September 19 Birthday Wishes

Adame West [1928 - ]
Ray Danton [1931 - 1992]

Howdy Manco!!

Adam West first appeared in film, in 1954 and began to make apearances on many of the t.v. westerns popular at the time, like The Rifleman, Colt .45, Sugarfoot and Cheyenne. It was in 1966, that he was offered the role of his life and that would forever typecast him, that of Batman on the highly popular t.v. series. The show ran for 2 & 1/2 years before it was cancelled and after it ended, it was difficult for West to get work. In his own words, after the show, he would be in discussions about films and the producer would say, Batman can't be in bed with Faye Dunaway or Batman can't do this or that. At one point, he was out of work for 2 years. Eventually, he overcame this and resumed work. In 1977, he was again cast as the comic book character in, The New Adventures Of Batman, although why he would take on this role again after being typecast for so many years is beyond me. I guess, when you can't get any other roles, you take what you can get. The series only lasted for 16 episodes and was again cancelled. Recently, he has been involved in another t.v. series, titled, Family Guy, in which he plays the Mayor. It's good to hear that he's still active in film.


I've often wondered why Ray Danton didn't have a bigger career in films. After all, let's face it,the guy was classically handsome. His facial features looked like a sculptor or plastic surgeon had done them. He first appeared in The Starlight theater back in 1951, but it was the 1955 film, Chief Crazy Horse that drew him national attention. He had his biggest success in 1960, in the film, The Rise And Fall Of Legs Diamond, in which he played a gangster. I suppose like Adam West. this role typecast him as the oily gangster type. He also appeared in Tarawa Beachhead, The Sequel to Legs Diamond " Portrait Of A Mobster", Yellowstone Kelly and The Longest Day, while making appearances on several of the t.v. westerns of the day. He left Hollywood for Europe in the 60's and made several films abroad and also directed 16-17 films there. When he returned to Hollywood in the 70's, he began to direct episodes of several of the hit t.v shows like Magnum P.I., Cagney And Lacy, The Incredible Hulk and Dynasty. Ray Danton passed away in 1992 at the age of 60 years.

Ed

I love Adam West! If you watch his pre-Batman stuff, he was a pretty serious actor, but Batman was so campy that Adam West became this campy ham from then on. He just embraced that style! I hear him on the Hebrew National commercials, and his delivery is still so hammy!

Also today:

Porter Hall (1888-1953) was a shifty eyed guy, who played mostly villains or bumbling comic relief. He appeared in over 70 films, including Double Indemnity, The Thin Man, Miracle on 34th Street, His Girl Friday, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. His Western appearances include Wells Fargo, Dark Command, Arizona, The Desperadoes, and Pony Express.

Jeremy Irons (1948-) is a British actor, not necessarily known for Westerns despite playing the villain Randall Bragg in Appaloosa in 2008. He started in the late '70s and early '80s on television, most notably 1981's Brideshead Revisited. He played in a variety of films, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Claus Von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune.