West and Ward’s Residuals Earnings

[Kamdan]

I was reading on another Batman forum that posted the following:

“I read somewhere that TV show getting new life post-B89 finally made West and Ward millionaires from residuals. In particular, West went from decades of constant money struggles to being a mean of means and leisure very quickly. By 1990, he was set.”

Is there truth to this? As I always understood it, all shows from the 60s only paid residuals for a couple of runs and that was it. Was there new regulations after strikes occurred around the time the 1989 film entered production or were they just paid a hefty sum to do material like the Batmania marathon wrap arounds and subsequent promotional material? It seems like a timely question to ask due to the writers and actors strikes that are occurring right now over streaming residuals. Any clarification on this would be appreciated.

[Mark Racop]

It is my understanding that they were only paid residuals for the first five airings (a standard practice at the time), but Adam said that he had a small piece of the merchandising. He always kept working, even if it was in turkeys.

Due to the 1989 movie, he was suddenly in demand--as himself. Although it was a shame, it may have helped his career not to be allowed to wear the costume anymore for public appearances. Adam transitioned from 'actor' to Hollywood icon. His appearances on Politically Incorrect and other hot shows helped him reach a whole new audience. The real turning point regarding 1966 Batman was the merchandise agreement in 2014 that saw the release of the TV show on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as an explosion of 1966 Batman merchandise.

I'm sure others that have a better handle on the business aspects or history can fill in and/or correct me as needed. Please do!