Alan Napier (1) (1903–1988)

Overall a very good book - especially the chapters written by Napier. Bigwood is obviously a big fan of Napier and when inserting text to correct something in Napier's rendition it was fine but the entire chapters with interminable plot descriptions of movies or tv shows got a bit boring. Additionally, I would have thought Bigwood would have summed things up at the end as to what happened with Napier's first wife, daughter, and step-daughter but did not. Napier himself had a most interesting career and worked with some big names in the British theatre including John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, and Robert Morley. In the US he worked with folks like Orson Welles, George Sanders, and Ingrid Bergman as well as directors James Whale, Cecil B. DeMille, and Alfred Hitchcock. You also got a good idea of what it is like to be a struggling actor, pinching pennies, until the next role comes your way. While he was "not just Batman's butler", Napier wrote in his book: "the three greatest actors I have seen in the Theatre are Gerald du Maurier, Martin Harvey, and Laurence Olivier". Because de Maurier and Harvey were stage actors, we will not know how great they were. I felt after reading this that Napier's best work was also on the stage.. It is a shame then that is what he is most known for is being "Batman's butler".… (more)

Received for Early Reviewers

An incredibly thoughtful, well-written autobiography about a complex and interesting man who was so much more than a butler handing the phone to Batman. Mr. Napier tells his life story with both factual and flamboyant prose. I had no idea that his talents were so diverse nor did i know of his incredible theatrical pedigree. Reading about him made me wonder about the untold stories of similar minor TV personalities who were only showing the tip of the iceberg to 1960s kids like me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.… (more)

Excellent autobiography by an excellent man. As a child of the 80s I grew up watching the old Adam West Batman reruns and, as most did, absolutely adored Alfred. His role was small but his character huge, and that was all thanks to the wonderful abilities of Alan Napier.

Now, the title of his autobiography is Not Just Batman's Butler, so of course I went into it expecting a lot more than Batman, but I hadn't the foggiest that Napier's history, both family and career, was so incredibly illustrious. Reading the details of someone's personal life is not always especially gripping, but his life was quite interesting, and even not being a huge theater fan (I enjoy it, but it's not a favorite) I really enjoyed his stories about the big chunk of his life dedicated to the stage. The appendix has 8 oversized pages filled with all his theater acting; what a career! His passion and enthusiasm shine brilliantly even in written word and make his life a joy to read.… (more)