Readers of my Blog know that in the past I have expounded on the acting talents of that tasty titan-haired temptress Tina Louise. Prior to playing Ginger on Gilligan’s Island, she was a extremely respected dramatic actress who even studied at the Actors Studio. The below video is just another example where she gets to display those acting chops. Tina gives an expertly understated performance as a secretary obsessed with her boss, who she would do anything to protect, in this 1964 episode of Kraft Suspense Theatre. She is reunited with her God’s Little Acre co-star Aldo Ray as the boss and has a sexy chemistry with suave Clu Gulager as an insurance investigator. Her last scene is quite creepy. Incidentally, the blonde in it is Ellen McRae who morphed into Ellen Burstyn during the Seventies.
One wonders if Ms. Louise had not gotten stranded on the island of Gilligan what motion picture roles she would have scored during the Sixties. She easily could have essayed roles played by Stella Stevens or even Raquel Welch. And Tina would have made a hell of a better Tiffany Case in the James Bond adventure Diamonds Are Forever than the shrill Jill St. John.
My favorite Tina Louise moment:
In the Italian epic SIEGE OF SYRACUSE (1962), Rossano Brazzi portrays the great mathematician Archimedes. Archimedes uses a small mirror reflecting the sun’s rays to burn through Tina’s bra strap and expose her cleavage (not shown explicitly, at least not in the US edit). The film climaxes when he uses giant mirrors to burn the invading Roman fleet. It’s nice to know that Tina provided his inspiration!
Yes, like a number of 60s starlets, Tina made her share of mistakes hurting her career like moving to Italy for a few years. She made this and another peplum Warrior Empress. She also turned down Operation Petticoat opposite Cary Grant because there were too many “boob jokes.” Otto Preminger came close to casting her in Exodus where I think she would have been marvelous.