The Life and Times of Alan Napier
Original Airdates: Jan. 23-26, 2026
TVC 722.1: From January 2016: James Bigwood joins Ed for a look at the life and career of Alan Napier (1903-1988), the British actor best known to three generations of TV viewers as Alfred the butler on Batman. Jim is co-author of Not Just Batman’s Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier, a combination memoir, biography and filmography that is largely based on a manuscript that Napier wrote himself in 1969. Jim first learned about his manuscript in 1975, when he interviewed Napier for Films in Review. Over the ensuing years, he helped flesh out the manuscript (including the chapters on the last twenty years of Napier’s life) and eventually got it published. January 2026 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the premiere of Batman. Not Just Batman’s Butler is available through McFarlandPub.com. You can also order it by calling (800) 253-2187. Audio clips of Alan Napier heard in this segment courtesy of Jeffrey Vance.
Why Batman is just one chapter in the life of Alan Napier
Original Airdates: Jan. 23-26, 2026
TVC 722.2: James Bigwood, co-author of Not Just Batman’s Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier, talks to Ed about what an eloquent writer Alan Napier was; the variety of characters that Napier played in his stage and film career; and how Napier was often cast as older men (even when he was young) because of his height. Not Just Batman’s Butler is available through McFarlandPub.com. You can also order it by calling (800) 253-2187. Audio clips of Alan Napier heard in this segment courtesy of Jeffrey Vance.
(L to R) John Houseman and Alan Napier in a scene from “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” an episode of The Paper Chase that originally aired in December 1978
Alan Napier, John Houseman, and Orson Welles
Original Airdates: Jan. 23-26, 2026
TVC 722.3: James Bigwood, co-author of Not Just Batman’s Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier, talks to Ed about how Alan Napier overcame a stammer when he was a child; why he likely enjoyed wearing the Batsuit on Batman when asked to do so; and Napier’s various collaborations with John Houseman and Orson Welles for radio, film, and television. Not Just Batman’s Butler is available through McFarlandPub.com. You can also order it by calling (800) 253-2187. Audio clips of Alan Napier heard in this segment courtesy of Jeffrey Vance.
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