Do you remember when I told you in my very first post that I would be blogging not only about books and movies, but about my convention visits as well?
Well, my first opportunity to attend a science fiction convention (since the beginning of this blog) has come around. The downside? I cannot afford to go. However, I am still going to talk about it, because one of my favorite actresses is going to be there, and some of her roles certainly count as material for a science fiction blog. Of course I will be talking a lot about one of her roles in particular, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Vulcan Events is hosting a convention this weekend at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Tampa. Among the celebrity guests attending are Casper Van Dien, and Pirates of the Caribbean actors Martin Klebba and Lee Arenberg. Remember the silly pirate with the fake eyeball that kept popping out? Lee Arenberg was that guy’s buddy.
Of course I was excited to see Casper Van Dien’s name on the list. Who wouldn’t love to see the ridiculously good-looking hero from Starship Troopers?
But more exciting than Van Dien and the pirates…Lee Meriwether is coming!
Don’t recognize her name? Well you should. In 1966 Lee Meriwether joined Eartha Kitt and Julie Newmar in the then short list of women to play Catwoman in the Batman franchise. Julie Newmar first portrayed the character in the early 1960’s Batman television show, later to be replaced by Eartha Kitt. Lee Meriwether’s Catwoman debuted in the 1966 film.
Anyone familiar with the Batman films, TV shows, and comic books should agree that Catwoman is the most admirable female character the storyline has ever presented. Sure the last two films have had the perfect and angelic Rachel Dawes, portrayed by Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal, but can we really like her? Can we identify with her?
I certainly can’t. She’s too nice.
Catwoman is unpredictable. She routinely kicks Batman’s butt, she obviously has a mind of her own, and she’s a villain! Villains are just so much more fun to watch than perfect Assistant District Attorneys who never step out of line. Catwoman sees something she wants and takes it. And although we don’t want our little girls growing up thinking that theft is a good career choice, don’t we want them to be strong and stand up for what they want out of life?
Catwoman is the ideal think-for-yourself woman. She is brave, independent, and entirely capable of defending herself. I think Lee Meriwether’s portrayal of the character was fantastic. Not just anyone can play Catwoman, whose charisma and enigmatic presence always steal the screen. Meriwether brought exactly the right features and skills to the role with her deep and authoritative voice, piercing eyes, and talent for playing the seductive villainess.
Although it does not relate much to Lee Meriwether, I have a final note about Catwoman that I absolutely have to tell you, and then I’ll move on to discuss her other roles.
The Catwoman alias originally belonged to the character of Selina Kyle, though Meriwether’s character went by the name of Kitka. I Google-searched ‘Selina Kyle’ to see how many Catwomen actually portrayed the original character, at least in name. To my surprise, shock, and elation I found out that Selina Kyle is going to be in The Dark Knight Rises! And you’ll never guess who is going to portray her…Anne Hathaway! I am so excited to see her in that role. I can’t wait.
But back to Lee Meriwether and this weekend’s convention.
Lee Meriwether’s science fiction experience is not limited to her performance in Batman. Fans who attend the Vulcan Events Convention this weekend probably remember her best as the Kalandan Commander Losira from the original Star Trek TV series. Losira appears in the episode “That Which Survives,” though she is not technically present. Her character imprinted a computer with her image before she died to protect her outpost.
Losira, like Catwoman, is a one of those villains that you can’t really dislike, because her villainy is not driven by a god-complex or sadism. Losira kills many of the Enterprise crew simply by touching them, but her intentions are not evil. The projection she left behind believes that her actions are the best choice to protect her outpost. We can’t blame someone who protects her home, can we?
I don’t blame her. In fact, Losira is one of my favorite bad guys from the original series. You know what makes me like her even more? She’s one of the only attractive women on the show who never sleeps with Kirk! (We’ll ignore the fact that she’s a projection for the moment.)
Lee Meriwether also reprised Yvonne De Carlo’s role as Lily Munster in the 1988 TV series Munsters Today. Although I prefer the original 1960s series, I loved getting to see the remake in color, and Meriwether did a great job as Lily Munster. She really pulled off the haughty, sarcastic aura necessary for that role.
Summation: Lee Meriwether is awesome! I can’t go see her, but you guys should go (and I won’t be displeased if someone brings me back a picture).
Tickets for the whole weekend have just been raised to $55 each, and single-day tickets are $40. If you are interested in attending, you can find more information here.