Julie Newmar said that many actors took a pay cut to appear in an episode of Batman
According to Newmar, Batman was "in."
In the 1960s, everyone was excited about the Batman series, including the actors on the show.
"It's the most exciting show in the business," said Julie Newmar, best known for playing Catwoman during the show's first two seasons, during an interview with the Sacramento Union. "Every performer I know wants to do it because Batman is 'In.' This is television art at its very best."
The show's creator, William Dozier, didn't quite consider the series "art" perse, but he did believe that a show like Batman had merit simply because it entertained an audience.
"I'm in business too," Dozier said during an interview with The Los Angeles Times. "The same as the networks. I don't feel that every television show has to be meaningful. They couldn't possibly be. There must be a variety. Batman was designed primarily and totally to entertain, and it did. It didn't demean its audience. Children didn't learn anything bad from Batman. They learned a few very high moral principles."
But for Newmar, a show like Batman was a show well worth participating in, even at the expense of her pocketbook. In the Sacramento Union article, Newmar revealed that many of the actors who worked on Batman appeared on the show for a much lower monetary promise than they had grown to accept from producers.
"And we're all willing to accept much less than our usual salaries to work in a segment," Newmar said of Batman. "It is television's answer to Op-Art. This is the future. An actor is allowed to play a part straight down the middle - something we never get a chance to do."