Julie

I recently learned of the revival of Damn Yankees, the long-running Broadway musical from the 1950’s. Gwen Vernon played the original role of Lola, the seductiveness-driven servant of the Devil (Mr. Applegate). The new production will feature Tony and Emmy Award winner Neil Patrick Harris, Emmy Award winner Julianne Hough, and Hamilton star Austin Scott.

I was immediately transported to a hot July day in the Summer of 1961. On a rare theater outing with my parents, Dad had just turned off Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills Maryland, and we were approaching Painters Mill Music Fair. A unique venue for the area, Painter's Mill had been opened as a large summer tent theater in June of 1960. Its bold red and white-striped circus-themed big top could be seen from miles away.

We were on our way to see the traveling production of Damn Yankees, and while I knew very little about theater, I was already hooked as a baseball fan. Not only that, as a Baltimore Orioles devotee, any thing that linked an abusive epithet with the Yankees was well worth my attention.

As we turned onto the dusty driveway we saw two women and one man walking toward the tent theater. The dark-haired guy playfully stuck out his thumb as we passed and my dad pulled the car out of the cue an onto the side of the road. The threesome ran up to the car and my Mom opened the front door and one of the two women opened the back door where I was sitting. I don't remember the verbal exchange, but the two women piled into the backseat of our Chrysler Windsor with me and the guy slid onto the front bench seat next to my mom.

All three of our hitchhikers were wearing sun glasses and the one that pressed next to me was very tall. I only got a glance when she slid in but she was a striking blonde in short shorts with legs that went from here to there. As an 11-year old boy, I'm sure my red face was aimed straight ahead and I dared not glance at my seat mate.

They thanked my dad in unison for picking them up and expressed some annoyance at the cabbie that had dropped them off at the main road rather than the theater. They had been on a jaunt to Baltimore (20 miles away) and were a bit shocked by the distance. The only other exchange I remember on the short ride (bumper to bumper approaching the parking) was this:

Mom: "So, are you in the show?"

Guy: "Yes we are"

Silent awkward pause.

Dad: "Just part of the troupe?"

Blonde next to me: "Yep, that's us"

Laughter from all three.

We dropped them off as we turned to look for a parking space, and again, they thanked my dad for the lift. As they walked away, I got another look at the legs of my tall seat companion. I didn't have a clue at the time, but looking back it is clear why my dad gave these hitchhikers a ride.

As we settled into our seats in the round, we looked at the opening set of the front porch and living room of Joe and Meg Boyd's suburban home near Washington, DC. Having never been to the theater before, I was struck by how close we were to the stage. In the original tent theater, no one was more than 40 feet from the stage and the vibe was very intimate.

To summarize the plot, Damn Yankees is a musical comedy about Joe Boyd, a middle-aged, devoted fan of the hapless Washington Senators baseball team, who is so desperate to see them beat the league leading New York Yankees that he makes a deal with the devil (Mr. Applegate). In exchange for his soul, Joe is transformed into a young, powerful ball player named Joe Hardy who leads the Senators toward the pennant. But the contract allows him to return to his former life if he leaves before the season ends, and Applegate sends the seductive Lola to tempt him into staying. I won't spoil the ending for those inspired to watch this classic in the future.

As we watched the show, the game was picking out our hitchhikers in the production. The guy that sat next to Mom was clearly one of the Washington Senators in the troupe and the short lady in the back seat was Meg Boyd, played by Louise Kirtland. She was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, made her Broadway debut in her teens and had appeared multiple times on the TV show, Car 54 Where Are You? She would have been 42 years old in 1961.

We were not prepared for what came next.

Applegate summons Lola, his seductive assistant, and her entrance features the song, "A Little Brains, a Little Talent." When the tall, sexy, provocative Julie Newmar stepped onto the stage, we all looked at each other with shock, surprise, and a bemused laugh. Yes, she was the tall blonde that had crammed in next to me in the back seat.

We were still getting our breath when Newmar cranked up the signature number, "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets." Wow. Just Wow.

Julie Newmar in a pose for her role as Lola in Damn Yankees. Shot in rural Maryland, it was part of a Life Magazine spread in 1961.

Julie Newmar was born Julia Chalene Newmeyer in Los Angeles in August of 1933. She had a successful career as an actress, dancer, singer, and businesswoman. When she appeared at Painter's Mill, she had already won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in The Marriage-Go-Round in 1958 at the age of 25. She might be best known for her role as Catwoman in the television series Batman (1966-1967).

To say the least, I was mesmerized for the remainder of the show and this encounter became part of the Constance family lore. Dad could always make us laugh with a reprise of his quote: "Just part of the troupe."

Incidentally, Julie Newmar is still with us at the age of 93. Two little known facts is that she is a classically trained pianist, and an inventor. She holds a patent for a hosiery design marketed under the name Nudemar, intended to enhance a woman's silhouette.