Why didn't Julie appear in season 3?

[High C]

Great research, Bob, as always. Thanks for clearing this up once and for all.

Did Variety ever mention that Joan Collins had signed on to guest? Just curious.

It's my pleasure!

No, Variety does not mention Joan Collins signing for the show.

Thanks for the info, Bob!

Interesting that they reported Greer Garson was on board. I know Dozier was desperately trying to get her. Maybe for Peasoup, considering Vallee is mentioned and Glynis Johns is not.

EDIT: I saw a copy of a letter Dozier sent to Garson in which he notes that Anne Baxter had been hired as Olga. Who knows, maybe that's the part he wanted Garson for. Weird.

[Ben Bentley]

Here's some new research from Variety:

Julie Newmar was initially signed for the role of Catwoman on February 3, 1966.

"Mackenna's Gold" began filming May 16, 1967 on location in Grant's Pass, Oregon. Julie filmed her Star Trek episode in late May. On June 14, Variety reports, "In addition to the new array of stars guesting, Horwitz has set as repeaters Cliff Robertson, Vincent Price, Burgess Meredith, Victor Buono, Cesar Romero and Julie Newmar. Miss Merrill and her husband, Robertson, will appear in the same show."

The same day, they wrote: "Greer Garson, Ethel Merman, Rudy Vallee, Eartha Kitt, Dina Merrill have been set as guest heavies on "Batman" on ABC-TV next season by producer Howie Horwitz."

On July 5, the third season begins production.

On September 14, Julie began filming "Monsieur Lecoq" on location in France. She rented a flat in London for two years but only stayed six months. On November 27, the unfinished film is put on hold due to "tricky location weather conditions." Stills from the canceled production with Zero Mostel and Julie appeared in the September 1969 issue of Playboy.

She talks about the film here: http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2013/ ... 3rRvG.dpbs

Eartha Kitt films her first Catwoman episode in mid-October. On November 29, Variety reports "Eartha Kitt bows as Catwoman."

Great research indeed, Bob!

To add a couple more dates to this chronology you have established:

A memo from Dozier to Eartha Kitt dated Sept 19th 1967, reads "I can't tell you how pleased I am that you are going to be doing Catwoman with us."

Six weeks later "Catwoman's Dressed to Kill" would go into production on October 27th and wrap on October 31st.

If Julie's plans were constantly evolving and adapting as those months went by, its easy to see how timings perhaps simply did not work out.

[Dr. Shimel]

Did Dozier have a backup plan if Eartha (who was having major back trouble at the time) couldn't do the shows?

[Ben Bentley]

Did Dozier have a backup plan if Eartha (who was having major back trouble at the time) couldn't do the shows?

Interesting you say that, Dozier signs off the memo I mentioned with this remark:

"Meanwhile, please take very good care of yourself, and I hope your present incapacity is responding well to rest and treatment."

In some respects I think Eartha WAS the back-up plan as it were given that only a few months earlier (June 1967) Howie Horwitz mentions Julie by name when listing actors returning to the show as villains in Variety.

[MysticNitekatt]

I've notice a mistake in this thread regarding THE TIME TUNNEL.

The Show was canceled at the end of the 1966-1967 season. Batman Season 3 was the 1967-1968 Season.

So Lee would have been available for Season 3.

[Progress Pigment]

As far as Julie Newmar, I think it's pretty clear that the show wasn't "hot" anymore, and like Adam West she felt she had a decent shot at a post-Batman film career. Seriously, continuing to play Catwoman in season 3 was beating a dead horse. For Eartha it was new and sort of interesting. For Julie, not so much. Lee Meriwether probably realized the ship had sailed too. "Batman" was no longer as spring-board to fame. It was an anchor.

[BATWINGED HORNET]

As far as Julie Newmar, I think it's pretty clear that the show wasn't "hot" anymore, and like Adam West she felt she had a decent shot at a post-Batman film career. Seriously, continuing to play Catwoman in season 3 was beating a dead horse. For Eartha it was new and sort of interesting. For Julie, not so much. Lee Meriwether probably realized the ship had sailed too. "Batman" was no longer as spring-board to fame. It was an anchor.

Interesting take. I'm not sure post Time Tunnel Meriwether would look at a recurring guest spot previously occupied by a woman who made the role her own as a spring board.

She already had experience with that in the Batman movie, and realized she did not win over the numbers who thought Newmar owned the role, nor did it make her a bigger star--and that was on the tail end of season 1, when Batman was still (to a degree) a hit/"must see" series.

If playing Catwoman did not help her at that time, it was never going to in the future, and she understood that.

If anything, her coming back in the Tut episodes as Lisa Carson was as much as she was going to get--career wise--from the series. Just another known guest actor on a series.

Moreover, I considered Lee the kind of actress that was more of a longevity performer, instead of a "hot" actress fitting or taking advantage of a certain mood or period of time. Now, i'm not knocking Julie, but her breakout in the TV years of her career seem to be the result of the latter, so she had more of the right unusual, mental and physical elements of that period to make Catwoman explode as seen in '66.

On the other hand, Lee--known for her beauty, but having a steady, mature kind of acting ability, was the kind who ends up with a career of many types of characters, moods and appearances, as we witnessed in everything following her stint with Irwin Allen. That said, I think that is the one of the reasons another run as Catwoman was not going to help her career. It was a memorable credit, but not any star-making job.