Photo: Burt Ward, Dan Roberts, and Adam West

Burt Ward and Adam West were the first celebrities I ever met, at the tender age of 6 or 7. In fact, I didn't realize I was meeting actors. The pair appeared in costume at the time, so as far as I knew, I was meeting Batman and Robin!

I loved the action and gadgets of the series, but even as a kid I realized that Batgirl and Catwoman were pretty special, too.

Above: Jill St. John as the Riddlers moll, Molly, in the first episode of Batman. Julie Newmar as Catwoman. Below: Yvonne Craig as Batgirl. Photos courtesy of the Everett Collection.

Fast forward a few years (okay, many years) later, I find myself sitting across the table from Burt Ward and Adam West during the Emerald City Comicon. Of course, I had to ask them about the girls.

DAN: You had a lot of beautiful guest stars on the Batman TV series. Was there ever any dating among cast-members?

ADAM: Nobody knew whether we were gay or straight. You know, guys who wear tights and run around. We decided not to date. Until the end of the day. And then we dated like crazy.

(room erupts in laughter)

ADAM: It was womanizing, and booze…

BURT: Yes. He’s 100% correct.

ADAM: No… We dated occasionally. I’ve always made it kind of a rule never to date the leading lady, because things happen either, I guess you might say, “wonderfully…” But usually the repercussions are there.

BURT: He was referring to not dating leading ladies like Shellie Winters. And some of the older actresses, but the younger ones I think you made an exception for. Didn’t you?

ADAM: (joking): You marry them.

BURT: (laughing): We had fun. We actually did have a lot of fun, but that was a different period than today’s world.

ADAM: How so?

BURT: Well, because there was not the threat of AIDS and stuff like that.

ADAM: Yeah, but you haven’t changed.

BURT: No, I haven’t changed. I’m just more careful.

ADAM: I haven’t changed.

BURT: Yes, that’s true. A leopard doesn’t change his spots.

And Catwomen from Julie Newmar to Anne Hathaway still attract Batmen and fanboys alike.

To hear fly-on-the-wall audio of this interview, click the player below.

To see the trailer for the 2003 TV movie, Return to the Batcave, which documents the professional and personal lives of Adam and Burt, watch the video below. It certainly seems as though there was some "dating."