Julie Newmar Played A Twilight Zone Villain Before Becoming Batman's Catwoman

When you hear the name Julie Newmar, chances are the first thing that comes to mind is her turn as Catwoman in the original "Batman" series, one of the best TV shows of the 1960s. "Batman" ran for three seasons on ABC between 1966 and 1967, making an indelible mark on television history and becoming a cult classic, beloved for its camp approach to the DC comic book character. A lot of that came down to the bad guys (and girls) that Adam West's Batman and Burt Ward's Robin went up against, with their over the top performances sticking in the minds of viewers.

Everyone remembers Cesar Romero as The Joker (a role that Frank Sinatra wanted to play) and Burgess Meredith as The Penguin, but few stood out as much as Newmar in her 13 appearances as Catwoman. She defined both the look and attitude of the character that's still being copied to this day, despite leaving the show after two seasons. But years before she played the cat-themed jewel thief, Newmar was cast as an even more devious bad girl in a Season 4 episode of "The Twilight Zone," portraying none other than the Devil in "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville."

"Of Late I Think of Cliffordville" centers around a wealthy businessman who wants to go back to his hometown as it was 50 years ago and take another crack at life. In true "The Twilight Zone" fashion, a mysterious travel agency led by Newmar's Miss Devlin magically appears and offers to make his wishes come true. Even after revealing that she is, in fact, the Devil, the businessman agrees to her terms of turning over most of his fortune.

Unsurprisingly, when the businessman goes back in time things don't turn out the way he planned. Even though he retains his memories he still makes unfortunate financial decisions that leave him broke and disgruntled. That's when Newmar's Miss Devlin returns and offers him a chance to go back to the present, with the understanding that things have changed. When he returns to where he started, he ends up as the janitor of the company he once ran.

Newmar's Devil has a lot of similarities to her Catwoman, blending a sultry approach with a fiendish motive. She mentioned her episode of "The Twilight Zone" when asked which work she was most proud of in a 2010 interview, though she'll always be best remembered for her DC role, which she's returned to several times: Newmar voiced Catwoman in 2016's "Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders" and 2017's "Batman vs. Two-Face." She also voiced Bruce Wayne's mother in "Batman: The Brave and the Bold," one of the best animated "Batman" shows of all time.