In the continued exploration of my pop culture roots, I’m revealing more of my recently discovered cache of celebrity correspondence from the 1970s. Of all the letters I received back then, I don’t think anything excited me more than the package I got from that feline temptress who reduced Batman to a quivering pile of mush—Julie Newmar.
The year was 1971 and I was all of 11 years old. I was already familiar with Julie Newmar from her short-lived series called “My Living Doll” in which she played AF709, also known as Rhoda Miller, a robot who lived with an Air Force shrink played by Bob Cummings. In this Johnson-era, testosterone-laced male fantasy, Cummings was trying to transform Newmar’s sexy android into the Perfect Woman, i.e., one that would do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it! (Is it possible that the women’s movement was originally formed just so they could band together to protest this show?) I specifically remember an episode where Cummings was teaching Julie how to get into a girdle, something her character wasn’t familiar with (and obviously didn’t need!).
Before her stint as a robot, Julie Newmar was most famous as one of the “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” She followed that up by being perfectly cast as Stupefyin’ Jones in the film version of “L’il Abner.” After the cancellation of her TV show, she landed the role that forever made her a pop culture icon. With her skintight, form-fitting suit, she was by far the sexiest Catwoman ever to claw her way through Gotham City. By the early 1970s, Julie had hung up her claws and was making TV movies, including 1971’s “The Feminist and the Fuzz” in which she co-starred with Barbara Eden, David Hartman, Jo Anne Worley, and in one of her first roles, an impossibly young Farrah Fawcett. I don’t know what possessed me to write to the actress (or how I got her home address in New York) but I sure remember the day a large envelope from 19 Beekman Place arrived in the mail.
Unfortunately, I can only find one of the three photos Newmar enclosed with her letter. Reading her kind words, I wonder if she had a clue that the person she was writing to was only 11 years old. I am mortified that I apparently told her about being “first in my school” and I can’t fathom what “first” I was talking about. I love her suggestive comment that she’d like to be in more films "as one way" of visiting me, and the fact that she takes the time to explain how she prefers New York over Los Angeles.
Do you think celebrities today still answer their fan mail? It’s amazing to me that Julie Newmar read my scrawled missive, sat down to pen me a response, and then included not one, but three sexy photos. Searching the Internet tonight, I was surprised and a little hurt to find one of the other photos she sent me, but of course signed to someone else. The “Peter” in this case is artist and musician Peter Gullerud who was once a sketch artist for Disney and worked for Hitchcock star Tippi Hedren (Melanie Griffith’s mom) at her animal reserve called Shambala. On my copy of this photograph, however, Julie signed it “To D, Love J” and drew little cat whiskers on the J! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to find such a proliferation of signed Julie Newmar photos on the Internet. There was even a bizarre, cross-dressing Patrick Swayze film in 1995 called “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” that was inspired by an autographed photo the screenwriter saw of Newmar in a Chinese restaurant in Times Square. Oh well, maybe I was at least the youngest recipient of Newmar’s largesse. By the way, is it illegal for a former movie star to send softcore porn to an 11 year old?
I’ve run into Julie Newmar many times in Los Angeles and even today she causes a sensation when she enters a restaurant. You can practically hear nerves being pinched as everyone in the room cranes their neck to gaze at the shockingly tall 70-year-old woman who still looks like she could give Bruce Wayne a run for his money. Lately I’ve seen her around town with her only child, a son named John, who was born when Newmar was 48 years old and, sadly, has Down Syndrome and is deaf. It’s heartwarming to see the way she cares for him when the two of them are out in public.
I was sad to see Julie back in the news last November when her next-door-neighbor, actor Jim Belushi, sued her for four million dollars, claiming harassment and defamation of character. Their openly hostile neighborhood feud has been going on for years. Newmar apparently once threw an egg at Belushi's house because of a noisy air conditioner and she has accused him of being a peeping Tom. It’s all pretty sordid, but whatever the facts, I have to side with Julie on this one. Anyone who takes the time to fulfill the fantasies of some snot-nosed little kid in Chicago is above reproach in my book.
Danny: I eat this stuff up. The funny thing is, we think we're learning about Julie Newmar, or the actors on the Waltons, but it's really you we're getting a look at.
Please insure this stuff, or by a fireproof safe, or both. It is Americana -- and Millerana.
David
Posted by: david | March 03, 2005 at 06:04 AM
Wowie wow wow...what a lovely lady...excellent as Catwoman!
Posted by: david | March 04, 2005 at 08:48 AM
I had a crush on Ms. Newmar for years, but couldn't tell a soul. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: pookie135 | March 05, 2005 at 12:24 PM
I HAD A SIMILAR FIRST CRUSH, BUT IT WAS WITH CAROL WAYNE, THE BIG-TITED BLOND BOMBSHELL WHO WAS EVERYWHERE IN THE LATE 60'S AND 70'S, SHE WAS MAGICAL ON THE SCREEN,UNFORTUNATLY SHE NEVER TOOK OFF AND I EVENTUALLY DROPPED HER FOR FARRAH.
Posted by: MUSCLEMAN | November 24, 2005 at 09:47 AM
wow thanks for posting this its thins kind of look back at the past that shows us just how great things were and how far weve come.
Julie sounds like an absolutely wonderful person i would have loved to meet her also your so lucky.
Posted by: Jorge | April 10, 2008 at 06:22 PM
Ah Julie Newmar....on hope we meet even if I simply got an " Hello", or imagine an autograph and picture!
Oh how I wanted to be her, with her womanly ways. Batman, even though faced with the discovery of many eeeevil things Catwoman does still realizes he has feelings for her, and her for him, how she has her henchmen (dressed in cool '60s eeeeevil outfits), how easily, our hero, Batman, just gets all broken up when he realizes (many times) that he has made a mistake in trusting her -oh the pain-a minute or so of anguish then off he goes to the Batmobile to help the citizens!
The other two darlings Eartha Kit and Lee Merriweather, who by the way are also super-awesome in their roles that Julie, Catwoman does too!
Julie, to me, takes the others and well, there is that fine line, and she steps over it-unintentionally. Naturally.
This particular type of scenario is one that closely resembles the recent run of Batman as a movie, some have a favorite, others don't, they are relatively layed back about the Batmans.
There are many Batmans, many James Bonds. I think most have a favourite??
Yes, I do think so.
We miss you Julie Newmar- you, the statuesque brunette, I associate with the Batman Series, and as an actress with the cool manner, the femme fatale well in her case for this role "feline fatale", her moves, her smile her statuesque looks , her smarts--
thank ya Julie
Posted by: fan | May 15, 2008 at 08:54 AM
Danny, many years after you told it I want to thank you!!! I live in Buenos Aires and I only know Julie through photos and interviews but she also wrote to me and sent me her photo and her t-shirt with Catwoman's face and I bought her book.
She's a success and a beatiful woman! I'd like to meet her some time.
I admire her since 1967 when Batman started in Argentina.
Love,
Silvia
[email protected]
Posted by: Silvia | November 23, 2009 at 06:17 PM
Carol Wayne drowned, that is why hef career never took off.
Posted by: Simeon | July 31, 2013 at 08:53 AM