Earlier this week, we reported that Los Angles mayor Eric Garcetti and police chief Charlie Beck will light the iconic Bat-Signal on the Los Angeles City Hall, in honor of the late great Adam West, who passed away last week at the age of 88, after a long battle with leukemia. In case you couldn’t make it to downtown Los Angeles last night, we have a new video of the Bat-Signal being lit, along with excerpts from the speeches given by Eric Garcetti, Charlie Beck and surprise guest Burt Ward, who played Robin in the original Batman TV series alongside Adam West. We have photos from the event as well. Here’s what Burt Ward had to say in his speech.
“My friend Adam would want every single one of you to be incredibly happy, and to be joyous, because he spent his entire life as a performer, making people happy, making them laugh, and trying to make this world a better place. So thank you for coming out. Wowee-zowee!”
The video from Associated Press also reveals that they brought the original Batmobile from the iconic Batman TV series, which ran for three seasons between 1966 and 1969, along with the iconic red Bat-phone from the series. The video also includes parts of Eric Garcetti and Charlie Beck’s speeches, who reveals that, as a real-life chief of police, he has often wanted to turn on the Bat-signal. The brief video concludes with the Bat-signal being turned on, shining on the top of L.A.’s City Hall.
We have also been provided with photos from the event, which reveals other special guests who were in attendance, to honor the late Adam West. These guests include Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment and President of Warner Bros. Consumer Products, and series co-stars Burt Ward and Lee Meriwether (The Catwoman), along with Adam West’s family, including wife Marcelle West. Also in attendance was Batman ’66 Meets the Green Hornet co-writer and actor Ralph Garman and DC Comics publisher Jim Ward.
The original announcement from earlier this week revealed that for those who couldn’t attend the tribute, Adam West’s family encouraged the late actor’s fans, a.k.a. “old chums,” to donate to the Adam West Memorial Fund for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Camp Rainbow Gold, an Idaho-based charity for children diagnosed with cancer and their families. It hasn’t been announced yet if there will be a public memorial service for Adam West, but last night’s ceremony was certainly a fitting tribute to this legendary actor.
The actor did return to his roots as the Caped Crusader in last year’s hit animated movie Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, where he was joined by Burt Ward and another original Batman TV series star, Julie Newmar, as Catwoman. The voice cast also includes Steven Weber as Alfred Pennyworth, Thomas Lennon as Chief O’Hara, Jeff Bergman as The Joker and The Announcer, William Salyers as The Penguin, Wally Wingert as The Riddler, Lynne Marie Stewart as Aunt Harriett, Jim Ward as Commissioner Gordon and Sirena Irwin as TV show host Miranda Moore. A sequel is already in the works, with William Shatner voicing Two-Face, with Warner Bros. recently confirming that Adam West had already completed his voice work prior to his passing. Take a look at the video and photos from last night’s ceremony honoring the original Batman, Adam West.
