Batman, his persona, his sign, the whole concept that surrounds the caped crusader has intrigued and delighted millions throughout the years with many industries benefiting from the amazing popularity.
In fact, one of the industries that has embraced Batman in totality has to be the gambling industry where players can enjoy Batman slots at leading UK bingo sites bringing the super-hero to life in another format. It’s quite a clever idea when you consider how exciting slots games are and if you marry that excitement up with the excitement of Batman then you really are onto a winner.
Games developers and movie producers have collaborated to make some truly enjoyable games which include authentic music and video clips to enhance game-play.
Most of us can remember or have in our minds who the original Batman was but just how many of us know who was the original Robin, Batman’s faithful sidekick?
He was the one who has been kidnapped, shot, attacked frequently by gangs, gassed, drugged and also tied to railroad tracks, he seemed to get into deep water each episode going so far as to be eaten by a giant clam.
Robin the Boy Wonder was played by Burt Ward in the classic series of Batman and endured some amazing adversaries as he bravely wore his tights twice weekly.
Born on the 7th June 1945 the 73-year-old actor reminisced about the biggest dangers in the series were those behind the scenes as the producers thought up ever more fantastical ways of getting him in trouble.
Playing alongside Adam West Burt Ward remembers that he was injured constantly and that in the first week he visited the accident and emergency room four times. It seems that his stuntman was only used for long shots as he looked nothing like the Boy Wonder leading to him having to do all of his own stunts.
In fact, the very first shot on the first day sent him right to hospital, as speeding out of the Batcave in the Batmobile at 50mph taking a sharp turn and his door flying open on the turn led to him holding on by his little finger about the gear stick. The finger was dislocated, but it could have turned out a whole lot worse.
Day two saw the Boy Wonder receive second degree burns and on day three he was struck on the nose as dynamite was used to blow through a stunt wall.
Eventually the producers took out a $3 million life insurance policy on Ward although it didn’t do much to cool the stunts as when he was tied to a table and I giant buzz saw came within inches of his head – that was a real saw.
On one episode he was hung 12 feet above three Bengal tigers with raw meat hanging above him to make them jump (they can jump 18 feet).
Burt Ward went onto make forty TV movies and today he still fights for the underdog as he runs the Gently Giants animal rescue shelter helping to save over 16000 dogs in the charity’s 25 years.
From the Caped Crusader to the Canine Crusader, it’s the larger dogs like the mastiff and Great Dane that are helped and Ward hopes he is making a difference to the world and specifically to the lives of these Gentle Giants.