[edit] Early life

Prowse was born in Bombay, India and brought up in South Africa. She began studying dance at the age of four. In her early twenties she was dancing at a club in Paris when she was spotted by a talent agent and eventually signed to play the part of "Claudine" in the 1960 Walter Lang film, Can-Can.

[edit] Career

It was during the filming of Can-Can in 1959 that she captured the international spotlight. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visited the set of the film and after Prowse performed a rather saucy can-can for the Russian leader, he proclaimed her dance "immoral". Little did Khrushchev know that he was a great press agent, because the publicity brought Prowse considerable attention in the United States. From there, her career took off.^[1]

[edit] Film and television

Prowse met Frank Sinatra on the set of Can-Can. Time magazine did not care for the movie but said that Prowse was the best thing in it: "In fact, the only thing really worth seeing is Juliet Prowse, a young South African hoofer who puts some twinkle in the stub-toed choreography. And the only thing really worth hearing is the crack that Frank flips back at Juliet when she whips a redoubtable hip in his direction. "Don't point", he gasps. "It's rude."^[2] She would go on to appear with Sinatra and other notable guests such as Ella Fitzgerald, Peter Lawford, Hermione Gingold, the Hi-Lo's, Red Norvo, Nelson Riddle and his orchestra on the 1959, Frank Sinatra Show. She at times would sing in the chorus with other guests or Sinatra would sing to her.^[3]

Sinatra and Prowse announced their engagement in 1962. Soon afterwards, they broke up reportedly because Prowse wanted to concentrate on her career. Prowse later admitted, "I was as much flattered as I was in love. He (Sinatra) was a complex person, and after a few drinks he could be very difficult."^[4]

Prowse co-starred in 1960 alongside Elvis Presley in G.I. Blues. During shooting of the film they had a short and intense fling. "Elvis and I had an affair.... We had a sexual attraction like two healthy young people, but he was already a victim of his fans. We always met in his room and never went out."^[4]

She starred in her own NBC sitcom for one season: 1965's Mona McCluskey, which was produced by George Burns. She also did other feature films, including The Fiercest Heart (1961) and Who Killed Teddy Bear? (1965) with Sal Mineo and Elaine Stritch.

Although her film and television career did not make her as big a star as predicted, Prowse had a rather philosophical way of looking at it. "Things generally happen for the best... I never worry about what happens in my career, because I can always do something else."^[5] Prowse would later go on to headline successful Las Vegas shows, commanding a very high salary. Stating that Las Vegas was the most demanding place she ever worked, she won Entertainer of the Year for the Vegas run of Sweet Charity. She would later show off her famous dancer's legs in a series of lucrative nationwide commercials for a number of advertisers, including L'eggs hosery and Mannington flooring.

Prowse was the first guest to appear on an episode of The Muppet Show.^[6]

In the late 1980s, she was mauled by an 80-pound leopard – twice. Once, while filming a scene for Circus of the Stars in 1987 and later that same year rehearsing a promotional stint on The Tonight Show, when the same leopard attacked her. The later attack was more serious, requiring upwards of twenty stitches to reattach her ear.^[7]

Throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s, Prowse hosted the Championship Ballroom Dance Competition on PBS.

[edit] Death

In 1994, Prowse was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In 1995, she went into remission and was well enough to tour with Mickey Rooney in Sugar Babies. The cancer subsequently returned and she died on September 14, 1996.

She was survived by her son and her mother, and also her ex-husband, TV actor John McCook, who is the father of her only child, Seth.^[8]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Film

• G.I. Blues (1960) as Lili
• Can-Can (1960) as Claudine
• The Second Time Around (1961) as Rena Mitchell
• The Right Approach (1961) as Ursula Poe
• The Fiercest Heart (1961) as Francina
• Una Moglie americana (1965) as Jenny
• Dingaka (1965) .... Marion Davis
• Who Killed Teddy Bear? (1965)
• Second Chance (1972) (TV) as Martha Foster

[edit] Television

• Adventures in Paradise as Simone (season 2, episode 6 "A Whale of a Tale")
• The Red Skelton Show as Daisy June (season 12, episode 2 in 1962)
• Burke's Law as Angel Crown /(2 episodes, 1963–1964)
• Mona McCluskey as Mona Carroll McCluskey (2 episodes, 1965–1966)
• The Danny Thomas Hour as Aphrodite (1 episode, 1967)
• The Name of the Game as Aja Fowler (1 episode, 1968)
• The Carol Burnett Show in London (1970) (TV) as guest performer
• The Muppet Show as Herself (1 episode, 1976)
• Musical Comedy Tonight II (1981) (TV)
• The Love Boat as Samantha Bricker (3 episodes, 1979–1984)
• Fantasy Island (1 episode, 1983)
• Glitter (1984) (TV)
• Murder, She Wrote as Valerie Bechet (1 episode, 1987)
  

[edit] References

1. ^ "Juliet Prowse". Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-480770/Juliet-Prowse. Retrieved September 2007.
2. ^ "New Pictures, movie review of Can-Can". Time. March 21, 1960. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,894827,00.html. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
3. ^ "You Tube". The Frank Sinatra Show December 13, 1959 with Juliet Prowse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB6A7gf1zZ4. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
4. ^ ^{a b} The Guardian obituary, September 16, 1996, by Ronald Bergan
5. ^ "Juliet Prowse". The Free Library. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/JULIET+PROWSE,+59,+ACTRESS,+DANCER+IN+1960S+TELEVISION,+MOVIE...-a083967450. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
6. ^ Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. 2005. Muppet Show, The, Season One. US: The Muppets Holding Company, LLC.
7. ^ "Juliet Prowse Bitten Again by Same Leopard". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1987-12-03/local/me-26193_1_juliet-prowse. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
8. ^ New York Times

Nancy Sinatra
Sinatra circa 1960s.
Background information
Birth name	Nancy Sandra Sinatra
Born	June 8, 1940 (1940-06-08) (age 71)
Origin	Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Rock, pop
Occupations	Singer Actress Author
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1961–present
Labels	Boots Enterprises, Inc. Reprise Records RCA Records Private Stock Elektra Records Cougar Records Buena Vista Records Attack Records
Associated acts	Frank Sinatra, Lee Hazlewood, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Mel Tillis, Morrissey
Website	NancySinatra.com SinatraFamily.com

Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'".

Other defining recordings include "Sugar Town", the 1967 number one "Somethin' Stupid" (a duet with her father), the title song from the James Bond film You Only Live Twice, several collaborations with Lee Hazlewood, and her cover of Cher's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (lyrics and music by Sonny Bono), which features during the opening sequence of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.

Sinatra began her career as a singer and actress in the early 1960s, but initially achieved success only in Europe and Japan. In early 1966 she had a transatlantic number-one hit with "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", which showed her provocative but good-natured style, and which popularized and made her synonymous with go-go boots. The promo clip featured a big-haired Sinatra and six young women in tight tops, go-go boots and mini-skirts. The song was written by Lee Hazlewood, who wrote and produced most of her hits and sang with her on several duets, including the critical and cult favorite "Some Velvet Morning". In 1966 and 1967, Sinatra charted with 13 titles, all of which featured Billy Strange as arranger and conductor.

Sinatra also had a brief acting career in the mid-60s including a co-starring role with Elvis Presley in the movie Speedway, and with Peter Fonda in The Wild Angels.

[edit] Early life

Sinatra was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra and his first wife, Nancy Barbato Sinatra. For her fourth birthday, Phil Silvers and Jimmy Van Heusen wrote the song "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)", which her father recorded.^[1]

[edit] Recording career

[edit] 1960s

In the late 1950s, Sinatra began to study music, dancing, and voice at the University of California in Los Angeles. She dropped out after a year,^{[citation needed]} and made her professional debut in 1960 on her father's television special, The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis, welcoming the return of Elvis Presley home from Europe following his discharge from service in the US Army. Nancy was sent to the airport on behalf of her father to welcome Elvis when his plane landed. On the special, Nancy and her father danced and sang a duet, "You Make Me Feel So Young/Old". That same year she began a five-year marriage to Tommy Sands.^{[citation needed]}

Sinatra was signed to her father's label, Reprise Records, in 1961. Her first single, "Cuff Links and a Tie Clip", went unnoticed. However, subsequent singles charted in Europe and Japan. Without a hit in the US by 1965, she was on the verge of being dropped. Her singing career received a boost with the help of songwriter/producer/arranger Lee Hazlewood, who had been making records for ten years, notably with Duane Eddy. Hazlewood became Sinatra's inspiration. He had her sing in a lower key and crafted pop songs for her. Bolstered by an image overhaul — including bleached-blonde hair, frosted lips, heavy eye make-up and Carnaby Street fashions — Sinatra made her mark on the American (and British) music scene in early 1966 with "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", its title inspired by a line in Robert Aldrich's 1963 western comedy 4 for Texas starring her father and Dean Martin. One of her many hits written by Hazlewood, it received three Grammy Award nominations, including two for Sinatra and one for arranger Billy Strange. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.^[2] The camp promo clip featured a big-haired Sinatra and six young women in loose sweaters, go-go boots and hot pants. The song has been covered by artists such as Geri Halliwell, Megadeth, Jessica Simpson, Lil' Kim, Little Birdy, Billy Ray Cyrus, Faster Pussycat, KMFDM, Symarip (band), Operation Ivy and the Del Rubio Triplets and The Supremes.^{[citation needed]}

A run of chart singles followed, including the two 1966 Top 10 hits "How Does That Grab You, Darlin'?" (#7) and "Sugar Town" (#5). "Sugar Town" became her second million seller.^[2] The ballad "Somethin' Stupid" — a duet with her father — hit #1 in the US and the UK in April 1967 and spent nine weeks at the top of Billboard's easy listening chart. It earned a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year and remains the only father-daughter duet to hit No.1 in the US It became Sinatra's third million-selling disc.^[2] Other 45s showing her forthright delivery include "Friday’s Child" (#36, 1966), and the 1967 hits "Love Eyes" (#15) and "Lightning’s Girl" (#24). She rounded out 1967 with the raunchy but low-charting "Tony Rome" (#83) — the title track from the detective film Tony Rome starring her father — while her first solo single in 1968 was the more wistful "100 Years" (#69).

Sinatra enjoyed a parallel recording career cutting duets with the husky-voiced, country-and-western-inspired Hazlewood, starting with "Summer Wine" (originally the B-side of "Sugar Town"). Their biggest hit was a cover of the country song, "Jackson". The single peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1967, when Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash also made the song their own. In December they released the "MOR"-psychedelic single "Some Velvet Morning", regarded as one of the more unusual singles in pop, and the peak of Sinatra and Hazlewood’s vocal collaborations. It reached #26 in the US. The promo clip is, like the song, sui generis. The British broadsheet The Daily Telegraph placed "Some Velvet Morning" in pole position in its 2003 list of the Top 50 Best Duets Ever. ("Somethin' Stupid" ranked number 27).^[3]

In 1967 she recorded the theme song for the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. In the liner notes of the CD reissue of her 1966 album, Nancy In London, Sinatra states that she was "scared to death" of recording the song, and asked the songwriters: "Are you sure you don't want Shirley Bassey?" There are two versions of the Bond theme. The first is the lushly orchestrated track featured during the opening and closing credits of the film. The second – and more guitar-heavy — version appeared on the double A-sided single with "Jackson", though the Bond theme stalled at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100.^{[citation needed]}

In 1966 and 1967 Sinatra traveled to Vietnam to perform for the troops. Many US soldiers adopted her song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" as their anthem, as shown in Pierre Schoendoerffer's academy award winning documentary The Anderson Platoon (1967) and reprised in a scene in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987). Sinatra recorded several anti-war songs, including "My Buddy", featured on her album Sugar, "Home", co-written by Mac Davis, and "It's Such A Lonely Time of Year", which appeared on the 1968 LP The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas. In 1988 Sinatra recreated her Vietnam concert appearances on an episode of the television show China Beach. Today, Sinatra still performs for charitable causes supporting US veterans who served in Vietnam, including Rolling Thunder Inc..^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Films and television

Sinatra starred in three teen musicals (otherwise known as 'beach party' films) — For Those Who Think Young (1964), Get Yourself a College Girl (1964) and The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966) — the latter of which featured her in a singing role. She was also scheduled to appear in the role that went to Linda Evans in Beach Blanket Bingo, but was unable. In 1966 she also starred in Roger Corman's The Wild Angels with Peter Fonda and Bruce Dern, and in 1968 she shared the screen with Elvis Presley in Speedway — her final film. She was the only singer to have a solo song on an Elvis album or soundtrack while he was still alive. Since his death, several previously unreleased Ann-Margret solo recordings have appeared on Elvis albums, but Sinatra's was the first.^{[citation needed]}

She also made appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, The Virginian and starred in television specials. These include the Emmy-nominated 1966 Frank Sinatra special A Man and His Music - Part II,^{[citation needed]} and the 1967 NBC Emmy Award nominated for 'Special Classification of Individual Achievements' by choreographer David Winters TV special Movin' With Nancy, in which she appeared with Lee Hazlewood, her father and his Rat Pack pals Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., with a cameo appearance by her brother Frank Sinatra, Jr. and guest star appearance by West Side Story dancer David Winters. At one point in the video, Nancy shared a kiss with Sammy Davis, Jr. She has stated "The kiss [was] one of the first interracial kisses seen on television and it caused some controversy then, and now. [But] contrary to some inaccurate online reports, the kiss was unplanned and spontaneous."^[4] The special also features Winters' choreography, dancing and dancers. As there was no Emmy Award category for Choreography - the shows Emmy Nomination was placed in the 'Special Classification of Individual Achievements' category. Possibly due to this specials success and its choreography a new category for 'Outstanding Choreography' was created by the Emmy's the next year.^[5] Movin' With Nancy was sponsored by Royal Crown Cola.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 1970s and 1980s

Sinatra remained with Reprise until 1970. In 1971, she signed with RCA, resulting in three albums: Nancy & Lee – Again (1971), Woman (1972), and a compilation of some of her Reprise recordings under the title This Is Nancy Sinatra (1973). That year she released a non-LP single, "Sugar Me" b/w "Ain't No Sunshine". The former was written by Lynsey De Paul/Barry Blue and, with other covers of works by early-70s popular songwriters, resurfaced on the 1998 album How Does It Feel.^{[citation needed]}

In the autumn of 1971 Sinatra and Hazlewood’s duet "Did You Ever?" reached number two in the UK singles chart. In 1972 they performed for a Swedish documentary, Nancy & Lee In Las Vegas, which chronicled their Vegas concerts at the Riviera Hotel and featured solo numbers and duets from concerts, behind-the-scenes footage, and scenes of Sinatra's late husband, Hugh Lambert, and her mother.^[6] The film did not appear until 1975.

By 1975 she was releasing singles on Private Stock, which are the most sought-after by collectors. Among those released were "Kinky Love", "Annabell of Mobile", "It's for My Dad," and "Indian Summer" (with Hazlewood). "Kinky Love" was banned by some radio stations in the 1970s for "suggestive" lyrics. It saw the light of day on CD in 1998 on Sheet Music: A Collection of Her Favorite Love Songs. Pale Saints covered the song in 1991.^{[citation needed]}

By the mid-1970s, she slowed her musical activity and ceased acting to concentrate on being a wife and mother. She returned to the studio in 1981 to record a country album with Mel Tillis called Mel & Nancy. Two of their songs made the Billboard Country Singles Chart: "Texas Cowboy Night" (#23) and "Play Me or Trade Me" (#43).^{[citation needed]}

In 1985, she wrote the book Frank Sinatra, My Father.

[edit] 1990s–present

At 54 she posed for Playboy in the May 1995 issue and made appearances on TV shows to promote her album One More Time. The magazine appearance caused some controversy. On the talk show circuit, she said her father was proud of the photos, but not everyone was convinced. Those close to the Sinatras claimed that family members were upset with the nude photo spread. Nancy told Jay Leno on a 1995 Tonight Show that her daughters gave their approval, but her mother said she should ask her father before committing to the project. Nancy claims that when she told her father what Playboy would be paying her, he said, "Double it."^{[citation needed]}

She and Lee Hazlewood embarked on a US tour playing the House of Blues, the Viper Room, the Whiskey-a-Go-Go, the now-defunct Mama Kin in Boston, the Trocadero in Philadelphia, and The Fillmore.^{[citation needed]}

That year, Sundazed Records began reissuing Sinatra's Reprise albums with remastered sound, new liner notes and photos, and bonus tracks. She also updated her biography on her dad and published Frank Sinatra: An American Legend.^{[citation needed]}

In 2003 she reunited with Hazlewood once more for the album Nancy & Lee 3. It was released only in Australia.^{[citation needed]}

One of her recordings — a cover of Cher "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" — was used to open the 2003 Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill: Vol. One. In 2005, Sinatra's recording was sampled separately by the Audio Bullys and Radio Slave into dance tracks (renamed into "Shot You Down" and "Bang Bang" respectively), and by hip-hop artist Young Buck in a song titled "Bang Bang", as well as covered for a single and music video by R&B artist Melanie Durrant. Sinatra recorded the song for her second Reprise album, How Does That Grab You? in 1966. She and Billy Strange worked on the arrangement, and it was Sinatra's idea to change from a mid-tempo romp (as sung in Cher's hit single) to a ballad. Sinatra's father asked her to sing it on his 1966 TV special A Man and His Music - Part II. The footage of Sinatra's performance on that special was used in the Audio Bullys' music video of "Shot You Down."^{[citation needed]}

Taking her father's advice from when she began her recording career ("Own your own masters"), she owns or holds an interest in most of her material, including videos.^[4]

In 2004 she collaborated with former Los Angeles neighbour Morrissey to record a version of his song "Let Me Kiss You", which was featured on her autumn release Nancy Sinatra. The single — released the same day as Morrissey’s version — charted at #46 in the UK, providing Sinatra with her first hit for over 30 years. The follow-up single, "Burnin' Down the Spark", failed to chart. The album, originally titled To Nancy, with Love, featured rock performers such as Calexico, Sonic Youth, U2, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Steven Van Zandt, Jon Spencer, and Pete Yorn, who all cited Sinatra as an influence. Each artist crafted a song for Sinatra to sing on the album.^{[citation needed]}

Two years later EMI released The Essential Nancy Sinatra – a UK-only greatest-hits compilation featuring the previously unreleased track, "Machine Gun Kelly". The collection was picked by Sinatra and spans her 40-year career. The record was Sinatra's first to make the UK album charts (#73) in 30 years.^{[citation needed]}

Sinatra, also recorded "Another Gay Sunshine Day" for Another Gay Movie in 2006.^{[citation needed]}

Nancy received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 11, 2006, which was also declared "Nancy Sinatra Day" by Hollywood’s mayor, Johnny Grant.^{[citation needed]}

Sinatra appeared, as herself, on one of the final episodes (Chasing It) of the HBO mob drama The Sopranos. Her brother, Frank Jr., had previously appeared in the 2000 episode The Happy Wanderer.^{[citation needed]}

Nancy Sinatra recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's 'Hip-Hop Literacy' campaign, encouraging reading of Tarantino screenplays and related books.^{[citation needed]}

September 2009 saw the release of Nancy's digital-only album Cherry Smiles: The Rare Singles, featuring previously unreleased tracks and songs only available on 45.^{[citation needed]}

Nancy now hosts a weekly show on Sirius Satellite Radio - Siriusly Sinatra where she shares her personal insights about her father.^[4]

[edit] Family

Marriage:

• Tommy Sands, 1960–1965 (divorced)
• Hugh Lambert, 1970–1985 (deceased)

Children (by her second husband):

• Angela Jennifer Lambert (whose godparents are James Darren and his second wife)
• Amanda Kate Lambert.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Filmography

• For Those Who Think Young (1964)
• Get Yourself A College Girl (1964)
• Marriage on the Rocks (1965)
• The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966)
• The Last of the Secret Agents? (1966)
• The Oscar (1966)
• The Wild Angels (1966)
• Speedway (1968)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Nancy Sinatra's Official Website
• Nancy Sinatra on Myspace (Official)
• Nancy Sinatra at the Internet Movie Database
• Sinatra Family Official Website

[edit] Further reading

• Article on Nancy and her music
• Kugel, Allison. "Nancy Sinatra: Interview - The Promise She Made Her Father, Praising Mia Farrow & Embracing Social Media". http://www.pr.com/article/1174. (April 2011)

 Early life

Tina Blacker was born in New York City. She was raised by her mother, Betty Horn Myers (1916-2011), a fashion model. Her father, Joseph Blacker, was an accountant.^[1] The name "Louise" was supposedly added during her senior year in high school when she mentioned to her drama teacher that she was the only girl in the class without a middle name. He immediately picked the name "Louise" and it stuck.^[2] She attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. At the age of 17, Louise began studying acting, singing and dancing. During her early acting years, she was offered modeling jobs and appeared on the cover of several pinup magazines such as Adam, Sir! and Modern Man. Her later pictorials for Playboy (May 1958, April 1959) were arranged by Columbia Pictures studio in an effort to further promote the young actress. Her acting debut came in 1952 in the Bette Davis musical revue Two's Company, followed by roles in other Broadway productions, such as John Murray Anderson's Almanac, The Fifth Season, and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? She also appeared in such early live television dramas as Studio One, Producers' Showcase, and Appointment with Adventure.

In 1957, she and Julie Newmar appeared on Broadway in the hit musical Li'l Abner. Her album It's Time for Tina was also released that year, with songs such as "Embraceable You" and "I'm in the Mood for Love".

Hollywood and Gilligan's Island

Louise made her Hollywood film debut in 1958 in God's Little Acre. She became an in-demand leading lady for major stars like Robert Taylor, Richard Widmark and Robert Ryan, often playing somber roles quite unlike the glamorous pinup photographs and Playboy pictorials she had become famous for in the late 1950s. She turned down roles in Li'l Abner and Operation Petticoat^[3] taking roles on Broadway and in Italian cinema and Hollywood. Among her more notable Italian film credits was the historical epic Garibaldi (1960), directed by Roberto Rossellini, that concerned Garibaldi's efforts to unify the Italian states in 1860. When Louise returned to the United States, she began studying with Lee Strasberg and eventually became a member of the Actors Studio. She appeared in the 1964 beach party film For Those Who Think Young, with Bob Denver, prior to the development of Gilligan's Island.

In 1964, she left the Broadway musical Fade Out – Fade In to portray movie star Ginger Grant on the situation comedy Gilligan's Island, after the part was turned down by Jayne Mansfield. However, she was unhappy with the role and worried that it would typecast her. The role did make Louise a pop icon of the era, and in 2005 an episode of TV Land Top Ten ranked her as second only to Heather Locklear as the greatest of television's all-time sex symbols.

After the series ended in 1967, Louise continued to work in film and made numerous guest appearances in various television series. She appeared in the Matt Helm spy spoof The Wrecking Crew (1969) with Dean Martin. Louise played a doomed suburban housewife in the original The Stepford Wives (1975), and both the film and her performance were well received.

She attempted to shed her comedic image by essaying grittier roles, including a guest appearance as a pathetic heroin addict in a 1974 Kojak episode, as well as a co-starring role as an evil Southern prison guard in the 1976 ABC TV Movie Nightmare in Badham County. Her other television films of the period included Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976), SST: Death Flight (1977), and Friendships, Secrets and Lies (1979).

The question "Ginger or Mary Ann?" is regarded to be a classic pop-psychological question when given to American men of a certain age as an insight into their characters, or at least their desires as regarding certain female stereotypes.

Later work

Despite successes on her own, she declined to participate in any of three reunion television films for Gilligan's Island and the role of Ginger was recast with Judith Baldwin and Constance Forslund. Although she did not appear in these television movies, she made brief walk-on appearances on a few talk shows and specials for Gilligan's Island reunions, including Good Morning America (1982), The Late Show (1988) and the 2004 TV Land award show with the other surviving cast members. In the 1990s, she was reunited with costars Bob Denver, Dawn Wells, and Russell Johnson in an episode of Roseanne. She did not reunite with them for the television film Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredible True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History (2001), co-produced by Wells. She was portrayed by Kristen Dalton in the television film.^[4] Her relations with series star Denver were rumored to be strained, but in 2005, she wrote a brief, affectionate memorial to him in the year-end "farewell" issue of Entertainment Weekly.^[5]

3 March 60

she and Nancy Sinatra greet Elvis Presley upon his return from Germany at the Fort Dix, New Jersey, military base

Louise appeared as a semi-regular character in the prime-time soap opera Dallas, as J.R.'s secretary, Julie Gray, during the 1978-79 seasons. In 1985, Louise played the second and final Taylor Chapin on the syndicated soap opera Rituals. Later film roles included a co-starring appearance in the Robert Altman comedy O.C. and Stiggs (1987) as well as the independently made satire Johnny Suede (1992) starring Brad Pitt. She appeared in Married... with Children as Miss Beck in episode Kelly Bounces Back (1990).

From 1966 to 1974, Louise was married to radio and TV announcer/interviewer Les Crane, with whom she has one daughter, Caprice Crane (born 1974), who became an MTV producer and a novelist. Crane's first novel, Stupid and Contagious, was published in 2006, and was warmly dedicated to her mother. Louise now resides in New York City. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. As a literacy and academic advocate, she became a volunteer teacher at Learning Leaders, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing tutoring to New York City school children. It has been her passion to help young students gain not only literary skills, but also confidence, self-determination and proof of their own potential. She has written two books: Sunday: A Memoir (1997) and When I Grow Up (2007). The latter is a children's book that inspires children to believe they can become whatever they choose through creative and humorous comparisons of animal kingdom achievements. She published a second children's book named "What Does A Bee Do?".^[6]

It's Time For Tina LP

Louise made four record albums, two for Concert Hall, and two for Urania Record (1958 and 1959 respectively).^[7] By far the most sought-after of these is the 1957 album It's Time For Tina (Concert Hall 1521). With arrangements by Jim Timmens and Buddy Weed's Orchestra, 12 tracks include "Tonight Is The Night" and "I'm in the Mood for Love". Coleman Hawkins is featured on tenor sax. A version of this album is planned by UK label Harkit Records.^[8]

Filmography

• God's Little Acre (1958)
• The Trap (1959)
• The Hangman (1959)
• Day of the Outlaw (1959)
• The Warrior Empress (1960)
• Siege of Syracuse (1960)
• Viva L'Italia!/Garibaldi (1961)
• Armored Command (1961)
• For Those Who Think Young (1964)
• The Seventh Floor (1967)
• The Wrecking Crew (1969)
• How to Commit Marriage (1969)
• The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969)
• The Happy Ending (1969)
• Love It or Leave It (1971) (documentary)
• Film Portrait (1973) (documentary)
• The Stepford Wives (1975)
• The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
• Mean Dog Blues (1978)
• Dog Day (1984)
• Hell Riders (1984)
• Evils of the Night (1985)
• The Pool (1987)
• O.C. and Stiggs (1987)
• Dixie Lanes (1988)
• Johnny Suede (1991)
• Welcome to Woop Woop (1997)
• Little Pieces (2000)
• Growing Down in Brooklyn (2000)
• West from North Goes South (2004)

[edit] Television

• Jan Murray Time (1955)
• The Phil Silvers Show (1957)
• Fanfare for a Death Scene (1964)
• Gilligan's Island (1964–1967) – Ginger Grant
• Love, American Style (Late 1960s)
• Bonanza (1967) – Mary Burns
• Ironside (1968) - Candy
• It Takes a Thief (1968) – Anna Martine
• But I Don't Want to Get Married! (1970)
• Kojak (1974 episode – "Die Before They Wake")
• Death Scream (1975)
• Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976)
• Nightmare in Badham County (1976)
• SST: Death Flight (1977)
• Dallas (1978–1979, cast as Julie Grey)
• Friendships, Secrets and Lies (1979)
• Fantasy Island (1979)
• Rituals (1984–1985) – Taylor Chapin Field von Platen
• Santa Barbara (cast member in 1986)
• Married... with Children (1990)
• All My Children (cast member in 1994)

[edit] References in popular culture

• Tina Louise is one of two celebrities included among the many women's names listed in The B52s 1979 song, "52 Girls" (the other is Jacqueline Onassis)

[edit] References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ http://www.gilligansisle.com/intertina.html
3. ^ http://www.gilligansisle.com/intertina.html
4. ^ An Ask Morty Page
5. ^ Tina Louise (2005-09-06). "Tina Louise Remembers Bob Denver". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1101674,00.html. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
6. ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/143926144X
7. ^ http://www.zimbio.com/Tina+Louise/articles/3/Gingerly
8. ^ http://www.harkitrecords.com

[edit] External links

• Tina Louise at the Internet Movie Database
• Tina Louise at the Internet Broadway Database
• Tina Louise at the TCM Movie Database
• Tina Louise at AllRovi
• Tina Louise on Twitter