Sunday, February 3, 2008

Sleep with DC: Ursa

ursa-sarah-douglas.jpg
While looking for a picture of a bear to put with my prior blog entry about DC Comics, I found a picture of a DC character whose name makes her sound like a bear but isn’t one: Ursa, the Kryptonian villain played in Superman II by Sarah Douglas. And the thing is: I remember finding the cruel and superstrong Ursa quite attractive when I was ten years old — so maybe I should consider myself lucky for not ending up with more domineering women or even outright dominatrices.
As when bumping into a woman last week who I hadn’t seen since about sixth grade, I am reminded that we may develop a “type” even before puberty, though we tend to forget afterwards that we ever thought in such ways until puberty.
I may have been ten when Superman II came out, but I can plainly see how it’s a short hop from liking Ursa to liking New Wave-era women such as Annie Lennox and her ilk three years later — not to mention Tegan on Doctor Who and Sheena Easton, now that I think about it — and then another predictable leap to dating a skinny woman with her short dark hair always flopping over one eye, in late 1995 (as will be recounted in this coming Friday’s Retro-Journal entry).
That woman was very nice, unlike Ursa, though. She never once threw a manhole cover like a Frisbee into the gut of her foe.
And speaking of New Wave-like women saying, “Oh, Superman…” here’s a video by another woman I thought was the height of cool back in the early 80s — a video that I was pleased to see featured in the Whitney Museum’s massive retrospective a few years ago of representative art from the second half of the twentieth century.
P.S. And speaking of attractive women playing DC Comics characters: At that birthday party I mentioned going to Saturday night, there was a guy (named Andy, not Wong Foo — and not the guy seen in the picture I’ve linked to here) who’s had his picture taken with Julie Newmar, one of the actresses who played Catwoman back in the 60s — and when you see how good she looks in her mid-seventies, it’s a pretty impressive testament to how superhuman she was back when Batman was understandably mesmerized by her (Note: I am aware Catwoman does not actually have superpowers). I think she’s holding up almost as well as John McCain’s and Lefty Leibowitz’s moms.
He also had his picture taken with another of the three actresses to play Catwoman forty years ago, Lee Meriwether, but one could argue that the coolest Catwoman of all was Eartha Kitt, here seen, fittingly, singing a great song about why “I Want to Be Evil.”

7 comments:

Brain said...

After months of goading you to show more of your carnal nature in this blog, I find myself oddly discomfited. I guess I prefer the bowdlerized Todd Seavey to the intimately described one. Reading this is like watching a friend or relative make-out. Some relationships prefer intimacy and others do not, especially when you’re so gosh-darned earnest and thoughtful on the matter.

I suppose there’s a reason most of us turn the lights off in the boudoir.

Todd Seavey said...

In my own flawed nature I take no pride, sir, but I hope you do not mean to insult Ursa, Annie, Tegan, Sheena, Liza, Julie, or Eartha.

Or Lefty’s mom, of course.

Brain said...

It is not through any flaw in the writer that I am perturbed, but rather through my own squeamishness. Certainly, as an adolescent, I admired the many incarnations of Catwoman myself (except for Ms. Kitt, who I do not like).

No, my discomfiture is more in the honesty of it all. Hearing a friend brag of conquests is one thing, if it is done boldly and without tenderness. Actually seeing him, metaphorically speaking, close his eyes and give a delicate smooch is too intimate a spectacle.

It is the kindness and thoughtfulness of your remarks, added to my own personal acquaintance with you, that discombobulate me.

And I think it best if we leave Lefty’s mom out of this.

Todd Seavey said...

And few things disturb me more than hearing a friend brag about conquests without tenderness. Therein, perhaps, volumes about our differences, my friend. But I will greet you as an ally at the debate arena tomorrow night nonetheless.

Todd Seavey said...

And let me add that praising New Wave-era ladies is not sick. Making a video of highlights of Tegan’s time with _Doctor Who_ — in chronological order — synched to Men at Work’s “Down Under” (since Tegan is supposed to be Australian), now that’s just sick and wrong. Watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_tsqmdFzig

Todd Seavey said...

Holy shit. And he did one using “I Am the Warrior” by Patty Smyth for the warrior Leela (who is almost as badass as Patty Smyth):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDKgDRmVVtc&NR=1

Excellent use of K-9 halfway through.

Brain said...

Well, while we’re discussing early childhood crushes:

Here’s Jeannie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp1wd3bdMDo

and Morticia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3OtXXrCxuw

And of course, there’s the crucial question: Ginger or Maryanne?

None, however, can hold a candle to Mrs Evanchik