MOLLS OF BATMAN 3: JULIE GREGG

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Shapely Julie Gregg’s Finella was one of Batman’s most narcissistic molls right up there with the more remembered Leslie Parrish as Glacia Glaze and Kathy Kersh as Cornelia. Though Finella was vain to the max, by episode’s end she proved there was a heart under all that makeup and mascara and helps the Dynamic Duo nab the Penguin.

“Fine Finny Fiends” and “Batman Makes the Scenes” originally aired on May 4 and May 5, 1966. The Penguin is back in Gotham City and plans to steal money from the Multimillionaires Annual Award Dinner where a number of beauty contestants represent different worthy causes with the winning beauty’s cause getting the money.  The meeting place is kept secret to the public so Penguin kidnaps Alfred who arranges the event and brainwashes him to reveal the location once it is known to him. The treacherous bird’s self-absorbed moll Finella could care less about the money and only dreams of winning a bathing beauty contest as she models different swim suits for him. How self-centered is she?  When the Dynamic Duo invades the Penguin’s lair and punch out the Penguin, she helps him up and whines, “Penggy baby, I’m not sure this is the right bathing suit.” After Penguin’s fiends subdue the Dynamic Duo and lock them in a balloon-filled tank slowly sucking out all the air, a worried Finella frets as it looks like the Dynamic Duo are dead.

Of course, Batman and Robin survive due to something Batman was hiding in his utility belt. Penguin meanwhile gasses Miss Natural Resources and has Finella take her place. Batman escorts the fur clad bathing beauty to the dinner where the cooing Finella jumps out of a huge cake. As the ogling millionaires throw $100 dollar bills at her, she picks up her umbrella and sprays the guests with knockout gas. The fishy fowl and his felonious fiends head back to his wharf hideaway where Finella breaks down in tears rejecting her cut of the loot. “I can’t take it,” she wails. “It’s not mine—not the coat, not the money, not anything. Just because I wanted to win a beauty contest. Who’s going to save our natural resources now?” Batman and Robin then pop out of Penguin’s wall safe and as Penguin goes to gas them again, Finella blocks him only to take the brunt of the gas knocking her out. Due to her bravery, Finella gets a day pass from the big doll house and stunningly clad in a low-cut tight emerald evening gown is allowed to attend the real Millionaires Dinner.

Julie Gregg’s character was a bit on the whiny side making her one of the less memorable molls despite her beauty. Gregg was actually a brunette hidden under a blonde wig when playing Finella.  She went on to appear in many TV shows during the sixties including I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, The Flying Nun, The Mod Squad, The Virginian, Mission: Impossible, etc. During the seventies she was a regular on two short-lived TV series Banyon (1972-73) a thirties set detective series starring Robert Forster and Mobile One (1975) with Jackie Cooper.  As for the big screen, Gregg made few movies but did essay the roles of Sandra Corleone in The Godfather (1972) and Antonia in Man of La Mancha (1972). Her last credit is the erotic thriller Dead On (1994) with Tracey Scoggins.

Next Bat Time, Next Bat Channel: Eileen O’Neill as Millie Second

BOND. JAMES BOND

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Good news for all us Daniel Craig as James Bond fans. Just as it seemed MGM’s bankruptcy mess would halt a new James Bond movie for years, encouraging word comes from insiders that they are preproduction and aiming for a 2012 release to coincide with the series 50th anniversary. For more click here.

THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E.

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For my book Film Fatales and Drive-in Dream Girls, I interviewed actress Sharyn Hillyer who on-and-off played U.N.C.L.E. agent Wanda, assistant to Mr. Waverly, during the 2nd and 3rd seasons of the hit TV spy show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Stephen Bowie has a rare interview with actress Leigh Chapman who was Waverly’s original assistant Sara and then played Wanda for a few episodes in the first half of the second season. Click here to read.

ELAINE

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Restaurateur Elaine Kaufman passed away recently. She was the celebrated owner of the Upper East Side eatery Elaine’s in New York City. Her restaurant was the celebrity hangout for years. The Italian food served was known for being over priced and average, but the customers kept coming back to be in the company of its warm gregarious owner. Elaine had a soft spot for writers and would help them anyway she could.

Below is an excerpt from Trippin’ with Terry Southern: What I Think I Remember where Gail Gerber shares a special memory of Elaine:

On Monday night we went to Elaine’s.  A party was arranged for the following week to celebrate the Virgin book and to send Terry and me off to London.  Elaine loved her writers, and tolerated their wives and girlfriends, as long as they didn’t do anything too gauche.  Her generosity was endless, and writers had tabs there running for years—I know Terry did.  One night, long ago there was a terrible blizzard, and we were heading back to Canaan very late, with me at the wheel.  Terry insisted on stopping at Elaine’s despite that it was out of the way.  Elaine was there counting her receipts while one waiter bustled about clearing up.  She gazed outside the window to watch the heavily falling snow, turned to us, and pushed a large bill across the bar, saying, “Here, you may need this tonight.”  We drove a little way up the West Side Highway and checked into a motel for the night.