WHAT ARE THEY UP TO NOW? : Julie Newmar purrs over business instead of ways to kill a bat these days

Julie Newmar, arguably the most memorable Catwoman from the campy ‘60s “Batman� TV series with Adam West, still finds it delightful when fans approach her.

“I have to give them their own personal purr,� she says, laughing.

Newmar, who is now primarily a businesswoman, found working on “Batman� both invigorating and challenging.

“Each show took us two days to shoot,� she recalls. “That was like taking one of those Japanese trains which travels 150 miles per hour and passes through Paris on its way. The show was Paris! When you are working at such a speed, the one thing that really stands out is the writing. We had Stanley Ralph Ross, who gave us truly witty scripts.�

It may have taken “Batman Returns’ � Catwoman, Michelle Pfieffer, hours to get into her costume, but Newmar says of her costume, “They melted black licorice and poured it all over me! No, no,� she laughs, “It was made of Lurex with sapphire-blue threads to give it effervescence and you just zipped it up!�

Newmar said that she walked out of “Batman Returns,� yet found Pfieffer “a divine talent, wasted in that film.�

She was, however, “thrilled� that the film renewed interest in the series.

“With the new ‘Batman’ the actors were behind the special effects,� she says. “It just wasn’t any fun. Our show was just wonderfully fun.�

Newmar--who began her career as a dancer--was one of the brides in the classic Stanley Donen-directed musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.�

Her first series was “My Living Doll,� with Bob Cummings, where she played a sexy robot.

“It was a bit of a mismatch,� she says diplomatically of her working relationship with Cummings.

Newmar also went on to work on Broadway, dancing in a number of Bob Fosse projects, and also acting in films.

She still dances regularly at the Stanley Holden Dance Center. But the bulk of her time now is spent in business--she owns a building on North La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, which she says houses some very creative shops, including Patina (a hat shop) and Cakeworks (a bakery). “It’s nice to help and be around such creative people,� she says.

Newmar also spends a lot of time with her 11-year-old son, John, and tending to her garden, which boasts 14 fruit trees.

But Newmar has not completely disassociated herself from the entertainment industry. She was in Paris for designer Thierry Muglar’s much-publicized fashion show, which led to a part in George Michael’s music video “Too Funky. “

“I’m wearing a black wig in the video,� she confides. “I got to dance and throw myself into the splits on the floor. It was an extraordinary experience.�

But Newmar isn’t knocking down any doors for acting parts. “If they call me, fine,� she says. “But I don’t pursue.� Despite that, she says she wouldn’t mind doing a series again since, “One is always looking for the magic.�