The Catwoman (Eartha Kitt)
Stanley Ralph Ross (Writer):
"The reason Eartha Kitt replaced Julie Newmar during the third season was because Julie was doing a movie at the time. I think it was "McKenna's Gold".
"We felt it was a very provocative idea," recalled producer Charles FitzSimons about executive producer Bill Dozier's selection of Eartha Kitt as Catwoman. "She was a cat woman before we ever cast her as Catwoman. She had a cat-like style. Her eyes were cat-like and her singing was like a meow. This came as a wonderful off-beat idea to do it with a black woman." Noted Yvonne Craig, "I thought Eartha was perfect because she was very catlike anyway. And I liked that she was my size. I could beat her up. I come up to Julie [Newmar]'s bellybutton. Not good in a fight." But Kitt lacked Julie Newmar's statuesque sexiness. The usual romance between Catwoman and Batman was missing in Kitt's episodes, in part, probably due to Kitt's race.
Alan Napier (Alfred) : " Julie Newmar was the best Catwoman, but Eartha Kitt was kind of marvelous. She did complain a lot on the set though."
Eartha Kitt
"As long as that audience gives me the type of applause that they gave me tonight, why shouldn't I go on?"
Trivia:
1. The sexual attentions between Catwoman and Batman were no more when Eartha took on the role, this was because Eartha was an African-American and Adam West was not - was not suitable for the 1960s. Instead the idea was to create a love interest between Batman and Batgirl.
2. Eartha's Catwoman drove around in the "Kitty Car". Julie's Catwoman had, in my opinion, the less impressive "Catalackt" (unsure of spelling!)