Robin actor from 1966’s Batman Burt Ward talks about why he felt like the show was a huge success for its time.
Ward recently celebrated his 80th birthday on July 6th. Remind Magazine did an interview with the former Boy Wonder and asked him also about his favorite episodes, as well as favorite villains.
Why Was ‘Batman ’66’ a Success?
When guessing why the original series was a smash hit, Ward pointed towards the chemistry between him and Batman actor Adam West. It also helped that the then-new invention of color television made the world so over-the-top and memorable.
We just had this instant chemistry. I think this is one of the reasons that Batman was so successful. Of course, you’ve got the fact that it was in color. We were one of the first television series in all colors and look how colorful it is. How could you have anything more colorful than Batman, the villains and the Batmobile? That Batmobile became the most famous car in the entire world.
The “Holy this” and “Holy that,” which was a signatory. Even today you have people in everyday life saying, “Holy this” or “Holy that.” They’ll say that all which emanated from our series. All of that was just overwhelming and kids went crazy. In 1968, when we came on primetime twice a week. We were the No. 1 and No. 2 television show in the entire world. There was nothing that came close to us.
Ward Loving to Meet Famous Actors
When asked about what his favorite episode is, Ward did not give a definitive answer. To him, he enjoyed all of them because he was able to meet a rotating list guest stars of famous movie and television stars.
Oh, I like all of them. You got to understand — for me — as a young actor, working with these incredible stars, I was the kid in the candy store. Every episode included somebody that I idolized, either by watching them in movie theaters or on TV. Everyone was a superstar to me, and they were incredibly nice. In fact, I learned a kind of famous phrase: “The bigger they are, the nicer they are.” Now I’m not sure about today’s world. But back then, it was the integrity and professionalism, everyone knew their lines perfectly. They were on time. They never missed a take, and it was just a level of precision. It was awesome to watch as a young actor.
Burt Ward on the Villains
The interviewer asked if Burt Ward had any favorite villains. Once again, he did not have one specific choice.
I like all of them. I because all three of the cat women, Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether and Eartha Kitt, they all brought something different, and all did a great job. You must understand for these stars love doing Batman and I’ll tell you why. Because they were limited by that character’s personality and traits in whatever movie or TV show they are doing.
But on Batman, oh no, they could be bigger, broader, larger than life and more evil than anything imaginable. Every one of them went crazy because they could just do whatever they wanted and would not be limited. Listen to Frank Gorshin’s crazy, insane laugh or Cesar Romero’s laugh – both are completely different. These actors loved being on Batman.
Check out the rest of the interview at the link below. It also delves into Ward’s current mission to help rescue dogs.
Source: Remindmagazine.com
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