BATGIRL FOREVER: An Yvonne Craig Birthday Salute

She would have been 81.

UPDATED 5/16/18: Yvonne Craig was born May 16, 1937. She would have been 81. This article was first published in 2017 but it’s as timely now as it was then. Enjoy. — Dan

Somebody asked me the other day about the planned Batgirl movie and what I thought it should be like.

It didn’t take me more than a few beats to go right to Yvonne Craig. Even if you prefer comics, it was Craig who embodied what I consider the heart of the character: She was the smartest person in the room, was one step ahead of everyone else, had skill and sass, and always triumphed even though she was often underestimated.

That’s Batgirl. Everything else is details.

Yvonne Craig was born May 16, 1937. She would have been 81.

I’ve written quite a bit about her over the years, especially when she died in 2015, so here are some links I think you’ll dig. It’s sort of a Best Of — and there are few people in Gotham who deserve it more:

The 13 BEST BATGIRL EPISODES. Click here.

Burt Ward and Julie Newmar Recall Yvonne Craig’s Joy and Spirit. Click here.

13 QUICK THOUGHTS: The Greatness of Yvonne Craig. Click here.

PODCAST ALERT: Talking About Yvonne Craig on The Batcave Podcast. Click here.

Comics Pros and Bat-Personalities Salute Yvonne Craig. Click here.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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3 Comments

  1. The smartest person in the room, indeed. My kids had Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” novels but we had Barbara Gordon. Yvonne Craig left a terrific legacy.

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  2. Of course, I’m sure most of us posting on here became Yvonne Craig fans because of her portrayal of Batgirl. I also really enjoyed her performance in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. movie One Spy Too Many. She took what could have been a silly throwaway and was able to instill it with charm, humor, and feistiness.

    I am also a huge Elvis Presley fan and hate that Ms. Craig was wasted in one of the low-points of his career, the awful Kissin’ Cousins. She was the only reason that movie has any entertainment value….and that said, I still hate that two talented performers that I enjoy so much were wasted in such dreck. I wouldn’t bring it up, except Kissin Cousins proves Ms. Craig could rise above her material, but there are probably several third season Batman episodes that prove that.

    Really, the Star Trek episode she is on isn’t really one of the best of the series, but I enjoy it….and her performance is what lifts it. She really had a great charisma.

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