The Catwoman (1960s Batman)

The Catwoman

Seasons 1 & 2
Movie
Season 3
Animated

General Information

Real name:

Unrevealed

Aliases:

The Princess of Plunder
The Queen of Crime
The Countess of Criminality
Kitanya Irenia Tatanya Kerenska Alisoff (aka Ms. Kitka, disguise)
Minerva Matthews (disguise)
Miss Klutz, Dance teacher (disguise)

Portrayed by:

Julie Newmar (Seasons 1 and 2 and Animated Movies)
Lee Meriwether (Batman: The Movie)
Eartha Kitt (Season 3)
Marilyn Watson (The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra)

Appearances:

List of Appearances

"Purr-fect."

―The Catwoman^[src]

The Catwoman was an arch-nemesis of Batman.

She was a seductive villainess who often stole the heart of the Caped Crusader and always wanted him for her own partner, but her criminal persona always allowed him to see through her seductions and never stopped him from carrying out his duty as a crime fighter.

Biography

Catwoman is one of Gotham City's most prominent villains, ranking near the top with Joker, Penguin and Riddler for the most criminal activity. Dressed in a sleek, black bodysuit with a gold belt, cat ears, an eye mask, clawed gloves and a cat medallion around her neck, Catwoman has the appearance and grace of the animal from which she gets her name. Indeed, at times she has been known to meow, and when Batman is close by her voice takes on a distinctive purr.

It is easy to see that Catwoman is attracted to Batman in a strong physical way. Whenever they come face to face she tries to coax him to admit his feelings for her, at times attempting to entice him into a more personal encounter. Even attracted to Batman as she is, she cannot abide his crime-fighting behaviour. The fact they are on opposite sides of the law will undoubtedly keep them apart.

She has been known at times to keep pussy willows in her hideout. Throughout the day she will take time out for a cat nap and she has a fondness for milk. She also is allergic to dogwood.

Her capers are usually related to cats in some way. Whether it be a form of ancient treasure or jewellery in the shape of a cat, cat-gut strings from antique violins, or the legendary treasure of Captain Manx, Catwoman will hatch a scheme which will usually involve trying to rid Gotham City of its caped protectors. Though she is attracted to Batman, she has the sense to realize he is a hindrance in her plans. Batman believes that Catwoman has the nine lives of a cat because during her attempts to try and escape from capture, she has fallen into a bottomless pit or off the roof of a waterfront warehouse and survived.

She has a pet cat named Hecate who she sometimes takes on her crimes and occasionally even helps her.

United Underworld movement

Joker, Penguin, Riddler and Catwoman — Catwoman once threatened the entire world with three other prominent criminals.

In the 1966 Batman movie, she was pretending to be a Russian woman named Ms. Kitka, and teamed up with the other three main criminals: the Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler, devising a plan to take over the world. Batman fell in love with Ms. Kitka, and was unaware until the end that she was really the Catwoman (believing her to be kidnapped, and with the Catwoman "threatening to kill her" at one point). During the final battle at the end, on top of the submarine, the Catwoman was ironically the only one who wasn't knocked into the water, sneaking up on Batman and Robin and knocking them both off, first Robin then Batman. Sneaking back into the submarine she tripped and fell down. Her mask fell off, and Batman and Robin realized that she was Ms. Kitka all along. Robin puts her in batcuffs and she is captured along with the other criminals.

She has been known to team up with other master criminals. Her partners in crime include Freddy the Fence, Ma Parker and the Sandman, though she had planned to double-cross him when the caper was finished. Even though the Joker and the Penguin had feelings for her, she refused them both because she hated Joker's green hair and disliked Penguin's size.

She was also one of six arch-criminals freed from prison by Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft to form her new invisible gang.

Weapons and Equipment

Whip - a special weapon that looks like an ordinary cat o'nine tails which squirts deadly gas from its handle.
Medallion - A piece of jewellery that she always wears around her neck. It has a hidden communicator, a watch and an alarm as a reminder of when to take her cat naps.
Catacol - A drug that paralyses movement in the nervous system. Catwoman sometimes even uses her pet cat to give it to her victims.
Catamizer - a specialized gun which is filled with catasonic acid. Though the catamizer has never been used, it will 'catalyze' the victim.
Catwoman's Amazing Maze - located in the catacombs of her subterranean suite 6, this maze is a giant replication of the maze used to carry out experiments on rats and mice. According to Catwoman, once inside it could take the rest of your life to get out, that is unless you find the center of the maze which means you will never get out. She had placed her traitorous henchwoman Katalina (AKA Police Woman Mooney) and Robin in the maze. Both of them became trapped in the center of the maze, trapped that is until Batman entered the maze and led them to safety.
See in the dark glasses - she liked using them because 'cats can always see in the dark'.
Sonic beam blast gun - fires a concentrated sound wave that can destroy whatever it hits
Voice-stealing box - when opened and pointed at a person, that person would lose the power of speech as it was transferred into the box. Recent conversations that person had could then be replayed by opening the box and listening. Catwoman later revealed under questioning that the person's voice could be returned by drinking a mixture of sweet basil, garlic salt, and goat's milk.
Sneeze bombs - explode in a puff of red smoke, leave everyone in the room sneezing.
Cataphrenic - A chemical created by Catwoman. It can be kept under fingernails so that when a person is scratched, they are infected with the drug. It reverses all normal moral and ethical standards, turning them into the complete opposite of the person they used to be. As side effects, it causes amnesia and fainting spells. Catwoman used this to brainwash Robin into serving her. She even did this on Batman only for the Bat-Antidote Pill that Batman passed off as an aspirin to negate it's effects.
Catillac - Catwoman's car.
Remote Control Cat-radio
Old Kit Bag - A bag used to carry things.
Eau de Chat (Water of Cat) - A poisonous perfume.
Hair-raising bomb - Destroys the hairdos of any women in the area.
Kitty Car - A green vehicle made to look like a cat.
Cat Lily perfume - Not known to have any criminal uses, but probably smells nice.
Cat's whiskers - Thin ropes used to tie someone up, they contract when in contact with body heat.

Known Associates

Just as Batman and Robin do not go at crime-fighting alone, Catwoman needs fellow partners in crime to assist her with her malicious schemes. Her pet cat was named Hecate.

Felix and Leo (portrayed by Ralph Manza and Jock Mahoney) - Catwoman's henchmen. Felix was in charge of brushing Catwoman's pussy willows.
Henchman (portrayed by Alex Sharp) - Catwoman's henchmen.
Joker - Member of the United Underworld and later teamed up with Catwoman and helped her find a cache of gunpowder hidden for a hundred years.
Penguin - Member of the United Underworld
Riddler - Member of the United Underworld
Bluebeard (portrayed by Gil Perkins) - Member of the United Underworld
Morgan (portrayed by Dick Crockett)- Member of the United Underworld
Quetch (portrayed by George Sawaya) - Member of the United Underworld
Jack O'Shea (portrayed by Jack Kelly) - This Gotham City Times writer pens the most widely read gossip column in the country. His office is the third phone booth in Glob's drugstore. His favorite lunch is corn beef on white, heavy on the mayo, and two glasses of buttermilk from the drugstore's deli. Despite his national fame, O'Shea found it necessary to enlist with Catwoman in what she called "the greatet caper in crimedum's history"—the carefully orchestrated theft of two antique Strativarius violins. The Gotham City Times will be without O'Shea's talents for several years as he does time in Gotham State Penitentiary.
John, Thomas and Charles (portrayed by Buck Kartalian, Charles Horvath, and George Barrows) - The creme de la creme of Gotham City's cat-burglars, these three men successfully made it through Catwoman's selection process, becoming key players in "the greatest caper in crimedum's history". After a small caper, John is left behind, revealing information which leads the Dynamic Duo to Catwoman's lair and a trap. All three are currently serving time.
Cowboys (portrayed by Christopher Riordan) - Catwoman's henchmen
Ma Parker - She was released from imprisonment by her and became a member of Ma's new prison gang after the gangster took over Gotham State Penitentiary.
Eenie (portrayed by Sharyn Winters) - Female helper and member of the band "Catwoman and the Kittens." She was constantly questioning Catwoman's decisions and complaining about the next caper.
Meanie, Miney, and Moe (portrayed by T.J. Castronova, Chuck Henderson, and Ric Roman) - Catwoman's henchmen and members of "Catwoman and the Kittens."
Benton Bellgoody (portrayed by Joe Flynn) - Benton works at Duncan Dance Studios. He apparently allowed Catwoman and her gang to hide out in the basement, and let Catwoman pretend to be a dance teacher. When Batman and Robin visited, he pretended not to remember their names, but Batman saw right through him.
Kitty, Cattie, and Catarina (portrayed by Valerie Kairys, Pat Bender, and Jeanie Moore) - During her partnership with Sandman, Catwoman had a pair of female criminal companions. It appears as if these two women functioned more as servants than criminal helpers. This is suggested through the leashes Catwoman made them wear. She refers to them as her "kittens".
The Sandman - Worked together on a scheme to get rid of Batman once and for all, but eventually he double crossed her.
Nap (portrayed by Tony Ballen) - Sandman's and Catwoman's henchman.
Snooze (portrayed by Richard Peel) - Sandman's and Catwoman's henchman.
Pussycat (portrayed by Lesley Gore) - She always wanted to be a rock and roll singer, but wasn't doing too well when Catwoman picked her up at the Milkshake-a-go-go on Sunset Strip. Catwoman convinced her that at 20 years old, she was over the hill.
Spade, Marlow, and Templar (portrayed by Jock Gaynor, Tony Epper, and George Sawaya) - Catwoman's simple henchmen who assisted Catwoman in brainwashing Robin.
henchmen.
Freddy the Fence - The owner of French Freddy's Fencing Academy. Catwoman and Minerva Henchman. Also a well-known fence. He sometimes uses his fencing mask to strain spaghetti.
Cornell, Penn, and Brown (portrayed by Paul Mantee, Sheldon Allman, and Paul Picerni) - Catwoman's simple henchmen. Cornell is a master mimic, even able to impersonate Batman's voice perfectly.
Manx and Angora (portrayed by James Griffith and Dirk Evans) - Catwoman's henchmen and amateur fasion critics.
Giggler and Laugher (portrayed by Sandy Kevin and Bobby Hall) - Catwoman's henchmen, both were looking forward very much to working with Joker.
Lucky Pierre (portrayed by Pierre Salinger) - Catwoman's attorney who presented her and Joker's case. He wore a lucky wishbone in his hat, carried a lucky rabbit's foot round a chain on his waistcoat. and claimed he never lost a case. But after it was revealed that he and Catwoman rigged the jury, he lost his first case, thus he destroyed his lucky wishbone, threw away his lucky rabbit's foot and stormed out.
Marvin the Moose and Dave the Dummy (portrayed by Gil Perkins and Sammy Shack) -They worked with Catwoman in the past. Lucky Pierre disguised them and put them on the jury in Batman's case against her.
Jurors (portrayed by Al Bain, Donald Chaffin, Neil Collins, Sig Frohlich, Joseph Glick, and Johnny Kern) - Joker and Catwoman's henchmen
Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft - A diabolical alchemist who has invented camouflage pills which turn people invisible. She freed Gotham's most dangerous criminals in Gotham including Catwoman to form her new invisible gang. She was told by Dr. Cassandra to rob all the fish market areas.
Cabala - Dr. Cassandra's fiendish husband who assists in her plot.
King Tut - Former adversary of Batman released from prison to form Dr. Cassandra's new invisible gang. He was told to rob all the museums.
Egghead - Former adversary of Batman released from prison to form Dr. Cassandra's new invisible gang. He was told to rob the poultry farms.

Known Hideouts

The Pink Sandbox - A new restaurant and dance club on the west side of Gotham. From this hip club came the Catusi, the latest dance craze.

Subterranean Suite 6 of the Catacombs Condominium - It is adjoining Duncan's Dance Studio.

The Catlair West - It is across the river in New Guernsey.

Basement of the Eta Beta Latka - A sorority house.
Gato & Chat Fur Warehouse - 2809 West 20th Street

32 Pussyfoot Road, in the heart of Gotham City's garment center
The Hotel Sleazy, across the street from Police Headquarters
The Grimalkin Novelty Company

Appearances

Batman (1960s series)

Films

Behind the scenes

Catwoman was first portrayed in the 1960s series by Julie Newmar in the first two seasons. Lee Meriwether and Eartha Kitt replaced when she was unavailable for the movie and season three. Marilyn Watson was Newmar's stunt double.
Her real name Selina Kyle is never mentioned in the series. Nor are her motives or origins.

Trivia

Played by three different actresses there were some differences:
- Unlike Newmar and Kitt, Meriwether didn't wear the golden cat medallion.
- Unlike Newman and Meriwether, Kitt never carried a whip.
As a cat oriented person, Catwoman loves pussy willows and coincidentally is allergic to Dogwood.
Catwoman was the most recurring villain in the second season, appearing in ten episodes.
As opposed to being a simple thief who is occasionally an anti-heroine or neutral character in the comics, the 1960s portrayed Catwoman as one of the most evil adaptations, who was a full fledged criminal, though in the same way she had a soft spot for Batman.
In a few episodes, she and Batman almost kissed, but there were always hesitations or interruptions. They finally kissed for the first time in Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders.
In the episode The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra, Catwoman's cameo was portrayed by Julie Newmar's previous stunt double Marilyn Watson as a stand in. All the other five villains consisting of Joker, Penguin, Riddler, King Tut and Egghead were also portrayed by stand ins. This was most likely due to the fact that it would have been too expensive to have the original actors and actresses on set.