14 Interesting Facts About the ’60s ‘Batman’ TV Show

10. No One’s Come Close to Newmar’s Portrayal of Catwoman

Throughout the first two seasons of the show, actress Julie Newmar (a Tony award winning actress) portrayed the semi-villainous Catwoman, a Batman comics staple. Though she didn’t appear in the movie — that honor went to Lee Meriwether — she made the role her own, to the extent that, unlike any other cast member on the show, her performance as Catwoman has stood as the best to date. Both Michelle Pfeiffer and Anne Hathaway’s renditions were held in close comparison to Newmar’s iconic performance.

11. But Eartha Kitt Was Pretty ‘Purrrfect’

Okay, so Julie Newmar was off doing some movie you’ve never heard of for season three of Batman, so she had to be replaced. So, producers made the splendid decision of casting Eartha Kitt, a woman that Orson Welles once called, “the most exciting woman in the world”. On Batman, the songstress and Broadway fixture broke into the mainstream as audiences happily lapped up her own purrrfect version of Selina Kyle.

12. Where Does He Get Those Cool Toys?

Thanks to the inflated budget of the feature film, Dozier was able to commission the construction of the Batboat and the Batcopter. In fact, the firm that built the Batboat was paid only with the honor of having the film screened in their hometown. Thanks to this, the TV show was able to incorporate both vehicles into seasons two and three.