Fine Finny Fiends: Oh, the sexism!

[bat-rss]

And Julie Gregg IMO wins the award for best *acting* job by a moll in the series as her Marilyn Monroe imitation is anything but her usual range. She had me fooled so much for years that's why I didn't recognize her as the French nightclub singer (wearing the same gown no less) in the movie, which was filmed just after this episode.

Yikes! So it is! We're preparing to record our To the Batpoles episode on the movie, and I didn't recognize Julie Gregg, either! (Is she lip-synching the song?)

[bat-rss]

This is hilarious! We're talking about beauty contests and jumping out of cakes and yet, no one mentions the cliffhanger trap where the henchman are pushing on the blower fan and Julie is checking the thermometer!!!

We do mention it in the podcast! I almost wonder, though, if Julie Gregg was actually in on the joke there? If I were her, I think I'd feel a bit violated, being on the, er, receiving end of that gag...

[Jim Akin]

I can't say I'm sorry beauty contests have faded in popularity, but they were a big thing in the mid-60s, and this episode spoofs them pretty enjoyably.

I thought the best gag was naming "Miss Natural Resources" the contest winner. (Finella ends up impersonating her in the pop-out-of-the-cake scene.) I don't think mineral rights had much to do with her selection.

Cheers,

QQ

[epaddon]

And Julie Gregg IMO wins the award for best *acting* job by a moll in the series as her Marilyn Monroe imitation is anything but her usual range. She had me fooled so much for years that's why I didn't recognize her as the French nightclub singer (wearing the same gown no less) in the movie, which was filmed just after this episode.

Yikes! So it is! We're preparing to record our To the Batpoles episode on the movie, and I didn't recognize Julie Gregg, either! (Is she lip-synching the song?)

No, that is her own singing. Julie in fact had a very extensive musical theater background and a year later won a Tony nomination for the Broadway musical "The Happy Time" with Robert Goulet. She's also in the not very successful movie version of the hit musical "Man Of La Mancha". In the 80s she later toured in "Show Boat".

[epaddon]

To put in further context why Julie Gregg's Finella is a terrific acting job, I recommend looking up these other two guest shots of Julie's and you will find yourself marveling at the fact it's the same actress.

1-The Season 2 "Hawaii Five-O" episode "Savage Sunday" where she plays the machine-gun toting wife of a Latin American terrorist and takes part in a raid on a military facility.

2-A Season 2 "Kojak" where she plays a junkie who knows the secret behind some murders and in a climactic scene Kojak forces her to tell all she knows while she's going through withdrawal. (Coincidentally, another Bat moll, Francine York is also in this episode).

[Dr. Shimel]

To put in further context why Julie Gregg's Finella is a terrific acting job, I recommend looking up these other two guest shots of Julie's and you will find yourself marveling at the fact it's the same actress.

1-The Season 2 "Hawaii Five-O" episode "Savage Sunday" where she plays the machine-gun toting wife of a Latin American terrorist and takes part in a raid on a military facility.

2-A Season 2 "Kojak" where she plays a junkie who knows the secret behind some murders and in a climactic scene Kojak forces her to tell all she knows while she's going through withdrawal. (Coincidentally, another Bat moll, Francine York is also in this episode).

The Marilyn Monroe shtick didn't work for Terry Moore, given that her appearance has largely been reviled by most Bat-philes.

[epaddon]

The reason why Moore couldn't pull it off credibly like Julie did I think is because first, the character of Venus was too unevenly written going from loyal henchmoll to conscious-ridden turncoat to Batman at various points, and second Moore was simply too old by that point to be doing MM style imitations IMO which required a younger type as Julie was then (and in a better written part that worked for the episode because it was more compact and to the point).

Interestingly, the role Terry had before doing the "Batman" episode was a guest shot on "The Virginian" where she had to play tough and cynical and amazingly pulled it off. If she'd been cast in a role where she could have channeled some of that quality, like with condescending put-downs of Joker and a more street-smart attitude I think she would have fared much better.

[Mr.Freeze]

Not NEAR as bad as Nora Clavicle in terms of sexism

I thought it was a bit offensive in the Marsha ep's when Gordon said to Alfred that he wouldn't know what it's like to be married and hen pecked

[Frenchy1939]

Ok....I don't know about sexism on the show but the egghead episode...I bet the native Americans are kinda mad at that one!