From Catwoman to Crime-Solver: Lee Meriwether’s 5 Best Roles
Lee Meriwether is easily one of my favorite actresses on television, regardless of the decade. In fact, as I think about the five most memorable, most unforgettable roles of her career, those roles span three decades. What? You can’t think of a role that Lee put her own unique spin on during the ’80s? Wait until the end of this article, and I promise, I’ll get to it.
1 Batman: The Movie
20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy: Everett Collection
First, let’s start in the ’60s, and perhaps the role that Lee is most remembered for. I am, of course, referring to Lee’s role in the motion picture Batman, based on the TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward. Lee stepped in to fill the catsuit when it became apparent that Julie Newmar wouldn’t be available to play the character for the feature film. And I have got to say that while I’ve always been a bit partial to Julie Newmar’s Catwoman, it was what Lee did with the character when she was disguised as Ms. Kitka, a Soviet news reporter, that really made me appreciate just how stunningly beautiful this lady truly was. Not that it should have come as much of a surprise to me since Lee had not only been crowned Miss California, but Miss America as well, during the mid-’50s.
2 Star Trek
Another one-shot role that falls into my top five is Lee’s appearance on Star Trek during that show’s third season, where she played a rather tragic character named Losira. I really can’t say anything more about this episode other than that. I know we’re talking about a TV show that aired more than 50 years ago, but still, I hate it when someone spoils a movie or TV show for me. Now, with all that said, if you are into spoilers, you can learn more about Lee’s Star Trek experience over on the Trek Today website, where they have excerpts of an interview with her.
Okay, let’s move on to TV shows where Lee was a main character week after week. Yep. No more of this guest star stuff. I’ve got three roles that I believe are truly memorable.
3 The Time Tunnel
20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection
You know, I haven’t talked much in any of my past articles about Irwin Allen‘s classic television show from the ’60s called The Time Tunnel. You guys remember that one, right? On that show, Lee played Dr. Ann McGregor, a scientist who helps the team travel safely from one time to the next. The entire cast of that show was great, including singing sensation James Darren, or should I say future star of T.J. Hooker, James Darren. Sadly, The Time Tunnel only ran for a single season on ABC, but don’t feel bad for Lee because her longest-running TV gig was just a few years away.
4 Barnaby Jones
Everett Collection
During the ’70s, I mostly remember Lee aiding her father-in-law, private investigator Barnaby Jones, in solving crimes week after week. Barnaby Jones was originally introduced as a mid-season replacement on CBS and was a huge hit for the network, running from 1973 all the way to 1980. During the show’s eight-season run, according to the MeTV website, Lee became known as the show’s “cheerleader” due to her always upbeat and cheerful attitude whenever she was on the set.
5 The Munsters Today
MCA TV/Courtesy: Everett Collection
Alright, time to get to Lee’s most memorable role from the ’80s. And yes, I’m talking about none other than the ghoulishly delightful Lily Munster on The Munsters Today. In that show, Lee did Yvonne De Carlo proud with a very true-to-character interpretation of Lily. While many of the other characters were updated for the ’80s, Lee’s Lily and John Schuck‘s Herman Munster were very similar to their ’60s counterparts. And even though The Munsters Today has been relegated to the video dustbin, it’s important to remember that the show actually ran longer than the original Munsters, which only ran for two seasons on CBS. The Munsters Today ran for three seasons in syndication from 1988 to 1991.
There you go, that’s five roles. But, how about I mention one more? It might not be all that memorable, but it certainly is noteworthy. Beginning in 1971, The New Andy Griffith Show failed spectacularly, running for just 10 episodes on CBS. And you know what? I think it’s absolutely fair to say that Lee, who played Andy’s wife on the show, was the best thing that the short-lived program had going for it.
Remind