Top 5 Dead or Alive: Eartha Kitt (Catwoman)

That’s right. I said it, I wrote it, I got it published. All hail Eartha Kitt, queen of live-action Catwoman actors and a whole lot else. I mean, let’s be honest here, I’d originally planned on creating an individually ranked list of Catwomen, but it’s a bit like ranking the singers in Destiny’s Child: why bother when you know you’re just gonna put Beyoncé at the top anyways? But I get it, sometimes you need to remind yourself what exactly makes us so blessed to live in a world where Eartha existed. So sit back my friends and get ready for your friendly neighborhood Catwoman cosplayer to reveal what makes this legend among feline fatales just… purrfect (you knew that was coming). 1) Gotham / ain’t no stoppin’ me / copywritten, so don’t copy me Right down to her name Eartha Kitt seems destined for the part. As Batman producer Charles Fitzsimons once commented, “She was a cat woman before we ever cast her as Catwoman. She had a cat-like style. Her eyes were cat-like and her singing was like a meow.” Let’s go ahead and address the tiger in the room, though:   your

fave

could never.

Hell, even a seemingly unscripted Lee Meriweather revealed that she thought, “Eartha, for my money, was the best Catwoman” in a 1994 episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, a full two years after Batman Returns had been released. Now don’t get me wrong, Lee, Julie Newmar, and even Anne Hathaway are excellent actresses, but all three share an instinct for a seductive coyness more befitting Selina’…