FEATURED POSTS

10 Questions with Shane Briant

The talented British' born actor Shane Briant made his screen debut in the Hammer horror film Demons of the Mind. Since then he's gone on to appear in over 60 films and television productions including Straight On Till Morning (1972), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973), The Mackintosh Man (1973), Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974), Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), The Naked Civil Servant (1975) and Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981). Currently Briant is focusing his attention on writing fiction and he has recently completed a psychological thriller called Worst Nightmares that will be released May 12th. I've admired his film work for many years so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to ask Shane Briant a few questions about his early movies and current writing projects. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

The Girl On a Motorcycle (1968)

The talented director and cinematographer Jack Cardiff has passed away at the age of 94. As the tributes start to roll out from various news sites and film blogs its become clear to me that most people regard Jack Cardiff as a great cinematographer and have little regard or knowledge of his directing contributions, which is a shame. Cardiff was a brilliant photographer and his groundbreaking contributions to cinematography are well worth celebrating. But his impressive work as a director on films like the wonderful D.H. Lawrence adaptation Sons and Lovers (1960), the entertaining spy thriller The Liquidator (1965), the excellent erotic drama The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) and the effective horror film The Mutations (1974) is also worthy of applause. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

Favorite DVD Releases of 2008

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but overall 2008 was somewhat of a lackluster year for new Region 1 DVD releases of '60s and '70s era films when compared to the previous two years (See: 2006 and 2007). Some of my favorite DVD companies such as BCI Eclipse and most recently New Yorker Films have folded. Boutique DVD companies are releasing fewer products and what is being released is often of questionable quality. With the failing economy and the rise in popularity of Blu-ray discs, it seems like the number of new worthwhile DVD releases might continue to drop dramatically in 2009. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

Resurrecting Yusaku Matsuda

Toru Murakawa's Resurrection of the Golden Wolf (aka Yomigaeru kinrô; 1979) is a wildly uneven Japanese crime film that left me wishing it had been helmed by another director. The film's script was adapted from a popular novel by Haruhiko Ooyabu and directors like Seijun Suzuki have had great success turning Ooyabu's hard-boiled fiction into films, but Toru Murakawa doesn't have Suzuki's eye for detail or his pop art sensibility. Resurrection of the Golden Wolf runs much too long and the dramatic filler weighs down the action, but even with its flaws the movie still keeps your attention thanks to the star performance of Yusaku Matsuda. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

We Are Controlling Transmission

This year analog broadcasting is coming to an end. On June 12th 2009 television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch permanently to digital. Digital broadcasting promises to provide viewers with a sharper picture and more diverse programming options, but this unavoidable change is forcing millions of people to buy new television sets or opt for getting a converter box that will often cost them $40 or more. I feel for these people because I didn't have complete cable TV Access or a digital television myself until 2007. READ MORE

Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood

by Kimberly Lindbergs | November 4, 2007

Categories | News, Books, Actresses

Tom Lisanti’s latest book Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood has just been released and it’s definitely one of his best. Tom has written numerous books featuring sixties-era film starlets such as Drive-In Dream Girls, Film Fatales and Fantasy Femmes of 60’s Cinema, and his latest effort offers readers a fascinating look at many of Hollywood’s most beautiful and overlooked talents. These “decorative actresses” often began their careers as beauty queens, fashion models, showgirls and centerfolds, who ended up as eye-candy in countless genre films. They were often given thankless roles as strippers, beach bunnies, airline hostesses or sexy secretaries in movies that tended to focus on their earthy assets instead of their acting abilities, but occasionally some of these women were able to get more substantial roles that made use off all their talents.

Inside Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood you’ll find detailed profiles of 75 beautiful actresses from spy films, horror movies, popular television shows, as well as buxom starlets from many of Russ Meyer’s best films. Some of the actresses profiled in the book include Edy Williams, Lee Meredith, Melodie Johnson, Lisa Seagram, Dolly Read, Tura Sutana, Susan Denberg, Sharon Tate, Beverly Adams, Victoria Carroll, Thordis Brandt, Inga Neilson, Yvonne Craig and Ann Morell. Many of the insightful profiles also include interviews, which offer readers an insider’s look at what it was like to work as a “glamour girl” in films and television during the sixties. These interviews contain lots of juicy Hollywood gossip, which makes the book an entertaining as well as informative read.

Top: Edy Williams and Susan Denberg
Bottom: Sharon Tate and Beverly Adams

One of my favorite interviews in the book is with the lovely actress Thordis Brandt who appeared in films such as The Swinger (1966), Spinout (1966), Nevada Smith (1966), In Like Flint (1967), Funny Girl (1968), The Witchmaker (1969) and Myra Breckinridge (1970). Brandt talks about her romantic flings with Bruce Lee who she met on the set of The Green Hornet, and James Arness who she met on the set of Gunsmoke.

Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood is a real treasure trove of information about many talented and beautiful women that have often been forgotten, and it reads like a celebration of their worthwhile accomplishments. Tom Lisanti clearly loves his subjects and shares that passion with his readers. This hardcover book contains 242 pages, plus many stunning black and white photographs and an interesting introduction written by Tom.

You can currently order Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood from Amazon or you can order the book directly from the publisher McFarland. Last but not least, if you’d like to learn more about Tom Lisanti and his latest book please visit his terrific website Tom Lisanti’s Sixties Cinema.

Left: Thordis Brandt

Update: Read my interview with author Tom Lisanti!