Adam talks about the different aspects of his life. A little bit on his childhood, some of his work before Batman, a moment in his life that foreshadowed his role as Batman, and elements of his domestic life. One thing you will notice in this book is that West is NOT uptight and stiff like his most famous character. He writes very flowingly and at times he touches us closely with his experiences. Some things have a comical aspect. (Like how the mask compromised his vision, so he had to get familiar with the set to avoid tripping.) He also explains that to do a character convincingly, the actor has to understand and know who he is portraying; another amusing thing was he reveals that one of the reasons he often made exaggerated gestures was to compensate for the fact that for obvious reasons, facial expressions were not so much an option for him. He also gives a generous amount of time to the other cast members. (Another thing that shows Adam's abilites as a writer is that while he will admit that his favorite villains were Newmar as Catwoman and Gorshin as the Riddler, he explains why the Joker (Romero) and the Penguin (Meredith) held the most popular villain spots. The only guest star he really knocks is Otto Preminger as Mr. Freeze. He also talks a little about the equipment like the Batmobile. (It wasn't so easy to drive.) Another thing that shows his ability to write well is that while he liked Yvonne Craig as a person, he explains (without knocking her) that he was not overly delighted at the presence of her character. Some other significant chapters focus on his personal life. (How his domestic life was affected for the worse, how being famous came with some negative elements, and how he was affected when Batman was cancelled.) There is a deep sadness in how his life was brought to a sudden detour when this happened, and how he realized that being Batman gave him some years of fame but made it difficult to find work afterwards. To be sure, he did some work in movies and telvision, but nothing really gave him the popularity of the batdays. He later tells about an experience where he had to become Batman for real one day when on a vacation, someone attacked a girl with a machete. All in all, this is an absolute MUST for fans of the 60s Batman series. Perhaps one of the greatest chapters is where he explains why he was hurt at not being asked to do Batman in the Burton movies. (And it wasn't just jealousy.) He had some really understandable reasons for being angered and hurt. (I did notice one glitch. He said he voiced a 'villain' Grey Ghost in the animated series.) Well, the Grey Ghost was not a villain. He was the childhood hero of Kevin Conroy's Batman, and on top of that Adam West's Grey Ghost helped Kevin Conroy's Batman stop the villain in that episode. A final passage that ties the book together is that even though playing Batman came with a price, he accepted that everything comes with good and bad, and that when he thinks of the good, he didn't regret it at all. This is NOT AT ALL the work of someone looking for a few dollars. This is a book full of interesting experiences, and written with honest heart felt emotions. Sometimes they are comical, sad, or objective. Good luck trying to put this book down once you pick it up. If you enjoy this book, be sure to get the dvd "Return to the Batcave." Many of the events in this book will be seen in that recent movie.
- Really good read. Was surprised.
- I was born in 1967 and became an avid Batman fan as a result of encountering reruns of the television show, back when I was too young to know it was a comedy. That led me to the comic books, in which I discovered the artwork of Neal Adams and the grim, gritty Batman of the early seventies (which, at least in part, eventually led to a career in illustrative design). So the pop art sixties Batman and "The Batman" in his darker incarnation always co-existed for me. Regardless, in my mind Adam West was the REAL Batman. This was confirmed when I actually shook his gloved hand at a Cleveland autorama in second grade.
I remember seeing West show up here and there on television while growing up, half the time as Batman or with other cast members. I was always puzzled as to why he didn't have another show. Mr. Spock was hosting "In Search Of", and Capt. Kirk showed up on T.J. Hooker eventually. I remember seeing him in a few old movies or TV shows on Saturday afternoons.
This book tells the whole story, and as an adult, a few things strike me about it 1) Adam West has had to deal with a lot of career disappointment in a life that probably seemed to have no limits at all at the height of the Batman craze, and that's rather painful to think about. 2) When I shook this man's hand, he was driven to wear his costume again by sheer economics and desperation for paying work. 3) Where many would have given up or drowned in self pity or humiliation, Adam West emerged as an appreciative and gracious man.
I suspect the book will be of little interest to those who are not fans of the Batman TV series, particularly because the author maintains some decorum and respect and dishes virtually no dirt. I found that refreshing. I gave the book four stars instead of five only because it seemed a little bit cursory.
As some have noted elsewhere, the book's epilogue about the Tim Burton film is somewhat regrettable. I can fully understand why West sees himself as the definitive Batman character, much in the same way Clayton Moore views himself as the true Lone Ranger. But he's wrong. Batman was a lot of things before Adam West, and he's been a lot of things since Adam West, and the TV show was just a sliver of the character's history (and a peculiar one at that). So while I agreed with West's assertion that a new Batman movie starring the old TV cast would have been interesting and possibly successful (particularly on television), there was nothing wrong in 1989 with a new approach that steered entirely clear of any connection to the comedic sixties incarnation. That said, Michael Keaton was a horrible Bruce Wayne.
It's been great in recent years to see Adam West embrace and capitalize on his pop icon status, and to see his humor and good natured self-deprecation on display. I find this almost heroic coming from a guy who reluctantly spent a couple of decades scratching out a living on the county fair and car show circuit. I personally think he's a brilliant comedian, a one-of-a-kind personality who could have accomplished nearly anything. It's nice to see him in demand and enjoying new popularity. - I applaude Mr. West and Mr. Ward and all the other actors who participated in this cheesy and campy show. It was pure magic and fun. T.V. at this time, was still permitting youngsters to use their imaginations, this, in order to put them into their heroes shoes. Today's shows are crap!
For in the book, we get to see the behind the scenes friendships and hardships that were forged during those two short years of the shows run. How quickly success can get away. They at least left out on top and were forever burned in the memory of millions of kids around the globe.
If you are true 1966 Batman and Robin fan, then get this book! - Loved the inside scoop on a beloved character from my childhood. Wish it were updated with recent activity though. Fantastic as is.
- Adam West talks about his time before and during portraying Bruce Wayne/Batman. An excellent read and a fantastic treat for anyone wondering WHAT KIND OF MAN SLIDES DOWN A POLE AND GOES RACING OFF DRESSED AS A BAT. Really takes you along for what was a thrilling ride.
- Not bad. I like it when an actor is willing to share with the reader as much as he can recollect. Maybe the book is a little shorter than it can be but he does a nice job of providing a Batman tv show episode-by-episode summary of the plot including trivia specific to things that happened.
The only thing missing out of this book written twenty years ago is Adam's experiences on the Family Guy. Oh, to be a fly on the wall on what goes into the production of that wicked show. Hopefully he is not through with adding to his story. - I thought Mr West did not go deep enough into behind the scenes episodes with all the great famous villains , it was more about how he lived and worked leading into becoming Batman
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