Hollywood’s Forgotten Bombshells
There was a time when these women were everywhere. They headlined movies, appeared on magazine covers and received enough fan mail to fill entire rooms. Hollywood even promoted some of them as the next Marilyn Monroe (talk about big shoes to fill).
Today, most people born after 2000 probably haven’t heard of any of them. So...how many do you remember?
Cleo Moore
Columbia Pictures tried very hard to turn Cleo Moore into its answer to Marilyn Monroe. She received starring roles, revealing publicity photographs and endless magazine coverage. But her low-budget movies never made her a major star, and she walked away from Hollywood in 1957.
Maria Montez
Known as the “Queen of Technicolor,” Maria Montez became one of Universal’s biggest stars during the 40s. Audiences packed theaters to see her in colorful adventures including Arabian Nights and Cobra Woman. Today, even her wonderfully dramatic nickname has nearly disappeared.
Universal Pictures, Wikimedia Commons
Claudia Jennings
Being named Playboy’s Playmate of the Year in 1970 turned Claudia Jennings into one of the decade’s most recognizable glamour stars. She moved into movies such as ’Gator Bait and The Great Texas Dynamite Chase, but her career ended when she passed away following a car crash at just 29.
Toby Wing
Toby Wing appeared for only seconds at a time in many movies, yet somehow became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable young glamour personalities. Her photographs appeared everywhere, and fan mail reportedly poured in. Her fame proved far larger than almost any role she actually played.
unknown (Grand National Pictures), Wikimedia Commons
Sheree North
20th Century Fox signed Sheree North specifically as a possible replacement for Marilyn Monroe. She was given musical numbers, magazine spreads and a starring role in How to Be Very, Very Popular. The Monroe-level superstardom Fox expected never arrived, although North later became a respected character actress.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
Acquanetta
Universal promoted Acquanetta as an exotic beauty known as the “Venezuelan Volcano.” She appeared in Captive Wild Woman, Jungle Woman and several other 40s films. The studio-created backstory surrounding her was nearly as dramatic as her movies, but neither survived in the public memory.
De Carvalho Collection, Getty Images
Joi Lansing
Joi Lansing seemed to appear everywhere during the 50s and 60s, from movies and television shows to nightclub stages and glamour magazines. She turned up in The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction and Adventures of Superman. Yet the lasting superstardom she chased never quite came.
Joe Wohlhandler Public Relations, New York, Wikimedia Commons
Colleen Moore
During the silent era, Colleen Moore was not merely famous—she was reportedly America’s top box-office attraction in 1926. Her bobbed hair helped define the flapper look, while Flaming Youth made her an enormous star. The disappearance of many of her films helped erase much of that fame.
Russell Ball, Wikimedia Commons
Mara Corday
Mara Corday began as a model and showgirl before becoming one of the most memorable faces in 50s science-fiction movies. She battled enormous creatures in Tarantula and The Black Scorpion. Decades later, Clint Eastwood brought his old friend back for several small movie roles.
Universal Pictures Celebrity Publishers LTD., London, Wikimedia Commons
Diana Dors
British publicity departments sold Diana Dors as their country’s answer to Marilyn Monroe. She arrived in Hollywood with platinum-blonde hair, glamorous clothes and plenty of attention. Her American film career never exploded as expected, but she remained a major celebrity in Britain for decades.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Alice White
With her blonde bob and energetic personality, Alice White became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable flappers during the late 20s. She starred in movies including Show Girl and Broadway Babies. Then scandals, changing tastes and a series of career interruptions pushed her almost completely out of view.
Irish McCalla
Irish McCalla became a television sensation as the star of Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. Her jungle costume made her one of the most instantly recognizable women on 50s television. The series lasted only 26 episodes, however, and her name slowly vanished along with it.
NBC Photo by Frank Carroll, Wikimedia Commons
Elaine Stewart
MGM promoted Elaine Stewart heavily during the 50s, hoping her beauty would turn her into one of the studio’s next major stars. She appeared in The Bad and the Beautiful, Take the High Ground! and Brigadoon, but Hollywood never found the perfect starring vehicle for her.
Faith Domergue
Howard Hughes discovered Faith Domergue as a teenager and spent years preparing her for stardom. By the time Vendetta finally appeared, its troubled production had already slowed her momentum. She later found a home in science-fiction movies including This Island Earth and Cult of the Cobra.
United Artists, Wikimedia Commons
June Wilkinson
British model June Wilkinson became one of the most photographed glamour women of the late 50s and early 60s. Hollywood cast her in movies largely designed around her appearance, including Career Girl and The Continental Twist. Once that particular era ended, her fame faded astonishingly quickly.
Carol Wayne
Millions of viewers once knew Carol Wayne as the giggling “Matinee Lady” in Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show sketches. She also appeared in dozens of television series and movies. Following her sudden passing in 1985, her once-familiar face gradually disappeared from popular culture.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Barbara Nichols
Barbara Nichols built an entire career playing glamorous women who were much smarter—and frequently much funnier—than everyone assumed. She appeared in Sweet Smell of Success, Pal Joey and The King and Four Queens. She was instantly recognizable then, but rarely discussed now.
NBC Television-photo by Elmer Holloway, Wikimedia Commons
Debra Paget
Debra Paget received prominent roles opposite Elvis Presley in Love Me Tender and Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments. For a few years, she appeared headed for enormous stardom. Instead, she retired from acting after marrying in the 60s and largely disappeared from public view.
20th Century Fox, Wikimedia Commons
Edy Williams
Edy Williams appeared in television shows, studio movies and Russ Meyer’s Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. She then kept herself in the headlines through outrageous red-carpet appearances and carefully staged publicity. Those appearances kept her in entertainment coverage long after her acting career slowed, but eventually even that publicity faded.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
Corinne Calvet
Paramount presented French actress Corinne Calvet as a sophisticated European beauty and cast her opposite major stars including Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Her Hollywood career looked promising, but it cooled during the 50s as studios discovered newer faces to promote.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Allison Hayes
Allison Hayes became permanently associated with the title role in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. The movie’s famous poster survived far better than her name did. She had appeared in numerous westerns and adventure films, but Hollywood never elevated her beyond its second tier.
Screenshot from Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Woolner Bros. Pictures (1958)
Mari Blanchard
Mari Blanchard received memorable roles in Destry, Son of Sinbad and Abbott and Costello Go to Mars. Her glamorous image made her a natural choice for westerns and exotic adventures. Like many studio-era actresses, however, she was replaced long before audiences expected it.
DVD (Batjac-Paramount Pictures), Wikimedia Commons
Susan Anton
Susan Anton was nearly impossible to avoid in the late 70s. Commercials made her nationally famous, Goldengirl earned her a Golden Globe nomination and television producers built shows around her. Yet the massive Hollywood career everyone appeared to expect never fully materialized.
Greta Thyssen
Danish-born Greta Thyssen arrived in Hollywood with comparisons to Marilyn Monroe already attached to her. She appeared in movies, posed for magazines and worked with the Three Stooges. But instead of major studio productions, she became best known for low-budget comedies and science-fiction films.
unknown (Golden Films Prod. / PRO), Wikimedia Commons
Robyn Hilton
Robyn Hilton barely spoke in Blazing Saddles, but her brief appearance as Governor William J. Le Petomane’s secretary made an enormous impression. She appeared in several other 70s productions, then left Hollywood. Today, millions know the movie while almost nobody remembers her name.
Warner Bros., Wikimedia Commons
Lisa Gaye
Lisa Gaye danced her way through films including Rock Around the Clock and Shake, Rattle & Rock!, then became a familiar guest star on television. She appeared in everything from Perry Mason to The Wild Wild West, but never received the one role that might have preserved her fame.
Donaldson Collection, Getty Images
Vikki Dougan
Vikki Dougan became known as “The Back” after wearing dramatically low-cut, backless dresses to Hollywood events. Photographers loved her, gossip columnists followed her and magazines printed her pictures. But the publicity gimmick became more famous than the actress herself—and eventually even that was forgotten.
unknown (Globe Photos, N.Y.), Wikimedia Commons
Hazel Brooks
Hazel Brooks became a recognizable pinup during the 40s, particularly after a famous photograph showed her leaning over a desk. The image was voted the “Most Provocative Still of 1947,” and Body and Soul gave her a strong role. Yet her movie career lasted only a few years.
Adele Jergens
After being crowned “Miss World’s Fair” at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, Adele Jergens moved into movies and became a reliable Columbia contract player. She appeared in musicals, crime pictures and comedies, sometimes playing women considerably older than she really was. Her name has since nearly vanished.
Studio Publicity, Wikimedia Commons
Merry Anders
Merry Anders worked constantly during the 50s and 60s, appearing in dozens of movies and television shows. She starred in The Time Travelers and held regular roles on How to Marry a Millionaire and Never Too Young. Somehow, all that exposure still did not produce lasting fame.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
How Many Did You Actually Remember?
And that’s 30 women who once appeared on movie screens, magazine covers and bedroom walls across America. If you remembered five, you know old Hollywood pretty well. If you remembered 15, congratulations—you may have personally answered some of their fan mail.
Columbia Pictures, photograph by Ned Scott, Wikimedia Commons
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