Femme Fatale Friday : Julie Newmar, Cat Scratch Fever Forever

 

To say that Julie Newmar is one of the most beautiful and naturally sexiest women to ever walk this earth would be a bold statement but also an understatement.  Newmar has been wowing the world for decades. 💖

Born, Julia Charlene Newmeyer on August 16th 1933, in Los Angeles California, she began dance at an early age.  Her father, Don Newmeyer was a Phys Ed teacher for Los Angeles City College and played professional football for the Los Angeles Buccaneers.  Her mother, Helen was a fashion designer and Swedish-French born, who later invested in real estate, which Julie would also get into, later in life.

In 1956 Julie was in a stage production of, Lil Abner, for 3-

minutes she portrayed, Stupefyin' Jones, but it wasn't until she reprised the role for the film in 1959 that she would catch the attention of the world for her statuesque beauty, but this wasn't her first taste of fame.

At age 15 Julie was the Prima Ballerina for the Los Angeles Orchestra and this fueled her fire for stage production.

She performed in regional productions of Zeigfield Follies (1956), Damn Yankees (1961) and Irma la Douce (1965) and would win a Tony Award in 1958 on Broadway for her performance in, The Marriage-Go Round and would reprise that role in the 1961 film.

Then in 1966 she found the role that would immortalize her forever, the sleek, sultry and every so sexy, Catwoman in the television series, Batman, starring Adam West & Burt Ward.

Julie's costume for the role is also immortalized in the Smithsonian Institute as she altered the costume that her belt would fit around her hips rather than her waist to show off her hour-glass figure.

Former Miss America, Lee Meriweather would play the Catwoman role in the 1966 Batman film, Newmar had a scheduling conflict, and Eartha Kitt would take the role in the final season of the show.  But today, Newmar is the one that most fans associate with the role.

Newmar would go on to make appearances in numerous television series; Twilight Zone, F Troop, Bewitched, Beverly Hillbillies, Hart To Hart, Love Boat, Get Smart, Columbo, The Bionic Woman, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (still looking good in a skin tight outfit), CHiPs, Fantasy Island and many more...

In 1995 Newmar found a whole new generation when she was paid tribute in the film, To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar.  Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo all went drag for their roles and it was a hit, and still has a very strong cult following to this day.  Newmar only did a brief cameo at the end of the film but was very flattered for all the attention and dedication.

Newmar stays active to this day and has always been an avid gardener, she also followed in her mothers footsteps and became a real estate investor, even having a short feud with actor James Belushi, to the point that it almost ended up in court, after it was settled, Newmar did an appearance on Belushi's television show as the two made fun of the feud.

Newmar has remained one of Hollywoods class acts, rarely if ever being the target of the tabloids and always fighting for causes in her community, a true champion of the celebrity set.  But to some of us, she'll always be, Catwoman 😍😻