Go! West, Old Man

Holy Birthdays, Batman! Adam West turns 80 this Friday. Forget all the recent movies and their saturnine set of caped crusaders, Adam West was the full on Biff! Bang! Pow! of square-jawed heroes and let's face it, the relationship between Denny Crain and Alan Shore today of the veteran (played by another camp icon, William Shatner) and his ward is really just Batman and Robin for the aughts. Take that to your Bat Cave and wonder, boy. (Does that make Candice Bergen Aunt Harriet?) Still, anything that taught us a hero ain't nothing but a punchline can't be all bad, and that West didn't quite seem to be in on the joke--although the costume shoulda been a wee hint--only makes him more remarkable. He never smirks from around that cowl, never lets his guard down (or anything up, and with that costume we woulda known) even with the purr-fection of Julie Newmar nearby. Of course West has been stuck being Batman for the rest of his life, but there are worse things than being a joke for not being in on the joke one's a joke. Just ask George Clooney, although he's seemed to have done alright since his terrible time in the tights.