Was Julie Newmar the Best Catwoman Ever?

Julie Newmar, Catwoman — TM and Copyright © 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved, Courtesy: Everett Collection

© 20th Century Fox Film Corp. Courtesy: Everett Collection

I absolutely love the original 1966 Batman television series. I enjoyed it so much as a kid, and, as a grownup, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the talented individuals involved with this show: Adam West, Burt Ward, and the host of actors and actresses who played the villains.

My favorite episodes had Julie Newmar in them. Julie Newmar’s Catwoman isn’t as horrible as some of the other nefarious fiends that the Dynamic Duo face. In fact, Batman likes to think that she’s just a little bit misguided, and if only he could reform her (much to Robin’s chagrin), she would make the perfect Bat-companion.

So, without any further babbling on my part, let’s get going with my five reasons why Julie Newmar was the best Catwoman to ever grace either the small or large screen. That’s right, folks, you heard me correctly: both small and large screen. I’m not saying that the other actresses weren’t great. They absolutely were. But they weren’t the greatest of all time; as far as I’m concerned, that honor goes to Julie.

1Julie Was All In

She gave that character everything that she had, so much so that she even went as far as to help design the Catwoman outfit that she wore on screen. And, lest we forget, It was her idea to put that gold belt around her hips because she felt it gave her a curvier look.

2The On-Screen Chemistry

The on-screen chemistry between Julie and Adam West was palpable. Their connection was very real, and they had a deep respect for each other, which could be seen on-screen. No scene was too ridiculous for these two; no scene was too over-the-top. Julie portrayed Catwoman as a really sweet, shy girl at heart, who just desperately wanted Batman to like her. Which, of course, he does. This makes her a character that you can sympathize with, even after all of the rotten things that she does.

3 Julie Had Sex Appeal

Holy cow, Batman! Did this lady know how to entice the Caped Crusader and pretty much every male viewer watching the program? And it wasn’t just the outfit or the “bad girl who wanted to be good” shtick that she did so well. No, for me, more than anything else, it was the way that she moved. Every single movement of her body sent a message, which should come as no surprise because Julie began dancing at an early age and performed as a prima ballerina with the Los Angeles Opera beginning at the age of 15.

4 Her Absence Was Felt

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Despite great efforts by both Lee Meriwether (pictured above) and Eartha Kitt, her absence was felt by the fans of the show. More than 50 years later, fans are still asking why she was replaced in both the movie and the third-season episodes. In both cases, the standard answer has always been that Julie was busy making movies. But if you think about it, it is kind of odd that the movie that was supposedly getting in the way of Julie’s participation during the third season, which was titled Mackenna’s Gold, also had Burgess Meredith in it. And yet, somehow Burgess found a way to do both the movie and the TV show.

5Their Lifelong Friendship

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I talked earlier about the chemistry that Julie had with Adam West while on screen. Well, folks, that chemistry was because of their lifelong friendship. According to Pop Culture Historian Dan Greenfield on his 13^th Dimension blog, after Adam’s passing in 2017, Julie told him this about her co-star: “The first words that come to mind (about Adam) are steller, examplar, a king to the end. He was bright, witty and funny. I knew I would miss him in the physical world but also savor him in the greater sense of his (always) being with us.”

One more thing worth mentioning is that both Julie and Burt Ward got a chance to work again with Adam before his passing on a couple of direct-to-video animated feature films based on the 1966 television series. Both Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders and Batman vs. Two-Face are a lot of fun, and it was really great to hear these wonderful actors working together again.