Julie Newmar Movies

Holy Thomas Wolfe! The same team responsible for the "retro" TV movie Surviving Gilligan's Island (including executive producer and former Gilligan co-star Dawn Wells) were responsible for this nostalgic hark back to the classic Batman TV series of the late '60s. In rehashing the creation and popularity of Batman, screenwriter Duane Poole draws heavily upon the autobiographies of stars Adam West (Batman) and Burt Ward (Robin, the Boy Wonder) -- with special emphasis on Ward's recollections of the Dynamic Duo's alleged sexual escapades both on and off the set. To avoid a dry recitation of names, dates, and statistics, the producers contrive to "bookend" the flashback sequences with a campy present-day plot line, wherein the 74-year-old Adam West and 56-year-old Burt Ward (as themselves) team up to locate the original Batmobile, which has been stolen from under their very noses at a gala auto show. An unknown enemy of the two actors plants a series of cryptic clues, leading West and Ward on a picturesque journey back to Hollywood, with memorable stopovers at a roadside bar and a restored movie palace along the way.
Every so often, the veteran performers pause to remember significant events from their Bat-past (including the adulation of fans, battles with network censors, egotistical flare-ups on the set, and their own marital breakups), while in fine old Batman tradition an unseen narrator (whose identity is sublimely significant to the story line) delivers warnings of impending doom. Also keeping in the spirit of the original series are the bizarre, off-center camera angles, the onomatopoeic "Bam!," "Pow!," and "Zowie!" superimpositions during the fight sequences, the steady stream of inside jokes (including a running gag involving Adam West's notorious stinginess), and the amusing cameo appearances by former "special guest villains": Frank Gorshin, Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether. A bit of Pirandello wafts into the proceedings as well, whenever either West or Ward cheerily comments on the fact that he realizes he's only acting in a TV movie, or that a commercial break is overdue. Though it strains much too hard for laughs at times, the film at least deserves credit for trying to be different from the usual run of TV biopics. Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt made its CBS Bat-bow on March 9, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On the wild desert planet of Oblivion, a man called Sweeny comes to search for a corporate saboteur. Though deceptively dressed as a greenhorn city dude, Sweeny is the most effective bounty hunter in the galaxy. He stays in the town where she (he knows nothing about her) is supposed to reside. He finds plenty of suspicious women and even gets romantically involved with the widow Mattie Chase, stealing her away from her steady beau Marshal Adams. Like its predecessor, this feature attempts to create a fresh new genre by combining science fiction and western with comic elements. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

What do you get when you combine a Western with a Science Fiction film? You might get this shoot'em up in space. It is set in the distant town of Oblivion (it was actually filmed in Romania). Though it's a high tech town, it has the feel of an old fashioned Western outpost from the 1800's. The town is being terrorized by the snakelike, power-mad Redeye who is also out for the contents of local mines. He shoots the sheriff and disarms Stell Barr, his cyborg deputy. Enter Zack Stone, son of the late Sheriff Stone. Zack is of a rare breed, the empaths. Because he feels the pain of others, he walks a path of non-violence. Can he remain pacifistic in the face of Redeye's terrifying reign? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this sex comedy, a pair of opportunistic would-be Lotharios masquerade as big-shot Hollywood producers to lure innocent starlets to their bogus casting couch. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Remember all those 1940s collegiate musicals, where the finale came down to "Swing vs. the Classics"? Replace "Swing" with "Modern Jazz and Rock", and you've got Body Beat. A tradition-bound ballet academy is invaded by a bunch of free-form dancers. Rather than form a united front against these interlopers, the teachers begin taking sides! Outside of this little twist, nothing much new here. Originally titled Dance Academy, this Italian/American film features Julie Newmar in an extended cameo appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This uproariously bad sci-fi horror oddity plays like a modern version of a cheesy '50s alien invasion flick, only not as clever. The filmmakers deserve some credit for throwing everything but the kitchen sink into the plot (and perhaps even the sink's in there somewhere), which involves the diabolical plans of three silver-suited aliens, played by -- ready for this? -- John Carradine, Julie Newmar (TV's Catwoman), and Tina Louise (Ginger from Gilligan's Island), who hire a couple of drunken wrench jockeys (Neville Brand and Aldo Ray) to help them abduct a bunch of lame-brained teenage campers for use in the production of a youth-restoring serum. This allows for endless riffing on the Friday the 13th scenario, as over-sexed teens are stalked by ski-masked Brand and Ray. B-movie fans should be forewarned that this film's once-in-a-lifetime acting ensemble does virtually nothing to enhance the negligible entertainment value. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

During the peak of the slasher-movie boom of the early '80s, there were numerous attempts at Airplane!-style horror parodies, all of which fell considerably short of their comic targets and vanished into cable-TV obscurity. Hysterical, an abortive vehicle for the questionable comic talents of the Hudson Brothers, is perhaps the weakest of the lot. Bill Hudson plays Fred Lansing, a writer vacationing at a rustic lighthouse in the deceptively idyllic Oregon fishing town of Hellview, where he is tormented by the apparition of Venecia (Julie Newmar), a local woman who killed herself one hundred years ago. The lovelorn Venecia wishes to use Fred's body as the vessel for the spirit of her dead husband, Captain Howdy (Richard Kiel, once again typecast as a great big guy), and isn't particularly interested in Fred's opinion on the matter. When Howdy apparently grumbles to life, several townspeople are subsequently murdered in ghastly ways, leading a pair of bumbling detectives (Mark Hudson and Brett Hudson) to investigate the horrific history of the Hellview lighthouse and generally make nuisances of themselves. Filled with insipid puns, tired sight gags, silly musical numbers, and unfunny cameo appearances from the likes of Bud Cort and Charlie Callas, this inept spoof has perhaps three genuine laughs scattered throughout its ninety-minute runtime, amounting to only one decent joke per half-hour of wasted film. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

It is a dark and stormy night. In a lonely country house, a search is on for stolen political campaign funds. At least one of the searchers is willing to kill for the cash. Julie Newmar, Leslie Charleson, Tom Ligon, Marshall Efron, Joseph Stern, Wayne Tippit and Charles White are featured in this taped, 90-minute thriller. The Black Box Murders first aired January 13, 1975, as part of ABC's Wide World Mystery anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hildegarde Withers, the schoolteacher/sleuth created by Stuart Palmer, was the central character in a series of RKO "B" films of the 1930s. Television tried to revive Hildegarde in the unsold pilot film A Very Missing Person, starring Eve Arden as a distressingly updated Ms. Withers and James Gregory as long-suffering Inspector Piper. Hildegarde and Piper join forces to ascertain the whereabouts of a runaway girl (Skye Aubrey), whose disappearance is connected with a murder. A Very Missing Person was one of three pilots for the proposed "rotating" series The Great Detectives, wherein the adventures of Hildegarde Withers would alternate with those of Sherlock Holmes and Nick Carter. None of the three components made it any farther than the pilot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With a title like The Feminist and the Fuzz, the TV-movie comedy could only have been produced in the swinging' seventies. Barbara Eden forsakes her "I Dream of Jeannie" obsequiousness to play dedicated feminist Dr. Jane Bowers. While engaging in a protest rally, Jane comes in contact with chauvinistic cop Jerry Frazer (David Hartman). The plot then contrives to force these two opposites to become roommates. The Feminist and the Fuzz debuted in 1971--January 26, to be exact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A marshal (Dennis Weaver) from a small New Mexico town escorts a subpoenaed witness to New York City. When his witness is kidnapped, the marshall tries to track him down in the unfamiliar city. During his search, he finds himself in the middle of a murder case involving Puerto Rican nationalists, a beautiful novelist, a Wall Street lawyer and a dead beauty-contest winner. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

Mackenna's Gold is a colorful, action-packed western feature with an all-star cast. Mackenna (Gregory Peck) has committed to memory the map that leads to some hidden Apache gold. The Indians now want the gold to finance their fight against the white men who invade their territory. Mexican bandit Colorado (Omar Sharif) wants the gold for himself, and the local preacher (Raymond Massey) and the editor of the newspaper (Lee J. Cobb) also get gold fever. Burgess Meredith plays the storekeeper and Edward G. Robinson is long-time town resident Old Adams. Everyone goes looking for the hidden treasure as the Indians dwindle their numbers with violent attacks. The search is monitored by U.S. calvary Sergeant Tibbs (Telly Savalas). Colorado captures Mackenna to lead him to the gold as death comes to those who show the most avarice. Music is provided by Quincy Jones. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The magnificent Julie Newmar guest stars as April Conquest, the owner of a busy laundromat. Before the episode is half over, all four Monkees have fallen in love with the enchanting April, and all are engaged in an intense rivalry over the lady's affections. Claire Kelly appears as Dr. Sisters, a Joyce Brothers takeoff, while British comedy-writer Digby Wolfe (who later co-created Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In) shows up in a bit as "the man with the paper." Songs: "The Girl That I Knew Somewhere" and the series' theme song. Originally telecast on April 3, 1967, "Monkees Get Out More Dirt" was written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide