Julie Newmar's Catwoman

[thecolorsblend]

Aside from being incredibly hot, Newmar's Catwoman was a cold, sadistic, greedy psycho.

"There's never enough for two."

What I dig about this version of Catwoman is how, yeah, she's got a soft spot for Batman. But that doesn't change who she is at her core. She was totally willing to let Batman and Robin get mauled to death by tigers. In fact, more than any other villain from the show, Catwoman seemed the most callous about human life. It meant less to her than any other guest star I can think of off-hand.

So you can understand where Batman would see a bit of a kindred spirit in her in some ways. She's got the hunter-animal motif working, she's clearly brilliant and let's face it she's damned good at what she does. But ultimately he'd be totally repulsed by her on a moral level. A weird back-and-forth there.

The more I rewatch the TV show, the more I can't help but think Burton did an amazing job with Bruce and Selina's weird relationship... but he hardly invented that approach.

[The Laughing Fish]

I need to begin watching that show again as soon as I get the chance. I haven't seen it in ages. The closest I came to watching the Adam West-era was the 1966 film a couple of months ago. Shows what I know when I couldn't even tell the difference between Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether.   

Speaking of which, you could definitely tell the huge difference between the two Catwomen. Newmar came across as a kleptomaniac, psychotic even, if she was willing to let herself die than abandon the goods to save herself. Meriwether of course was a con artist and a natural actress, who knew how to disguise herself to steal Bruce's heart.

[Edd Grayson]

Julie Newmar was a great Catwoman and it's too bad she couldn't reprise her role for the movie. I still liked Lee Meriwether, but it wasn't the same.

I'd like to make another comment about the show in general.

I think some people dismiss it too quickly these days. Maybe they don't realise that the humor and the absurdity were intentional and that this was never meant to be a serious interpretation of Batman. Adam West and Burt Ward were great for these versions of Batman and Robin, and the show also provided great versions of villains like Catwoman, Joker, Penguin and especially, Riddler, who was pulled out of obscurity thanks to Frank Gorshin's performance. People also forget that Batman wasn't always dark, there were light-hearted comics too, maybe not as much as the show, but still. And this show made Batman popular for a larger audience.

[johnnygobbs]

I need to begin watching that show again as soon as I get the chance. I haven't seen it in ages. The closest I came to watching the Adam West-era was the 1966 film a couple of months ago. Shows what I know when I couldn't even tell the difference between Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether.   

Speaking of which, you could definitely tell the huge difference between the two Catwomen. Newmar came across as a kleptomaniac, psychotic even, if she was willing to let herself die than abandon the goods to save herself. Meriwether of course was a con artist and a natural actress, who knew how to disguise herself to steal Bruce's heart.

Meriwether was definitely more of the slinky, subtle femme fatale especially when she was posing as Miss Kitka.

I know it's probably not a popular opinion but of all the live-action Catwomen, Meriwether is my favourite after Michelle's, so far.

[Catwoman]

I know it's probably not a popular opinion but of all the live-action Catwomen, Meriwether is my favourite after Michelle's, so far.

Not cause of your opinion, but because we agree on something.

[johnnygobbs]

Not cause of your opinion, but because we agree on something.

Of course, I should have said Meriwether was my third favourite Catwoman after you and Michelle. 

[thecolorsblend]

I need to begin watching that show again as soon as I get the chance. I haven't seen it in ages. The closest I came to watching the Adam West-era was the 1966 film a couple of months ago. Shows what I know when I couldn't even tell the difference between Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether.   

Speaking of which, you could definitely tell the huge difference between the two Catwomen. Newmar came across as a kleptomaniac, psychotic even, if she was willing to let herself die than abandon the goods to save herself. Meriwether of course was a con artist and a natural actress, who knew how to disguise herself to steal Bruce's heart.

It's a good antidote if you're tired of darker stories that take themselves way too seriously.

But I wouldn't let the tone and style fool you. Newmar's Catwoman is everything I said she is. Yeah, she's the hottest guest star the show ever had. But her character and her interpretation of it are both pretty twisted when you think about it.

In fact, a lot of the characters have a seldom remarked upon depth and humanity (of sorts). Robin, for example, isn't just Batman's sidekick. He brings something to the table. Keep count of how many puzzles he solves that totally elude Batman. Robin's more of a creative thinker. Batman tends to think inside the box. It seems easier for Robin to think the way criminals do. It really is more of a give and take relationship than gets acknowledged.

[Cobblepot4Mayor]

I'm with Alex Ross and Mr Michael Uslan (he appears to be an admirer if you watch the featurette's on the 1966 movie Blu Ray) with considering Lee Meriwether as the more interesting of the TV Catwomen. Don't rule her out because she had to be a Newmar replacement folks, she's just as valid.

All the TV Catwomen were brilliant in my view, each one has something to offer but Meriwether reigns supreme for several reasons. Firstly she is pretty much the first Catwoman I ever saw in the days of 1990's VHS. She's pretty darn hot in classic Catwoman glam puss mode (always a plus, unless your Anne Hathaway that is *heh heh*), her face feeling much more graphically to the art style of a Bob Kane comic than Newmar (as Ross pointed out). I believed in her chemistry with Bruce Wayne so much more than a playful Newmar tease that was played for laughs. I know many fans find at the end when Adam West realizes she and Kitka are one and the same to be completely hilarious due to West's silent closeup and haunting music. Of course it's amusing but me, I looked into it deeper as a child and I find it to be an overlooked moment of genuine emotion on West and Ward's part. It's quite interesting and rare to see West's Batman (though he claims to shake it off with a whiff of the Batcuffs) to be quite visibly upset on the inside. "What a way to go, go!" this moment certainly is entirely not. 

What I like about her most is her obvious true leadership in the "United Underworld" and toughness that neither Newmar nor Kitt tapped into until Michelle Pfeiffer rollicked onto the screens. What's funny is with his own legion of sea faring thugs and mighty Pengy submarine The Penguin truly believes himself to be in charge. And he really isn't! He's as much a hapless loser with dealing with the Bat and Bird as Joker and Riddler are. Just look at her in the scene following Batman and Robin's escape from the torpedoes. Catwoman frustratingly berates them like a schoolmistress to a pack of dim witted children. This is threaded in small doses throughout the movie. In Bruce Wayne's battle with the villains she feels the need to thunder some sense into their pathetic battle strategy from the sidelines. Same again as they flee from the United Nations with the captive security council. My favorite moment being her hilarious put down of the Penguin's ridiculous failed exploding shark plot: "BATMAN'S BOOTS DIDN'T EVEN LOOK DAMP!!" (as the Penguin wails a sheepish bird bawl).

[The Dark Knight]

It's a good antidote if you're tired of darker stories that take themselves way too seriously.

But I wouldn't let the tone and style fool you. Newmar's Catwoman is everything I said she is. Yeah, she's the hottest guest star the show ever had. But her character and her interpretation of it are both pretty twisted when you think about it.

In fact, a lot of the characters have a seldom remarked upon depth and humanity (of sorts). Robin, for example, isn't just Batman's sidekick. He brings something to the table. Keep count of how many puzzles he solves that totally elude Batman. Robin's more of a creative thinker. Batman tends to think inside the box. It seems easier for Robin to think the way criminals do. It really is more of a give and take relationship than gets acknowledged.

Yep. Don't let the light tone of the show fool you. B66 is a 'serious' interpretation of Batman. West's Batman is easily the most believable as having a genius level intellect. It's something of a joke in-show, sure, but he does have a gadget and backup plan for almost every scenario. He's the king of prep-time. In his reflective moments, I believe West's Bruce's resolve to fight crime and to make the world a better place. I believe him as a billionaire playboy, too.

People consistently say how hard it is to make Robin work in the Batman universe. But for my money, B66 achieved it by simply unapologetically presenting the comics. And all in all, I think by adding in the lighter elements, the undercurrent of darkness is just amplified. Case in point this discussion about the 66 Catwoman.

[Catwoman]

Not cause of your opinion, but because we agree on something.

Of course, I should have said Meriwether was my third favourite Catwoman after you and Michelle. 

But I'm not live action. I mean I am but not that kind of live action