Adam West told his father he wanted to go to Hollywood. Here's how his dad responded.
Sometimes parents map out their children's lives before they're born. They want you to follow in their footsteps, choose their career, or take over the family business. Or they want you in an industry where you'd make enough money to never worry about finances.
When you get older and tell them about your dreams, they'd either shoot the idea down or beam with excitement. Adam West knew early on he had a gift, and it wasn't just because of his good looks. Everyone knew the young actor was a hot commodity and tried to get him to sign with their production companies.
Before that, he had to tell his father Hollywood was calling his name. "I worked on a local radio station when I was in high school, and did some school plays," he said in a 1966 interview with The Detroit News. "When I was 17 I told my father, he was a wheat farmer, that I was going to Hollywood."
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Back in the 60s, it was easier to find your way on television than it is now, but that doesn't mean everyone loved the idea. "'What do you want to do that for?' my father asked. 'Hollywood is nothing but garbage,'" West said his father responded.
This could have made the Batman star shy away from the industry, but the garbage is what motivated him.
"I told him I thought so, too, but that I was sure I could wade through the garbage all right. Now I think I stopped wading. There's no more garbage."