A Day at the Batvention, A Night at Loews

Yesterday, my husband David and I attended the HOLY BATVENTION! the Teaneck Armory in Teaneck, NJ. It was a small venue presented by the NJ Comic Expo, but had some cool offerings. The vehicles were fun to see. There was the original Batcopter and Batcycle from the TV series on display. However, it was the various Batmobiles that grabbed my attention. There was one from the Michael Keaton era Batman films. For me, the three TV series Batmobiles were the best! I grew up watching Adam West and Burt Ward jump into that awesome car and still remains my favorite. Yes, it is lacking the bells and whistles (and technology) of the newer models. However, the original Batmobile was another character on the show to me -- it had personality and class!

David and one Batmobile

The highlight of this convention for us was meeting three gracious women who played villainesses to Adam West's Batman and Burt Ward's Robin. These wonderful ladies were Donna Loren, Terry Moore, and Lee Meriwether. Since the venue was small, David and I had the opportunity to chat with these gifted women. Donna Loren played Susie the Cheerleader on two episodes of Batman. Susie was a member of the Joker's Bad Pennies gang. However, I remember Donna more for all her appearances in beach party movies of the 1960's. David is a fan of her songs especially "Among the Young." In fact, I think she was pleasantly surprised when David sang several bars for her. Donna is a very articulate woman who spoke of the great internet opportunities for contact with her her fans. She truly embraces any chance to interact with people. It's obvious Donna likes live venues because she absolutely sparkles when she speaks with fans. You can tell Donna's success is due to her positive attitude and love of what she does. Donna told David and I she's working on her autobiography so I'll be looking forward to its release.  Check out Donna Loren's beautiful website to learn more about her!  http://www.donnaloren.net/

Donna Loren with David

Terry Moore was another delightful guest at the Batvention. Terry played Venus on three episodes of Batman. However, I have always adored her performance as Jill Young in Mighty Joe Young. I told her that I spend all my childhood Thanksgivings watch the film on WOR as part of its King Kong, Son of Kong, and Mighty Joe Young triple feature. David complimented her on her excellent commentary as part of the Might Joe Young dvd. I also mentioned that I believed she did a great job in Peyton Place. Terry held her own and gave a touching peformance as "bad girl" Betty Anderson. Moore was able to show that Betty loved deeply and the "bad girl" image was a facade. She graciously accepted my compliment. She shared with me that she was proudest of portrayal of Marie Buckholder in Come Back, Little Sheba. That performance earned Terry Moore an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. David and I decided to get a copy of Terry's book How Do You Stay So Young?  This book contains anecdotes from many of the Hollywood stars Terry Moore has known over the years. It will be a special part of our library as Terry Moore personally autographed our copy for us. To catch up with this active lady, check out her website http://www.terrymoore.com/

David with Terry Moore

I think the best moment of the convention had to be David having Lee Meriwether sign the sketch he did of her as Catwoman. Ms. Meriwether was so complimentary of David's work. She personalized the her message to David and now he has a very special keepsake. I have to tell you that Lee Meriwether is more beautiful in person than she appears in photos and on the screen. Perhaps, it is because she is a genuinely sweet and humble person. She chatted with us about Batman, Mission Impossible, and Barnaby Jones. I think what struck me most was how grateful she is for her blessings. Here's a woman who has been famous since 1955 when she became Miss America. However, she is down to earth and quite modest. In fact, she was accompanied not by an assistant but her daughter, Lesley Aletter, who is a stuntwoman.

David with lee Meriwether

The evening at Loews' Jersey Theatre was special. The night began with a screening of The Adventures of Little Batman. This is an adorable homage to the 1966 film and TV series. If you have not seen it, you can go to the website http://www.valentivisionfilms.com/batman.htm. I think any fan of the Adam West series will get a kick out this short feature.

After the viewing of The Adventures of Little Batman,  Lee Meriwether came out and spoke about her experiences during the making of Batman. Apparently, the movie was shot within 25 days. She said the crew was the TV crew, so they were used to getting productions done quickly. The audience absolutely loved her! She engenders a postive reaction with her gentle demeanor -- she's no diva! Lee and her daughter even stayed and watched the movie in the audience with all of us! She is truly a class act!
Check out her website http://www.leemeriwether.com/

FYI David gave Lee two sketches at the movie event. She was moved by the fact that he would gift his work to her!