It’s been awhile since my last post. I have started work on a new book on more 60s starlets. This is a tribute book to the minor players who decorated the background of many a 60s film and TV show. Most of the gals to be included were Slaymates in the Matt Helm films, Glamazons in In Like Flint, show girls in Funny Girl, and molls on Batman. Examples include Thordis Brandt, Inga Neilsen, Jane Wald, Kathy Kersh, Francine York, Margaret Teele, Edy Williams, Phyllis Davis, Marilyn Hanold, etc.

In the Totally Absurd Dept.: There is a big hulaballoo on the Diane Baker IMDB page. If you have read my blogs you know that I found her bland, bland, bland. Well someone (and it wasn’t me folks) wrote a critical bio on her, which you can read here. I say kudos! This person has described her performances and career perfectly! Yes, Baker could be counted on to hit her marks and recite her lines but for me that is all she did. No nuance whatsoever in any of her performances. She is another in along line of overrated 60s actresses such as Stefanie Powers, Jill St. John and Connie Stevens. I said it before and I’ll say it again I’ll take Carol Lynley, Pamela Tiffin, Anjanette Comer, Stella Stevens, and Diane McBain any day over those other gals.

STARLET OF THE WEEK: Inga Neilsen

Being an fan and biographer of 60s starlets it should come as no surprise that the standout moment for me in Funny Girl, which I just saw recently, is NOT Barbra Streisand but the gals who play the Ziegfeld Girls especially in the ornate production number, “His Love Makes You Beautiful.” As the curtain rises, twelve beautiful showgirls (including Brettina Brenna, Alena Johnston, and Christine Williams) dressed as scantily clad brides begin to descend a staircase holding their bouquets. When they stop the camera closes in on the face of the Winter Bride played by knockout Inga Neilsen who is wearing an elaborate crystal beaded headdress that accentuates her cheekbones as she recites the following:

“The winter bride is typified
by Christmas frost and fairies.
And though the weather’s changable
her virtue never varies.”

Then the camera pulls back and the audience is treated to Inga‘s six foot curvaceous body, if that floats your boat, as she exits to the left to make room for the springtime brides.

Inga did lots more in the sixties including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and In Like Flint. More to come on her and Thordis in my new book.

While it is obvious that Carol Lynley is one of my favorite sixties starlets of all time (see previous post), readers may remember that Diane Baker is one of my least favorites. Not particular beautiful and giving one bland performance after another it is mind boggling to me that she still gets work! Check out this link, need to scroll down to question 6 about the TV series House, where the TV Guide columnist knocks Diane’s big ego (if you ever happen to stumble on her web site you’d think you are reading about a 3-time Academy Award winner rather than the star of The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit) down a peg or too. Poor Diane. Not!