When Adam West was considering the part of Batman, he remembered George Reeves
Playing a character like Batman can be a move that can either make or break an actor's career. Sure, appearing as the Dark Knight in film or television can burn you into an audience's brain forever, but it can also bar you from playing any other sort of character.
According to his memoir, Back to the Batcave, Adam West was incredibly interested in taking on the role of Batman when he was offered an opportunity to audition for the 1960s series. However, West had seen the career trajectory of past superheroes, like George Reeves, who took the role of Superman in the series Adventures of Superman, and he had certain reservations.
"Although I loved the character, the conventional wisdom in Hollywood was that donning a costume was the equivalent of slipping into a career straitjacket," wrote West. "The good work George Reeves had done in films had been forgotten as soon as he became TV's Superman."
Unfortunately, for a period of time after the series had ended, West's fears came true.
"I did a little work for a year," wrote the actor. "I auditioned for a number of big films, but though the directors always gave me the obligatory 'Great job!' or 'Hey, thanks for coming,' I heard later that they were afraid people would see me on the screen and think of Batman. I had awful visions of George Reeves, whose good work in From Here to Eternity and Disney's Westward Ho the Wagons! got pared to the bone because preview audiences yelled, 'There's Superman!' No one remembered him in Gone with the Wind or Samson and Delilah. He was Superman."
Luckily, West was able to break free from his bat-shaped cage as the years went on. While we'll always love him for his role on Batman, we'll love him all the more for simply being a good man.