The title of this posting is not meant to be an insult in any way. It merely refers to some of the hot batchicks who appeared on the cult classic TV series Batman for three seasons from 1966-1968. It’s unfortunate that this fun and colorful series has not yet seen DVD release, or else I might actually appreciate it more. My memories are relegated to the occasional rerun seen now and then over the years. Yet still I could appreciate the large gathering of Batman celebrities that took place at the Hollywood Show on October 8, 2011. These are the batgals that I made the effort to meet:
The name Francine York sounded extremely familiar to me, and still I do not know why. While she did appear in tons of tons of TV and film, there was no one particular role that I recall with any clarity. She was in two episodes of Batman, portraying Lydia Limpet, but her works go far beyond this role, with numerous appearances with Jerry Lewis in films such as The Nutty Professor, The Disorderly Orderly, and Cracking Up. And she was a staple in sitcoms and TV drams throughout the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s and even made occasional appearances in the 90’s and 2000’s in such shows as Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and The King of Queens.
She was a nice lady and chatted with Jimmy and me about some of her work and willingly posed for a picture for free.
Yvonne Craig had a much meatier role in the Batman TV series, portraying Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon, even if her active career was a bit shorter. Her work spanned two decades and she made appearances in such shows as The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, My Favorite Martian, My Three Sons, Star Trek, and Starsky and Hutch.
She unfortunately was on the pricey side, charging $30 for her signed picture and an extra $10 to get a photo with her.
The role of Catwoman was really just a footnote in the lengthy career of Lee Meriwether. She didn’t actually star in the TV show, but rather in the film version of Batman in 1966, which preceded the TV series. She had much more famous and lucrative starring roles in such TV series as The Time Tunnel, Barnaby Jones, The New Andy Griffith Show, The Munsters Today, and All My Children, as well as recurring roles in Mission: Impossible, Dr. Kildare, and My Three Sons.
She was about one of the classiest actresses I had ever met, still looking dazzling without having resorted to any facial enhancements. And she acted equally classy, perfectly willing to pose for a free photo with me, even though I had long ago purchased my signed picture of Catwoman from a show that Bob had attended. I was impressed.
The lady who played Catwoman in the actual Batman series – appearing in 13 episodes – was Julie Newmar. This was clearly her most famous role, although she had appeared in some classic musicals such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and The Band Wagon. And of course, she had a cameo in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. There are not a lot of actors who had movies named after them that I can think of. She and John Malkovich come to mind.
She too did a great deal of TV work in the 60’s and 70’s and apparently thought she was more famous than the other Catwoman, as she was charging $30 for signed photos and an additional $10 for the photo op with her. So although she seemed nice, it was only because the other classy Catwoman was so generous, that I was willing to fork out the extra money to get the combo with her.
I guess she wasn’t just pussyfooting around.
Celebrities of the Fall 2011 Hollywood Show will continue…
The 1966 Batman movie didn’t precede the television series, it was quickly made and released in between the first and second seasons. They wanted Newmar for the movie, but she was busy with a feature film and couldn’t do it, or it would have been MUCH better than it was. Nothing against Lee M, who is very very nice and was great in The Time Tunnel. But Newmar would have definitely lifted that film out of mediochrity. Great score, though and I like the Bat Shark Repellant.
Rick Greene
March 15th, 2012
Eartha Kitt was the only Catwoman for me.
mykl wike
August 19th, 2015