 Yvonne Craig is a delight...not only to interview, but also to watch during
the good old days of TV and movies. Best known as Batgirl from the Batman
television show of the '60s, Yvonne also guest starred in more than 150 episodes
of shows like Star Trek, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Dobie Gillis, Wild, Wild,
West, 77 Sunset Strip, Dr. Kildare, My Three Sons, It Takes A Thief, McHale's
Navy, Love American Style, Starsky and Hutch, and Fantasy Island to name a few.
Craig's film career included acting with Elvis Presley in two movies: Kissing
Cousins and It Happened At The World's Fair. She has also starred in movies
opposite Bing Crosby, James Coburn, George Hamilton, Sal Mineo, Robert Vaughn,
and Don Knotts.
Born in Taylorville, Il., to Maurice and Pauline Craig on May
16, 1937, Yvonne embarked on a career in ballet, joining the Ballet Russe de
Monte Carlo in 1954. Later, she moved to Los Angeles, and there she was
approached by Hollywood producers about a job in acting. Content as a ballerina,
Yvonne turned them down. When they approached her the second time, she agreed to
act-but only until she joined another ballet company (which never
happened).
Her first movie was the western The Young Land with Patrick Wayne,
son of John.
Today, Yvonne has added author to her list of credits. She
recently published a book, From Ballet to the Batcave and Beyond, about her
career and the people she has met and acted with along way.
Now, the burning
question that everyone wants to know: where is the Batcycle these days?
"It
was torn down and turned into a street bike after the show. E. Jeffries was the
company that customized a Yamaha 180 into the Batcycle. After the show, they
didn't need it anymore. No one knew in those days that memorabilia would be
important."
Even before Craig joined the show, she rode motorcycles for fun.
"I saw a film clip the other day of the intro to Batman with me riding the
Batcycle, and compared to what you see today with all the speed and stunts, it
looked like I was just putting along." (Laughs.)
But the Batmobile was a
cool, powerful machine, right?
"The Batmobile was a mess," Craig informed
me. "It didn't run well. Bruce would take it to a show or convention, and he
would come back and say that it had died on him as he drove it around. The
Monkees' Monkee-mobile would be at the same shows and drive circles around the
Batmobile."
Craig is also a great world traveler, and during her travels, she
picked up a love for collecting African masks. This led to an interesting
incident with Customs.
"My husband and I went to Africa in about 1972, and I
brought one home then. At the airport, the customs agent asked if those were
turkey feathers on it. Obviously, they were not turkey feathers, so I said,
'No.' He said, 'If you want to bring that into the country, those are turkey
feathers.' And I said, 'That's what they are.' It was the '70s, so they were a
little slack with the rules. You know, love and peace."
Her masks are always
"danced", meaning they have been used in a traditional ceremony and not a mask
made as a souvenir for tourists. In addition to masks from Africa, she has masks
from Ecuador and Mexico.
Craig's movie career placed her in another select
group of actors and actresses-those who worked with Elvis.
"I did two movies
with Elvis, and both times, not only was he was an absolute joy, but the
experience itself was wonderful. He was extremely professional-always on time,
knew his lines, and was very much a part of the cast, never pulling rank as the
'star.'
"He had a great self-deprecating sense of humor and was very much a
southern gentleman, as far as good manners were concerned. Because he surrounded
himself with his friends from Memphis, it was like always having about 10
playful, but protective big brothers on the set.
Craig made quite an
impression on Elvis, and he asked her out on dates. But because of his
notoriety, they were limited to where they go and what they could do. "We went
to his house. He rented a house in LA, and his social life centered around it.
We would have dinner and watch TV or a movie in his home theater. No one went
out in public with him."
Yvonne Craig has a website where you can see many
photos of her, read interviews better than this one, and join her fan club:
www.yvonnecraig.com. You can e-mail Yvonne at batgirl@yvonnecraig.com. Yvonne
will also autograph items for a fee, part of which is donated to charity.
Yvonne (Batgirl) Craig's
Scrumptious Recipe for
Cheesecake
- Shape 14 graham crackers and 1/2 cube of melted butter in a pie tin or
glass pie pan for the crust OR buy an already-made crust!
- Beat two large
packages of cream cheese, 2 eggs, 3/4 c. sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. fresh
lemon juice and pour into the crust.
- Bake at 350° for 20-22 min.
- Cool
for 10 min.
- Lightly mix 1 large carton of sour cream, 6 Tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp.
vanilla and pour over the cooled pie.
- Return to the oven for 10 min.
-
Grate 1/2 chocolate bar on top for decoration.
- Cool and refrigerate for 3-5
hours.
Note: I have done this recipe with
non-fat cream cheese and non-fat sour
cream, and it's still quite good. Just requires a little longer baking time
to set up properly.
|
|
