JULIE NEWMAR: A Viewer’s History     Peabody & Sherman cartoons on DVD Carol Burnett Show on DVD Book About Greensboro Mary Tyler Moore Show on DVD Flintstones on DVD
New TV
TV Shows on DVD/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / Movies on Blu Ray/ / / / / / / Holiday Specials on DVD / / / / / / Classic Commercials

 

'TVparty is hands down the best site on the Web for classic TV.'
- Discovery Channel

 

 

Classic TV
shows on DVD

Christmas
Specials on DVD

Movies on DVD Reviews

JULIE NEWMAR: A Viewer’s History
JULIE NEWMAR: A Viewer’s History
by Cary O'Dell

Julie NewmarLike most members of my generation (the Gen X-er’s), my first exposure to Julie Newmar was in her incomparable performance as Catwoman on reruns of the beloved 1960s TV series “Batman.”

And, in some ways, what else does one need to see?

In fact, I thoroughly believe that if Julie Newmar had done nothing else in her long career but that single performance she would still be considered a small-screen legend. To this long-time TV watcher/fan, Newmar’s sly villainess on that camp classic is one of the great performances in the history of the television medium. As I’ve written elsewhere before, her Catwoman is a study in economy and multifaceted-ness. In her Cat-characterization, there is not one wasted word, one wasted syllable or a single wasted gesture. Additionally, her performance operates at all times on a myriad of levels; at once, her Catwoman is funny, sexy, menacing, smart. And though many other extremely talented actresses have brought much to the role of Catwoman—including, of course, Eartha Kitt, Lee Meriwether and Michelle Pfieffer--they all still seem to forever stand in the shadow of Newmar’s formable, original creation.

 

As a viewer, once I was introduced and bowled over by “Batman’s” Julie Newmar----not unlike the effect Newmar’s character Stupinfying Jones had on the men of Dogpatch in the film musical “Lil’ Abner” (1959)—I had to seek her out further on the small screen…

Julie Newman as Catwoman
As Catwoman

Of course, I came of age before the dawn of Youtube, Netflicks and other on-demand video services. Back then, one would have to just wait and watch for a Newmar siting, catching snatches of her (all too rarely) in random repeats of various shows. Still, lucky for me, many of the series Newmar made appearances on were still in heavy syndication during my growing-up years. So, devoted I did get the chance to see Newmar work her magic in various guest spots on such series as “The Monkees,” “Bewitched,” and the original “Star Trek,” among other programs.

Throughout her career, due to Newmar’s height (5’11”) and other (um) uncommon attributes, the actress has often been cast as any variety of “others”—foreign born transplants (for example, on “The Beverly Hillbillies” in 1966); Native Americans (in the big screen Western “McKenna’s Gold” in 1969); or even mythical figures (on “Bewitched” and “Twilight Zone”).

Ironically, interestingly, as the actress has often played these “outsider” (or even non-human) characters, the roles have often tapped into Newmar’s ability to skillfully project a naiveté and innocence.

This was, of course, quite evident in her role as Rhoda on her 1964-1965 sitcom “My Living Doll.” On this series (long un-see-able until recent years thanks to MPI home video), Newmar’s robot character’s literal interpretation of all her commands made her, in many ways, highly child-like. Similarly, her “Star Trek” character, Eleen, on the episode “Friday’s Child” (from 1967), has a childish impulsiveness about her.

Julie Newmar in Star Trek
“Star Trek”

Of course, all of this is not to say—as we saw with Catwoman—that Newmar couldn’t be tough or even threatening if she chose to be. Certainly the actress’s statuesque form and upfront femininity (in women, sexuality is often perceived as simply dangerous) lent itself to certain intimidating characters—born of this planet or not. How thrilling it was for this young viewer to find Julie Newmar on an episode of “Hart to Hart” as a deadly hit woman with, yes, murder on her mind. And it was certainly worth getting up on a Saturday morning to see her guest appearance as a notorious “Space Queen” on two episodes of “Jason of Star Command” in 1978. In a similar vein, two years after “Jason,” she was a welcomed guest to the universe of NBC’s “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” where, in 1980, she played the Newmar-esque role of Zarina in the episode “Flight of the War Witch.” (Notably, on “Buck,” Pamela Hensley’s delicious Ardala seemed to owe some of her persona to Newmar’s earlier feline influence.)

Julie Newmar in Bionic WomanNewmar in “Buck Rogers”

Actually, I would theorize that one of the reasons that Newmar’s Catwoman is so seminal is because it so skillfully wove together the various, unique facets of the actress’s personality and performative qualities: the exotic-ness, the sexiness, the dangerousness, and her innocence, the latter necessary for this Catwoman/villain character to safely fit within and into the other camp aspects of the series.

As Newmar is a first-rate comedienne, other programs that she has appeared in over the years have dipped more into the actress’s comedic abilities. She proved her comedy chops in all-too-fleeting appearances on “The Love Boat” or “Get Smart.” On that latter series, widely syndicated during my youth, Newmar played a KAOS agent named Ingrid who posed as Maxwell and 99’s newly-hired maid. As Ingrid (who has a secret telephone hidden in her feather duster), Newmar again mixed the comedic with the dangerous in the role as that episode’s heavy.

Then it was a meeting of superwomen on a 1976 somewhat tongue-in-cheek episode of “The Bionic Woman” titled “Black Magic,” when Newmar shared the screen not only with series star Lindsay Wagner but with a host of other genre-friendly names including Vincent Price and Abe Vigoda!

Julie Newmar in Buck Rogers
Giving glamour in “The Bionic Woman”

Later, though, Newmar was too often off the screen, big and small. The reasons behind her absence were valid; in real life, the actress was off devoting time to her son. But truly dedicated viewers (like I) could see her in a cameo in Joe Pesci’s short-lived PI show “Half Nelson” from 1985 or—finally!--in heavy rotation on MTV, in 1992, stealing the fashion show in George Michael’s “Too Funky” music video.

Then, in 1995, Newmar finally got the attention she deserved when she was (justly) rediscovered via the big screen comedy “To Wong Foo…” in 1995.

Recently, it was announced that Newmar would be (again) taking on the role of Catwoman in a new animated “Batman” movie. How cool is that? And further proof that hers is the definitive portrayal of the character.

Newmar’s forthcoming new life (her eighth? her ninth?) as Catwoman further assures that she will forever be part of our popular culture and forevermore recognized as at the icon that she is.

 

TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!
It is what it is!

Julie Newmar

June Cleaver book

Amazon Prime - unlimited streaming
of your fave TV shows and movies!
Get your FREE 30 Day Trial!

PR4 & PR5 Pages for Advertising

 

 

Video on Demand Rent or Buy

Entertainment Collectables

Post-Modern Sitcoms / Actors That Wrote Books / 1987 Gilbert Gottfried Pilot Written By Larry David / Tarantino, DiCaprio & Pitt on Once Upon A Time In Hollywood / Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci Talk Goodfellas / Coming to America - The Awful Sitcom? / Robert Wagner Interview / Helen Mirren on 1923 / Lucky 19-Year Old Birthday Boy on The Price is Right / 1990-1999 TV Commercials / James Hong on the First & Only Asian Talent Agent in Hollywood / More Than Myagi: The Pat Morita Story / Chevy Chase 2021 Interview / Ally McBeal and that Darn Dancing Baby / Ed Begley Jr. Interview / Peter Boyle's Heart Attack on the Set of Everybody Loves Raymond / Patrick Swayze Refused To Do 'Ghost' Without Whoopie Goldberg / Clark Furlong on Stephen King's Mini-Series Lisey's Story / 14-Year Old Brody Bett Steals the Show at a David Foster Concert / Worst Big Budget Superhero Movie of All Time / Jerry Springer's Toxic TV Legacy / Three Generations of Talent / One Season Too Many / Dick Wolf on the Writer's Strike / Angela Lansbury Tribute / Houston Knights / Uncle Buck Sitcom / My Brush With King Charles / Bonnie Bartlett Daniels Interview / Frank Zappa Talk Show? / Remembering Marvel & Buffy Scribe Pierce Askegren / Piper Laurie Tribute / 1993 Route 66 Reboot / David Hyde Pierce on the Last Days of ‘Frazier’ / Angela Lansbury Interview / The Shadow Movies of the 1930s & 40s / Remembering Hal Holbrook / Remembering Angela Lansbury / Greensboro Movie Theaters : Star Theatre / Police Squad Shot-By-Shot Remake of M Squad! / A Painting Saved Bill Murray's Life / Why Jim Carrey Fought to Cast Jeff Daniels in 'Dumb and Dumber' / Meredith Baxter Talks Breast Cancer / Sopranos Creator David Chase Had to Fight to Make Tony Soprano the Mobster He Was / Joan Collins on Working With Drunk Actors / Snowmaggedon 1969 / Joe Pesci HATES Practical Jokes / Books About Showbiz / Making It in Showbiz / Dark Justice / My Fave Book About Showbiz / Remembering Billy Packer / More Celebrity Biographies / Peter Falk : Inside The Actor's Studio / Jason Alexander on Duckman / Robert Ebert on Robert Mitchum / Watch Dave Chappelle's New Netflix Special for Free / Margaret (Wicked Witch of the West) Hamilton Was Almost Scarred For Life Filming Wizard of Oz / Restaurant Chains We Might Lose In 2020 / Night Heat / Short History of TV Advertising / Is Ellen A Monster? / To Binge Or Not To Binge? / 1986-87 TV SEASON / Celebrity Bios 4 / 1988-89 TV SEASON / 1990-91 TV SEASON / Can Comic Book City Survive? / When TV Plays Politics for Laughs / The Worst Thing I Ever Saw (Part 2) / Greensboro's Beef (Biff) Burger Has Closed! / Sally Field Looks Back on Smokey and the Bandit / Actors Writing Memoirs 2 / Gene Wilder's Sexual Chemistry with Richard Pryor / WORST Pizzas Served On Kitchen Nightmares / Ricky Gervais' Cruelly Funny 2020 Golden Globe Monologue / What It's Like To Win A New Car on The Price Is Right / Night Train! 3 - Las Vegas Comic Pat Cooper / Night Train! 4 - Resurrection and Death of Louis Prima / Denis Shepard of Paradise Lost / Space Force Logo is a Ripoff from Star Trek! / Batman Movie from 1939? What?!? / Michael Richards (Kramer) Really Hated It When his Seinfeld Co-Stars Messed Up / Melissa McCarthy Almost Quit Acting Days Before Landing Gilmore Girls / Bar Rescue's Wildest Customers! / How The Golden Girls and Elvis Got Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs Made / Charlie Brown Voice Actor Released From Prison / New Year's Eve on TV / Sir Laurence Olivier on the 'Genius' of Marlon Brando / 1967 Futurists Predict The 21st Century / Remembering Diahann Carroll / 50 Funniest Niles Crane Insults / TV HITS - By the Numbers / How Tom Hanks Played Mr. Rogers / Colin Farrell as The Penguin? / Alex Baldwin On His TV and Film Roles / Ray Charles' BIG Problem With TV / Malcolm Gladwell on TV Crime Dramas / Why Dolly Parton Would Not Let Elvis Record 'I Will Always Love You' / Top Ten Sitcoms of the 1970s / Danny McBride Rebooting Hogan's Heroes? / Fashion on TV / Alive & Well / James Cameron Made No Money for Titanic / Whatever Happened To Miss Cleo? / Lucy Blows Off Burt Reynolds / Dave Navarro Meets His Mother's Killer / The Real Mindhunters Killers / John Goodman Breaks Down His Iconic Roles / Growing Up In The Playboy Mansion / Ed McMahon Drunk on the Air! / Lucy Interviewed by Barbara Walters / Valerie Harper Cancer / Jeff Bridges Breaks Down His Iconic Roles / Dog Fight! The KCNC Scandal / Buckley vs Hefner / Laurence Olivier vs Marilyn Monroe / Dallas vs Eight is Enough / 1974 MAD Magazine TV Special - Never Aired! / Iconic M*A*S*H Restaurant Coming To Kroger? / Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and Graham Norton - Big Laughs! / When Lucy Got Fired / Partridge Family and Brady Bunch at Kings Island theme park 1972-73 / Awkward Talk Show Moments / Allan Blye Interview / Jack Benny's Last Tonight Show 1974 / Patricia Heaton's Audition for Everybody Loves Raymond / Luke Perry's Last Role / Johnny Cash's Last Interview / Judy Garland's Last Film / Who Was Bob Gordon? / Richard Dreyfuss vs Bill Murray / Jeff Ross vs Everybody / Tennessee Williams 1972 Interview / Ed Asner Interview / Norm Macdonald vs OJ Simpson / Tony Kornheiser Interview / Freddy's Nightmares TV Series / Awful 1990s TV Shows / The Funniest Comebacks in Talk Show History / Was Sonny Bono Murdered? / Robin Williams' Mrs. Doubtfire Screen Tests / Robert Downey Jr Asks for Forgiveness for Mel Gibson / Russell Brand / Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave / Judy Garland vs Liz Taylor / Emmy Award Multiple Winners / Nathaniel Taylor aka Rollo Lawson / Anthony Zuiker: Mr. CSI / Jimmy & Cher / Diana Muldaur: A Viewer's History / Uncle Andy's Funhouse / Bea Arthur vs Betty White / Skidoo: Worst All-Star Comedy Ever? / Every Marvel Cartoon Opening Theme From 1966 - Present / When Stars Play Themselves / My Pen Pal is in the Pen, Pal / Small Roles Big Performances / Barbara Hall / Julie Newmar / Sick of CNN Surrogates / Stars Before They Were Famous / Stars Before They Were Famous 3 / A Better Classic TV Network / Bill Paxton / Who Was the Black Daliah? / How Frasier Was Created / Music Videos / Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Behind the Scenes / Shirley Jones Interview / What We Lost When We Lost VHS / When Hit TV Shows Return / Commercials Starring Sopranos Cast Members / Shows Nobody Remembers But Me 4 / Shows Nobody Remembers But Me 1 / Bryan Cranston Interview / FREE streaming movie service you didn’t know you have / The Great Cable TV Migration / Sportscaster Woody Durham / Movie Posters and the documentary 24x36 /Chris Robinson /Dallas Reboot /David Letterman /Auditioning For Game Shows in the 80s /Ghosts of Cable TV past / Honey Boo Boo - WTF?!? / Steven Bochco Tribute / Ian Abercrombie / Joe Franklin / John Nettles / Gotham / Jon Cryer / Jon Stewart / Lana Wood / David Letterman / Matt Bomer / Molly Ringwald / Morgan Brittany / Music Rights for TV Shows / Neilsen Ratings / Norman Lloyd / Not Your Dad's TV / TV Series Reunions / Rich Little / Special Bulletin with George Clooney / Howard Stern VS Jamie Foxx / Top Ten Action Movies / 2013 Emmy Awards / 2010 Celebrity Deaths


Lost Kid Shows / Movie Stars on TV / Saturday Morning Shows / Video Vault / TV Goodbyes / Fabulous Fifties / Unseen Scenes / Game Shows / Requested Forgotten TV Shows / The Super Sixties / More Modern TV Shows / The New * * Shows / 1980's Wrestling / TV Blog

TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!
Classic TV on the Internet!

TV's Embarrassing Moments / Action Shows of the Sixties / TVparty Mysteries and Scandals / Variety Shows of the 1970s / The Eighties / The Laugh Track / 1970's Hit Shows / Response to TVparty / Search the Site / Add Your Comments

 

New TV

Classic TV Commercials / 1950's TV / 1960's TV / 1970's TV / Groucho vs William F Buckley / / TV Games / Honey Boo Boo / Lucy Shows / 2012 Emmy Awards / Classic Cars / John Wayne / Gene Roddenberry / Rockford Files / Sea Hunt / 1970s Commercial Jingles / Superman on DVD / Toy Gun Ads / Flip Wilson Show / Big Blue Marble / Monty Hall / Carrascolendas / Mr. Dressup / Major Mudd / Chief Halftown / What's In Oprah's Purse? / Baby Daphne / Sheriff John / Winchell & Mahoney / Fireball X-L5 / Mr. Wizard / Captain Noah / Thanksgiving Day Specials / Disney's First Christmas Special / Saturday Morning Cartoons / Amahl & the Night Visitors / Holiday Toy Commercials / Lucy & Desi's Last Christmas Show / Joey Heatherton / Sammy Davis, Jr / Steve & Eydie/ Fat Albert / The Virginian / Bewitched / Death of John Wayne / 1974 Saturday Mornings / Chuck McCann / Rudolph Collectables / Shrimpenstein / Local Popeye Shows / New Treasure Hunt / 1966 ABC TV Shows / 1967 TV Shows / 1968 TV Shows / Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes & Baby Doll / Fridays / TV Moms / Red Skelton / Bette Midler in the 1970s / Bonus 1970's Stuff: Biff Burger / Star Wars / KISS / Lancelot Link / Saturday Morning Cartoons / Wonder Woman / Classic Comic Books / Andy Griffith / Cher / TV Shows on DVD / Outtakes & Bloopers / 1967 TV Shows / Romper Room / ABC Movie of the Week / The Goldbergs / Daws Butler Commercials / Saturday Morning Commercials / Captain Kangaroo / Chicago Local Kiddie Shows / Boston Local TV / Philly Local TV / NYC Local Kid Shows / Amos 'n' Andy / Electric Company / Bette Davis / Judy Garland / Christmas Specials / Redd Foxx / Good Times / Sitcom Houses / What's Happening! / Winky Dink & You /  Sonny & Cher / Smothers Brothers / Commercial Icons of the 1960s / Soupy Sales / The Carpenters / Route 66 / Bozo / The Carpenters Christmas Specials / Local Kid Shows / Death of TV's Superman / Wonderama / Sesame Street / Bob Hope Specials / Little Rascals / 1980's Retro Gay T-Shirts / 1980's TV Wrestling / Fess Parker / Howdy Doody / TV Blog / Lost In Space / Pinky Lee / 1980's LA Punk Rock / Alex Toth Book / TV Terrorists / Irwin Allen / The Untouchables / Carol Burnett Show / Batman TV Show / Green Hornet / Today Show History / Our Gang / Doris Day Show / 1970's Commercials For Women / Bill Cosby in the 1970s / The Golddiggers / Lola Falana / 1970s TV Shows / David Bowie on TV / Hudson Brothers / Jackie Gleason / Hollywood Squares / Match Game / Bob Keeshan / Gumby / The Flip Wilson Show / Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour / The Bobby Darin Show / The Richard Pryor big brotherShow / George Burns / Lucy's Lost Christmas Special / Classic Christmas Toy Commercials / Cricket On The Hearth / 1950's Holiday Shows / Amahl and the Night Visitors / A Christmas Carol on TV / The Yule Log / Celebrity Commercials / Rudolph / Movie Posters & More! 

Classic Commercials on DVD “Amazing Mr Peabody on DVD Dick Van Dyke Show on  DVDs The TAMI Show “The inspector gadget DVD
Looking for classic TV DVDs? See below:
TV Commercials on DVD Wrestling DVDs Classic TV Books
Jim Longworth Christmas Specials TV Shows on BLU-RAY