Was Eartha Kitt inspired by Julie Newmar's portrayal of Catwoman?
Sometimes, our favorite characters are played by different actors. This happens more often in reboots, where a classic production gets a modern twist and familiar characters are played by fresh faces.
However, sometimes this noticeable change happens while a show is still on air. In the 1966 Batman series, for example, Catwoman was first played by Julie Newmar. For the first two seasons, whenever Batman and Robin faced Catwoman and her crew, we knew Julie Newmar was behind the mask.
That changed in the third season, when viewers saw Eartha Kitt take on the character. If you wondered why Newmar was no longer in the role, a December 7, 1967, Sun-News article explained that she was filming a movie in Europe when the episode "Catwoman's Dressed to Kill" was scheduled to be filmed.
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So Kitt, multitalented, stepped in and created her own version of the villain we knew and loved. Many people wanted to know if Eartha drew inspiration from Newmar's portrayal, but she never saw Julie's performance.
"I never saw Julie play the part," she said. "So I'm not trying to either be like her or not like her. I'm approaching Catwoman in my own way."