West Statue Design Revealed

A miniature version of  a statue of Adam West was unveiled on the second annual Adam West Day in Walla Walla, according to Jonathan Grant one of a group of  local residents who have worked on honoring the memory of the late actor who achieved TV fame playing Batman.

Ruben Procopio is the designer of the statue.  The location of the proposed statue has not been determined according to Grant. 

West, whose real name was Bill Anderson, was a native of Walla Walla.

Trio Of Adam West Fans Want To Rename A Walla Walla Park

 

Jonathan Grant, Adam Lore, and Don Roff, Adam West super fans who were behind establishing a day in his honor, are now moving to change the name of a Walla Walla park.  Menlo Park is not far from the house on Alvarado Terrace where West, then known as Bill Anderson lived with his family as a child.
West, who died last year, would go on to play one of TV's most iconic characters, Batman.
The three fans have been researching the history of the park tucked away in an eastside residential area.
So far, they have found no historical significance to the Menlo Park name.  

Walla Walla Adam West Celebration This Week

Walla Walla's celebration of hometown hero Adam West will be tomorrow (Tuesday, September 19th).  A whole days events are planned and can be seen by clicking here.  West, who died from Leukemia earlier this year, grew up in Walla Walla, and is revered in the town where he was known by his real name, Bill Anderson.  West became a pop culture icon by playing Batman in the mid 60s TV series.

Walla Walla And The World Mourn West

This weekend, the world stopped to mourn a Walla Walla guy.  Like the iconic character he played, Adam West had an alter ego, a true identity, if you will.  When Bill Anderson landed in Hollywood, there was a well known singer that also had that name,  according to his dad, Otto Anderson.  In the early 70s, I accompanied my parents to a Little Theatre cast party at the senior Mr. Anderson's house and he was more than happy to explain the name change.  Mr. Anderson said Adam took the "West" from his own middle name. 
As I was growing up in Walla Walla, West was well loved.  He was a seemingly isolated town's connection to Hollywood.  I have heard that he visited his home town often.   As I have said, the only time that I met him in person was at a cocktail party in San Diego.
 You can probably say that he was the most famous person to hail from Walla Walla.  Drew Bledsoe, is the other famous Walla Wallan. Bledsoe achieved national fame as quarterback for the Walla Walla High School Blue Devils and the WSU Cougars.  As a first draft choice in the NFL in 1993. he enjoyed a stellar career with the New England Patriots.
After the Batman series,  West would suffer from typecasting, being denied roles because viewers would only see him as Batman.  However, West found a way to make a comeback leveraging his fame playing the character, along with America's appetite for nostalgia.  He was also able to use social networking to his advantage. 
West did a voiceover for himself in The Simpson's and did a guest appearance on The Big Bang Theory.  He eventually was casted as the voice for Mayor Adam West in the Family Guy cartoon series.
Adam West's passing started a love fest on Twitter, Facebook, and traditional media.
 Probably, very few of his fans knew he was from Walla Walla.  Probably even fewer knew his real name was William West Anderson, but West touched  the heart of his hometown where he will be remembered forever as Bill Anderson, a Walla Wallan

Caped Crusader Walla Walla Native Adam West Dies

Adam West, one of  the most famous natives of my hometown of Walla Walla, has died.  West, was born William West Anderson in Walla Walla. His portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman on ABC TV in the mid 60s became a worldwide cultural phenomenon.
The somewhat comical portrayal of Batman would differ from later movies of the super hero which were darker in nature.
Batman was a must-watch for me as a child. It was unique in that it was done in two parts.  At the end of the first episode, Batman and Robin (his youthful ward) would be caught in a dangerous situation and the next night he would somehow escape and solve the crime
I met West briefly at a cocktail party in San Diego.  My brother was attending Comic-Com and my dad and I went along for the ride.   West recognized my dad in the hotel lobby from his Walla Walla High School days and invited him to a reception.  West introduced himself to me as both Adam West and Bill Anderson.  Not knowing what to say, I asked him how he and Robin were able to get on a pole in suits and arrive  on the bottom in costume, I knew it was a film splice. 
West worked in Walla Walla radio and was a graduate of Whitman College.  His family says he died after a short bout of leukemia.  He was 88.

Starring Adam West - Official Trailer

Adam West, a Walla Walla native who shot to stardom in the 1960s, faced the perils of typecasting after the run of Batman.  He alludes to his Hollywood journey in this video.

Yvonne Craig Made An Impact

She played Batgirl for one season 47  years ago, but viewers remember Yvonne Craig.  Craig's character was created for what became the last season of Batman.  A former ballerina, Craig did her own stunts.  She would also play a memorable character on Star Trek. 
Craig died Monday in Pacific Palisades after a two year battle with cancer.  She was 78.

Congratulations To Adam West!

The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reports that Pop Culture Icon Adam West will get a star today on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.  West, who brought the comic book character Batman to life from 1966-1968 on ABC TV, is a native of Walla Walla and would be on any list for most famous figures to hail from there.  He graduated from Lakeside High here in the Seattle area, then graduated from Whitman College.  The Wikipedia reports that West's star will be at 6764 Hollywood Blvd.