What was really surprising about the series was how many really great actors they were able to attract to play roles as villains and other cameo appearances. Over the years since the series aired, I have had the good fortune to have seen a few of the stars in other places. Eartha Kitt I once saw jogging along Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills; Julie Newmar I have seen several times (she once owned a heath food and juice bar near Hollywood. Cesar Romero was hosting a daytime children's charity event in a Beverly Hills nightclub and I walked by just as a small group of kids and their mothers arrived at the door. Romero greeted the group, but the kids seed to be wary of Cesar. The mothers tried to tell the kids this was the Joker from the Batman show, but the kids were still uncertain. Ceasar then leaned down to the kid's level and gave out with his Joker laugh. The kids instantly brightened up in recognition and swarmed Romero, who was joyfully laughing...
The real surprise was Victor Buono, who played King Tut on Batman. He was a very accomplished actor and really liked stage work. In the late 60s/early 70s, the Los Angles Music Center presented a series of classic and classical plays featuring film and television actors in starring roles. One of the plays was one of Shakespeare's Henry palys. Buono played Falstaff and was amazingly brilliant in his portrayal I had only seen him on television or in a few films, but his talent was far beyond expectations. Along side seeing James Earl Jones playing Othello and Richard Chamberlin playing Cyrano, I put Buono's Falstaff as one of the finest performances I have ever seen...
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