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| The Great Adam West |
In
honor of Mr. West’s passing on Friday, here is the story of our first meeting.
It was at the Mid-Ohio Con in Columbus, OH, around 2011 or 2012. He and Burt
Ward were the guests of honor and I wanted to make sure to meet them and get
some autographed photos. I didn’t expect the Laurel & Hardy movie the
meeting turned out to be.
As
always, the line was long and full of people of all ages, excited to meet the
famed Caped Crusader in person. As I approached Mr. West, I could see he was in
excellent health for being is his early 80s. He had an assistant helping him, and
while he seemed extremely sharp mentally, he did seem to have slight trouble
with his hearing. That’s not a surprise, with the milling fans in his line and
general attendance in the thousands, it was a wonder anyone could hear
anything. Ambient noise was thunderous.
It
was finally my turn and I stepped forward to get my Batman photo autographed.
The following conversation, to the best of my memory, occurred:
Me:
“Hi Adam, I’m Jerry.”
Adam
West: Greg? I’ve been expecting you. I hear we have some business together.”
Me:
No, Adam, I’m Jerry.
Adam:
Can you wait a few minutes? I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”
Me:
“Um ... “
Adam’s
Assistant: Adam, that’s not Greg.”
Adam:
Where is he? I thought he was coming!”
Adam’s
Assistant: “Adam, he’ll be here in a few minutes. That’s not him.”
Adam:
“Oh. I thought he said he was Greg.”
Me:
“No Adam, I’m Jerry.”
Adam’s
Assistant: “Adam that’s JERRY, not Greg,” he said, raising his voice so he
could be heard above the cacophony.
Adam:
“You’re not Greg?”
Me:
“Sorry, Adam. Jerry.”
Adam
takes the picture I had presented him to sign.
Adam
to me: “So, who do I make this out to?”
He
signed the photo. I took it, smiling at the mix-up. It was signed, “To Greg.
Best Wishes, Adam West.” Kidding! It was definitely to me. Here’s proof:
A
great guy and fun actor, who will be very much missed. For the story of my second and last
meeting with Mr. West in 2015, click here.
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