TINA ON TOUR

Tina Louise has been traveling the U.S. promoting her new children’s book entitled When I Grow Up. [Order a copy through Amazon under “Groovy Books” from my E-store.] She made an appearance at Borders Books in NYC a few weeks ago but I wasn’t able to attend so I sent my partner Ernie (who went begrudgingly) to buy a copy for my nephew J. Thomas. I was bummed that I didn’t get to see her in person (though I ran past her a few years ago on the streets of Chelsea).

Thankfully, someone recently taped her appearance at another book signing and it is available on YouTube. Check it out. Tina stills looks gorgeous.


Convention Wars, Elvis Style

Former Elvis co-star Suzanna Leigh‘s ambitious and well-intentioned plan to reunite many of the King’s co-stars at the Night-of-a-Thousand-Stars convention during Elvis week in Memphis last week fell flat per first hand reports as the 1,000 stars dwindled down to 9. Most of the starlets slated to attend such as Sue Ane Langdon, Irene Tsu, Celeste Yarnall, Gail Gilmore (pictured with Elvis in Harum Scarum), Pat Priest, and Edy Williams dropped out. Can’t blame them as at the last minute the venue changed and they had to pay their own way to Memphis though promises were made to reimburse them.

Making matters even worse was that the convention drew the ire of the official Elvis convention, which was unhappy with Leigh’s event getting publicity. Suzanna was mysteriously banned from Sirius radio while some of her guests such as Victoria Meyerink who was advertised at one point on Leigh’s web site bolted for the Elvis convention joining Elvis co-stars Mary Ann Mobley, Chris Noel, Cynthia Pepper, and Darlene Tompkins.

Instead of trying to sabotage Leigh, maybe the Elvis people will smarten up and work with her next year to have one big official convention with his co-stars and maybe say talented authors who have written about them such as moi!

CAROL LYNLEY

If you have read my Blog before, you know that I am a huge Carol Lynley fan. But even I can admit that post-1978, Carol’s career went straight down the toilet. She had one opportunity to make it big when she was the first choice to play Valene in a two-part episode of Dallas but had to turn it down for personal reasons.

Most of what Carol did film-wise in the 80s and 90s is treadful except for her brief rols as a DA in the violent cult film Vigilante (1982), her mother from hell in the suspenseful thriller Blackout (1988), and her turn as a pistol-packing thief partnered with Barbara McNair in the entertaining road movie ala Thelma and Louise Neon Signs (1996). In the latter, Carol is a hoot playing a foul-mouthed meanie. Check out the trailer on YouTube.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

To Drive-in Dream Girl, Laurel Goodwin. As with many ’60s starlets, Laurel had a very brief career (too tall for Gidget and not talented enough for major leading lady roles). She is best remembered for appearing in the original TV pilot for Star Trek as the perky ensign and starring opposite Elvis in one of his biggest hits, Girls! Girls! Girls! Check out this photo montage tribute to the movie on YouTube featuring the film’s hit song, “Return to Sender.”