The Ultimate Superheroines Forum

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Julie's Catwoman had a kooky side and a vulnerable quality which made her portrayal more interesting than the other two, IMO. Eartha's version may have shown the character's mean streak more memorably and Lee's movie portrayal may have played up the glamor a bit more, but I have always felt that those other two takes had less depth than Julie's. There was a chemistry between Catwoman and Batman when she filled the role, which I would have liked to see developed a bit more. Sadly, the sort of character development that would have been involved just wasn't part of how Batman '66 worked.

Julie's Catwoman shows a complex and damaged person. I end up wondering about the character's in-show background and history and her motivation for donning a costume to commit crimes. But I'm never far from such musings, when I think about the show.

Edited to remove some unnecessary waffling.

I've always wondered why Julie Newmar was replaced as Catwoman on the show.

viking wrote:I've always wondered why Julie Newmar was replaced as Catwoman on the show.

Supposedly she had a prior commitment to film McKenna's Gold, but I don't recall whether that explained why she wasn't in the film or why the character was recast for season 3.

Yvonne has jokingly commented that she was glad Eartha replaced Julie for season three, because Julie was so much taller. Eartha and Yvonne could convincingly have their short catfight during the Joker-Catwoman two-parter, but if Julie had been in the role, Yvonne jokes that Batgirl's head would only have reached up to Catwoman's navel.

On edit: With McKenna's Gold having been released in 1969, I think that film must have been the reason Catwoman was recast for season three. I don't recall why Julie wasn't in the Batman film. I might have to dig into my my actual print library later, for that one. Wikipedia only states that she had "other commitments at the time" when the film was in production.

I WOULD like to see Yvonne Craig and Julie Newmar in Catfight of course in their hot suit.

Batfetish wrote:I WOULD like to see Yvonne Craig and Julie Newmar in Catfight of course in their hot suit.

I think Batgirl would have had to do something never seen on the show, and use one of her kicks against another woman. She'd have to take out the taller Catwoman quickly and gain some advantage. Batgirl's other battle techniques of dodging or sometimes attacking with a blunt object may not have gone well. If the two had ended up in a grappling match, as happened in that courtroom scene, Julie's Catwoman would have had a real advantage in terms of height and weight. Batgirl might have had a chance with some hair-pulling, while Catwoman wouldn't have been able to use the same tactic against Batgirl's wig. I imagine the two of them ending up wrestling on the ground, with Catwoman on top. Or Catwoman just picks up Batgirl and spanks her or something. Either of which would have been fine scenes to see, in my book, but I doubt they'd have gotten into the show.