The stars, in Hollywood, truly do come out during the day, especially when celebrating one of their own. Burt Ward ( Batman, Return of the Caped Crusaders) was honored this past Thursday with a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 2,683rd star was dedicated to Ward in the Television category, but he has also been recognized for the tireless work he does, with his beautiful wife Tracy, for his dog rescue Gentle Giants.
Burt’s star is the first to be unveiled in 2020 and was placed next to his long time friend and Co-star Adam West (Batman, Family Guy) , located directly in front of the Guinness World of Records Museum.
Emcee Rana Ghadban, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, was joined by Television personalities Maria Menounos, and Nancy O’Dell, both recalling how Ward had influenced their lives. Also on hand to present was Director/ super fan Kevin Smith. Not-so-silent Bob nailed the mood of the day as he spoke from the heart:
“I am Catholic, ladies and Gentlemen, but my morality came from Batman and Robin. Because every episode, both of them, but particularly Robin…taught us that, like, no matter what happens it is always better to be good. If you are good, good things happen to you. “
Smith continues:
“I loved this man since I was a kid. He was my way into the world of superheroes. He taught me to be good. He was my way into the world of Hollywood. He taught me that there were people that actually do this sort of thing and you could be that person. He taught me that every teenage boy looks like he is thirty years old, so that gave me something to aspire to. “ He continued by recalling that he was booked on the day of the ceremony: “ I changed my schedule because life comes down to certain moments, and Robin was always there for everyone that i ever watched on that show, and the day that Robin needed me I am here for Robin.”
Comparing the first time he leap out onto the bat poles to being honored with his Walk of Fame Star 54 years later, Burt had this to say:
"The first time I jumped out I was on the top of a sound stage, and there was no net, and it was 85 feet straight down. If i hadn't grab the pole I could have died. So I went by extreme tension…where, today, I was relaxed and had a lot of fun. It was a world of difference."
I asked him to pick one “Bat- phrase to describe today, and with as much enthusiasm today as he had back in 1966 he replied: