It's Julie Newmar's birthday. We won't mention her age except to say it's one of those milestone birthdays that ends in a zero. We don't care. We here at the Monkey dig Julie Newmar.
I think what I like best about Julie Newmar -- she's lovely, yes, but she's also a great comedic actress. Her approach to Catwoman on Batman was groundbreaking, I think: smart but stoned. Before that, you got lots of ditzy and dumb, or smart and high-strung, but smart and stoned was her thing.
(Of course, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler was working the opposite extreme, like he'd swallowed enough speed to kill a horse before every scene. Don't think I've seen anything like it before or since.)
Named for Katie-Bar-The-Door, the Katies are "alternate Oscars"—who should have been nominated, who should have won—but really they're just an excuse to write a history of the movies from the Silent Era to the present day.
To see a list of nominees and winners by decade, as well as links to my essays about them, click the highlighted links:
Remember: There are no wrong answers, only movies you haven't seen yet.
The Silent Oscars
And don't forget to check out the Silent Oscars—my year-by-year choices for best picture, director and all four acting categories for the pre-Oscar years, 1902-1927.
Look at me—Joe College, with a touch of arthritis. Are my eyes really brown? Uh, no, they're green. Would we have the nerve to dive into the icy water and save a person from drowning? That's a key question. I, of course, can't swim, so I never have to face it. Say, haven't you anything better to do than to keep popping in here early every morning and asking a lot of fool questions?
4 comments:
As someone who's met her, there is indeed a lot to dig about Julie Newmar.
Hey Julie, Look What They're Doing to Me
I think what I like best about Julie Newmar -- she's lovely, yes, but she's also a great comedic actress. Her approach to Catwoman on Batman was groundbreaking, I think: smart but stoned. Before that, you got lots of ditzy and dumb, or smart and high-strung, but smart and stoned was her thing.
(Of course, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler was working the opposite extreme, like he'd swallowed enough speed to kill a horse before every scene. Don't think I've seen anything like it before or since.)
Julie has cited two main influences on her career -- Rita Hayworth as a dancer, Carole Lombard as a comedic actress. Two pretty darn good influences.
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