Lost Footage Of Batman Star Adam West Revealed

Previously lost footage of Adam West‘s Batman has surfaced and shows that the Bright Knight didn’t just fight crime in Gotham City, but was dedicated to looking out for safety worldwide.

The clip, which is from May 1967, features West’s Batman on holiday in the United Kingdom. But despite doing a little bit of light sightseeing, the Caped Crusader is quick to point out that there’s “No rest from danger, because all around is that deadly, daily danger: traffic!” You can check out the clip in the video above.

As you can see, the clip was part of a British PSA about road safety. In it, West’s Batman goes over the UK’s Kerb Drill exercise to help pedestrians cross streets safely. The campaign itself was replaced by the Green Cross Code campaign in 1970 and continues to this day. West’s PSA is every bit as campy as one would expect from the Bright Knight, even if the end of the video is a little awkward with West and the small boy he’s holding staring at the camera for a full ten seconds before the footage moves away to something else.

Prior to West’s Kerb Drill PSA being shared online it had never been seen outside of the UK. The clip was recently recovered along with other early television broadcasts and screened by an organization called Kaleidoscope which locates missing or believed-lost television footage. Kaleidoscope screened the Adam West clip along with others as part of a kick-off to their hunt for 100 missing television clips, a list which includes early episodes of Doctor Who.

For fans of West, however, the clip is a real treat. West first took on the role of Batman in 1966 when he portrayed the Caped Crusader in a feature film as well as in the popular ABC television series. Following his time as television’s original Batman, West continued to play the hero in a number of other programs and voiced the character on several occasions. Sadly, west died last June after a short battle with leukemia. His last performance as the Caped Crusader, the animated Batman Vs Two-Face, was released last October.

What do you think of this lost Adam West footage? Share your thoughts and reactions in comments.

[ H/T: BBC ]