Few television programs have ever shared the phenomal cult success of the 1966-1968 live action Batman series. Though originally created as a mid season replacement for the music oriented series "Hootenany," and shot slapdash at low budget, the show gained a huge following for its splashes of color and humor.
Color television was in its infancy in 1966, and the show's producers took full advantage of this dimension with garish costumes and makeup and avant garde sets. Part of the show's success also traces to excellent casting. While the principals were little-known Adam West (Batman) and first timer Burt Ward (Robin), Hollywood legends such as Tallulah Bankhead and Vincent Price played roles as villains. For the role of Catwoman, the producers sought an actress with a special type of presence.
The Search for Catwoman
The producers of Batman initially focussed on Ursula Andress for the role of the arch feline criminal princess Catwoman. Though she screen tested well in projecting the right type of vampiness for the character, Ms. Andress' thick accent posed a problem in the delivery of her lines. The producers then turned their attention to Suzanne Pleshette, whom they felt could portray the dangerous beauty of the Princess of Plunder. Contract negotiations stalled however, when the two parties disagreed over salary.
The name Julie Newmar suddenly entered into consideration. Ms. Newmar had gained lukewarm acclaim the year before, during her startling portrayal of a robot in an otherwise short-lived and mediocre series "My Living Doll." When offered the role, Julie Newmar initially balked since she may have been trying to free herself of stereotyped "sexy" roles. Her younger brother, a comic book fan, urged her to accept however, convincing her that high camp, when done well, was a supreme acting challenge.
The Batman "Catwoman Episodes:" an immediate hit!
During Batman's first season, in the spring of 1966, Catwoman appeared in one two-part episode entitled "The Purrfect Crime/Better Luck Next Time." When Catwoman's nail scratches a circle in a glass case protecting a gold Egyptian cat statue, viewers had an inkling of what was in store. Julie Newmar owned the role, slinking onto the screen in a skin-tight, black lurex catsuit which was very daring for the time.
Along with her figure and the classic contours of her face, Julie Newmar also possessed another important talent for a feline cat burglar on high heels: she had danced ballet and other forms since she was a toddler. This added an indescribable fluid grace to her movements and choreography.
1966-1967: The Season of The Cat
Encouraged by avalanches of positive fan mail, the Batman producers scripted five episodes for Catwoman during the show's second season. Julie Newmar worked with the show's costume department to make her suit even more skintight (there is speculation that she sometimes had to be literally sewn into it).
Ms. Newmar's portrayal was multi-faceted, aided by some script touches that allowed her to play to hilarious characters in disguise: a screechy, dorky dance teacher and a crochetty old rich lady. These characters were plot devices to help her execute on-screen crimes.
Batman Shows his Knowledge: Saving the Best for Last
As previously mentioned, most of the Batman episodes were rapidly filmed in a party-like atmosphere. After each episode wrapped the film was literally yanked from the camera and rushed through post production, to meet deadlines for telecasting. The episode "Batman Shows his Knowledge" ended with Catwoman luring Batman to meet her at a model home where she would discuss her surrender.
Mindful of Julie Newmar's dance background, the producers allowed her to choreograph her seduction ritual. The result was poetry, lightning in a bottle, and according to the stars was filmed in only one take, with only one camera!
Click here to Experience the Sexiest Moment of Sixties Television
A couple of shots from the sequence, where Catwoman offers herself to Batman by leaning limbo-like beneath him, and later facing him and arching her back (in the process offering the viewer a scorchingly sensual view of her nether regions) may have had a tough time getting past today's sensors. Yet they oozed from the screen in glorious technicolor in February, 1967.
It would be the last time Julie Newmar would portray Catwoman. The following year, the final one for the Batman television series, the producers cast pixieish Eartha Kitt in the role. Julie Newmar would go on to other projects and roles in theater, movies and television and to this day still appears on "Sexiest Actress" lists, mostly for her work as Catwoman. Decades later she moved on to a successful second career in real estate.
Color television was in its infancy in 1966, and the show's producers took full advantage of this dimension with garish costumes and makeup and avant garde sets. Part of the show's success also traces to excellent casting. While the principals were little-known Adam West (Batman) and first timer Burt Ward (Robin), Hollywood legends such as Tallulah Bankhead and Vincent Price played roles as villains. For the role of Catwoman, the producers sought an actress with a special type of presence.
The Search for Catwoman
The producers of Batman initially focussed on Ursula Andress for the role of the arch feline criminal princess Catwoman. Though she screen tested well in projecting the right type of vampiness for the character, Ms. Andress' thick accent posed a problem in the delivery of her lines. The producers then turned their attention to Suzanne Pleshette, whom they felt could portray the dangerous beauty of the Princess of Plunder. Contract negotiations stalled however, when the two parties disagreed over salary.
The name Julie Newmar suddenly entered into consideration. Ms. Newmar had gained lukewarm acclaim the year before, during her startling portrayal of a robot in an otherwise short-lived and mediocre series "My Living Doll." When offered the role, Julie Newmar initially balked since she may have been trying to free herself of stereotyped "sexy" roles. Her younger brother, a comic book fan, urged her to accept however, convincing her that high camp, when done well, was a supreme acting challenge.
The Batman "Catwoman Episodes:" an immediate hit!
During Batman's first season, in the spring of 1966, Catwoman appeared in one two-part episode entitled "The Purrfect Crime/Better Luck Next Time." When Catwoman's nail scratches a circle in a glass case protecting a gold Egyptian cat statue, viewers had an inkling of what was in store. Julie Newmar owned the role, slinking onto the screen in a skin-tight, black lurex catsuit which was very daring for the time.
Along with her figure and the classic contours of her face, Julie Newmar also possessed another important talent for a feline cat burglar on high heels: she had danced ballet and other forms since she was a toddler. This added an indescribable fluid grace to her movements and choreography.
1966-1967: The Season of The Cat
Encouraged by avalanches of positive fan mail, the Batman producers scripted five episodes for Catwoman during the show's second season. Julie Newmar worked with the show's costume department to make her suit even more skintight (there is speculation that she sometimes had to be literally sewn into it).
Ms. Newmar's portrayal was multi-faceted, aided by some script touches that allowed her to play to hilarious characters in disguise: a screechy, dorky dance teacher and a crochetty old rich lady. These characters were plot devices to help her execute on-screen crimes.
Batman Shows his Knowledge: Saving the Best for Last
As previously mentioned, most of the Batman episodes were rapidly filmed in a party-like atmosphere. After each episode wrapped the film was literally yanked from the camera and rushed through post production, to meet deadlines for telecasting. The episode "Batman Shows his Knowledge" ended with Catwoman luring Batman to meet her at a model home where she would discuss her surrender.
Mindful of Julie Newmar's dance background, the producers allowed her to choreograph her seduction ritual. The result was poetry, lightning in a bottle, and according to the stars was filmed in only one take, with only one camera!
Click here to Experience the Sexiest Moment of Sixties Television
A couple of shots from the sequence, where Catwoman offers herself to Batman by leaning limbo-like beneath him, and later facing him and arching her back (in the process offering the viewer a scorchingly sensual view of her nether regions) may have had a tough time getting past today's sensors. Yet they oozed from the screen in glorious technicolor in February, 1967.
It would be the last time Julie Newmar would portray Catwoman. The following year, the final one for the Batman television series, the producers cast pixieish Eartha Kitt in the role. Julie Newmar would go on to other projects and roles in theater, movies and television and to this day still appears on "Sexiest Actress" lists, mostly for her work as Catwoman. Decades later she moved on to a successful second career in real estate.
Comments