R.I.P.
Contrary to popular belief, I am not familiar with every single 60s starlet who flickered by on the big and small screens. One such actress is Collin Wilcox (pictured on right with Suzy Parker), who died from brain cancer on October 21, 2009. I only know the name from her appearance in the classic Twilight Zone episode, “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” with Suzy Parker and Pamela Austin and her co-starring role with Tisha Sterling in the cult movie The Name of the Game Is Kill (1968) with Jack Lord, Susan Strasberg, and female impersonator, T.C. Jones.
Recalling the movie, Tisha remarked in Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema:
“I worked with Jack Lord prior to working with him on this movie. Jack was really weird but he was a terrific fellow. He lived in the same building that I lived in. He was a very serious guy. He was always kind to me and looked after me like a father. Jack was also a very good artist and had a lovely wife who took care of him. Susan Strasberg was a Method actress so her technique would drive Jack crazy. T. C. Jones played our father. He was nice but also a bit strange. Collin Wilcox, on the other hand, was wonderful! We stayed friends for years after doing this movie. She introduced me to a macrobiotic diet. We lived close by to each other in Topanga Canyon.”
Though it was sad to hear of Collin Wilcox’s passing, it is nice that her obituary made the New York Times where I learned she had a small role in my favorite Jaws movie, Jaws 2. But a better read is an interview she gave to The Classic TV Blog in March of this year.
One actress mentioned is Drive-in Dream Girl Beverly Washburn of Old Yeller and Spider Baby fame. She is one of the sweetest starlets I ever interviewed and now has written her autobiography titled, Reel Tears: The Beverly Washburn Story.
