Alex Carson
Television audiences will likely remember Julie Newmar from her recurring role as Catwoman in the 1960s Batman series. Not as many will recall the actress’s subsequent appearance on the sitcom Bewitched, making reference to her classic Batman role. Join Facts Verse as we take a look at Catwoman Julie Newmar’s racy appearance in Bewitched.
Bewitched was a popular sitcom that ran from 1964 to 1972 on the ABC network. It followed the exploits of an everyday man that fell in love with a witch. The two become married, and supernatural hijinks ensued. The husband is Darrin Stephens, who plays by two different actors over the course of the show’s run. He plays by actor Dick York during the first several seasons and played by Dick Sargent during the final three. The lovable witch was Samantha, played by actress Elizabeth Montgomery.
While Bewitched was at the peak of its popularity, another ABC show began taking over the airwaves. This was 1966’s Batman, a campy television series based upon the comic book character of the same name. The series starred Adam West as the titular character, and Burt Ward as his sidekick, Robin. These two, other actors and actresses show the various villains that the duo will face over the show’s run.
One of the most memorable villains that Batman and Robin faced on the show was Catwoman. Catwoman takes over by actress Eartha Kitt, and Julie Newmar becomes famous as the character during the show’s early seasons. Julie is responsible for designing the character’s iconic costume, which now sits among other pieces at the Smithsonian Institute.
During the final season of Bewitched, Julie appears which makes reference to her previous role as Catwoman on Batman. Batman had long since aired its final episode without Julie, and Bewitched was on its way out. Ratings are dropping for Bewitched. Writers are turning to notable guest stars as a way to help bring in the fans for the final episodes. They wrote a role just for Julie, and her appearance made good on her catlike appeal.
In the Bewitched episode that Julie appears as Samantha’s mother, Endora, to find out if Darrin attracts other women. Darrin works in the advertising industry and thus is often in contact with models. After Endora happens upon work-related pictures of bikini models in Darrin’s briefcase, she expresses her concerns to Samantha. Samantha tells her mother that she didn’t believe Darrin admires any other women. Still, Endora takes it upon herself to be sure, to typically comical results.
In order to figure out if Darrin is really being faithful to her daughter, Endora enlists the help of one of her old friends in the witch community. Julie Newmar plays this friend, a woman that can literally turn into a cat. She turns out to be the perfect “cat woman” for Darrin’s new advertising campaign. It centers on a company by the name of Tom Cat Tractor. After Darrin hires Julie’s character to take part in the ad campaign, she then sets about attempting to seduce him. Join Facts Verse as we take a look at Catwoman Julie Newmar’s racy appearance in Bewitched.
Despite what Endora feared, Darrin doesn’t prove very easy to seduce. However, Julie’s character gives it her all. Eventually, Samantha uncovers her mother’s plot to try and trick her husband. Samantha then attempts to figure out a clever way to get revenge. Sadly, a lot of people missed out on Julie’s Bewitched appearance due to the fact that it occurred during the show’s final season. At that point, a lot of audience members had stopped tuning in. Nowadays, Julie’s guest appearance stands as an interesting piece of trivia for both Bewitched and Batman fans alike.
After her appearance on Bewitched, Julie would soon venture into other areas of business, including fashion and real estate. However, she is still famous for her iconic portrayal of Catwoman. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! As well, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Julie Newmar was born on August 16, 1933, in Los Angeles, California. She was the oldest of three children. Her father was a former professional football player that went on to work as the head of the Physical Education Department at Los Angeles City College. Julie’s mother is a dancer, and her interest is in entertainment from an early age. Join Facts Verse as we take a look at Catwoman Julie Newmar’s racy appearance in Bewitched.
When she was young, Julie’s interest in her mother’s former profession led her to study both classical ballet and dance. As well, the young girl began practicing piano. Julie’s adamant studies allowed her to graduate from high school at the age of only 15, at which point she is able to travel for a time around Europe. After returning home to Los Angeles, she took up further study at UCLA. There, she studied French and philosophy while continuing to practice piano. She also performed ballet with the Los Angeles Opera during the time that she was studying at UCLA.
Julie had plenty of experience dancing on stage before being offered her first role in a film. Julie’s on-screen debut came in 1952 when she was offered a role as a chorus girl in the feature She’s Working Her Way Through College. Though the role wasn’t much, it led to plenty more roles of similar stature. After her appearance as a chorus girl in She’s Working Her Way Through College, Julie made similar appearances as a background dancer in a few other musicals, including the 1953 Fred Astaire feature The Band Wagon. That same year, she made a memorable appearance covered from head to toe in gold body paint in the feature Serpent of the Nile. Though Julie wasn’t getting much name recognition for these roles, her visage was slowly becoming familiar to those that were paying attention.
After numerous background roles, Julie finally earned her first credited role in 1954. Julie plays as one of the titular brides in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Afterward, Julie decided she was sick of California and took a trip to New York to pursue a career on Broadway. She made her Broadway debut in 1955, appearing in the play Silk Stockings. However, her breakout role on Broadway proved to be her turn in Li’l Abner the following year.
In addition to gaining notoriety on Broadway, Julie also used her time in New York to model for some pin-ups and magazines. Both as a serious actress and a sex symbol, Julie was slowly but surely turning heads in the industry. 1957 saw the actress head back out to California with some newfound esteem. There, she is in the 1959 film adaptation of Li’l Abner. She subsequently traveled back and forth from New York, taking part equally in Hollywood and Broadway productions for a few years. However, her true calling soon came in the form of television.
Julie makes a notable appearance on The Twilight Zone in 1963 and receives her own science fiction show in 1964. This show was My Living Doll, wherein Julie played an android. Though this show isn’t much of a success, it leads to Julie in her most successful role to date. Soon after My Living Doll came to an end, Julie receives an offer for the role of Catwoman in the hit 1966 series Batman. Although actress Eartha Kitt would go on to take over the role by the end of Batman’s run, Julie is the one that created the character’s iconic costume! As well, Julie is arguably the one that remains best known for the role.
Despite her hopes that Batman would open up more opportunities for her career, Julie didn’t act a whole lot after leaving behind the role of Catwoman. After a 1968 Playboy photo shoot, the actress decided it was time to make a change. In 1970, Julie created her own line of pantyhose and brassieres meant for curvaceous women. Following this venture, she returned to UCLA to study real estate.
Julie’s real estate studies led to a successful career. The television actress became a successful investor, buying up properties around several notable Los Angeles areas. In fact, Julie credits helping revitalize some of these areas through her investments. Julie is still alive today, and she is currently 87 years old. In addition to her success in real estate, the actress has appeared as herself in several films over the past few decades. As well, she has returned to the role of Catwoman on a few occasions, voicing the character in a couple of direct-to-video animated Batman features paying homage to the 1960s series.
Julie has only been married once in her lifetime, to a man by the name of J. Holt Smith. The two married in 1977, and were divorced less than a decade later, in 1986. While they were married, the couple had one son. Their son was named John, and he was born in 1981. John was born with Down’s syndrome, and was permanently deafened at the age of two after suffering from a bout of meningitis. Although Julie never remarried after divorcing from her first and only husband, she was engaged for a period of time to a subsequent romantic interest, the popular author Louis L’Amour.
Julie’s on-screen role on Bewitched wasn’t the only thing that tied her to that classic supernatural sitcom. Julie appeared in a season four episode of The Monkees as a character named April Conquest. During the episode, the character’s home is shown. Coincidentally, it is the exact same set that was used for Samantha and Darrin’s home on Bewitched!
Over the years, many people have argued about whether they prefer Julie Newmar or Eartha Kitt in the role of Catwoman. Comment down below to share who you think is the best Catwoman from the classic 1966 Batman show, or if you prefer Lee Meriwether, who took over the character temporarily in the 1966 feature film adaptation. As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
