Fantasy Femmes of 60's Cinema: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Biker, Beach, and Elvis Movies [Hardcover]

Tom Lisanti (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786408685 | ISBN-13: 978-0786408689 | Publication Date: 2001

Elvis Presley musicals, beach romps, biker flicks, and alienated youth movies were some of the most popular types of drive-in films during the sixties. The actresses interviewed for this book (including Celeste Yarnall, Lana Wood, Linda Harrison, Pamela Tiffin, Deanna Lund, Diane McBain, Judy Pace, and Chris Noel) all made their mark in these genres. These fantastic femmes could be found either twisting on the shores of Malibu, careening down the highway on a chopper, being serenaded by Elvis, or taking on the establishment as hip coeds. As cult figures, they contributed greatly to that period of filmmaking aimed at the teenage audience who frequented the drive-ins of America.They frolicked, screamed, and danced their way into B-movie history in such diverse films as Eve, Teenage Millionaire, The Girls on the Beach, Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, Three in the Attic, Wild in the Streets, and Paradise, Hawaiian Style.

This book is a celebration of the actresses’ careers. They have for the most part been overlooked in other publications documenting the history of film. Fantasy Femmes addresses their film and television careers, focusing on their view of the above genres, their candid comments and anecdotes about their films, the people they worked with, and their feelings in general regarding their lives and the choices they made. The book is well illuminated and contains a complete list of film and television credits.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tom Lisanti is the author of Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies (2005), Drive-in Dream Girls (2003) and Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films and Television, 1962–1973 (2002, coauthored with Louis Paul). He has also written for such magazines as In Theatre, Filmfax, Femme Fatales and Films of the Golden Age. He lives in New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786408685
• ISBN-13: 978-0786408689
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,567,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Lisanti is an award winning author and "starlet stalker" documenting the actresses and drive-in movie genres (beach, Elvis, biker, alienated youth, horror) of sixties cinema. His interviewees have included Carol Lynley, Pamela Tiffin, Francine York, Celeste Yarnall, Deanna Lund, BarBara Luna, Lana Wood, Sue Ane Langdon, Laurel Goodwin, Lori Williams, Diane McBain, Shelley Fabares, Linda Harrison, Aron Kincaid, Peter Brown, William Wellman, Jr., Jody McCrea, Lee Meredith, Victoria Carroll, Gail Gerber (pictured with me), and Thordis Brandt, among many others. He is a regular contributor to Cinema Retro Magazine (print and online editions) and Blogs regularly on his web site www.sixtiescinema.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Interviews With Underappreciated Actresses, April 15, 2004

By 

James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fantasy Femmes of 60's Cinema: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Biker, Beach, and Elvis Movies (Hardcover)

Fantasy Femmes interviews 20 lovely actresses who starred primarily in B-Films in the '60s. The main genres - as stated in the sub-title are Biker, Beach, and Elvis films (particulary the latter - most of these gals made at least one movie with the King) as well as Alienated Youth and Horror films. The author Tom Lisanti knows these genres well and his affection for the ladies that he interviewed is clearly evident.

Among my personal favorite '60s superchicks that Lisanti profiled are Deanna Lund (from tv's Land Of The Giants), Irene Tsu (the native girl who duets with Frankie Avalon in How To Stuff A Wild Bikini), and Salli Sachse (a staple of the Frankie & Annette beach movies, she was "the girl with her hair in a bun"). My only complaint is that Lisanti did not interview my very favorite '60s sweetie Mary Hughes, the Bardot-look alike who joined Sachse in the background of the Beach Party films (Hughes was the girlfriend of guitarist Jeff Beck and the subject of the Yardbirds' song "Psycho Daisies"). My main woman Mary does appear in a photo in the Sally Sachse chapter though and you can read more about her in one of Lisanti's other great books, Drive In Dream Girls: A Galaxy Of B-Movie Starlets Of The Sixties. It profiles 50 superbabes of the '60s, none to the extent covered here.

The other 17 lovely ladies profiled in this book are:
Joan O'Brien (Operation Petticoat, It Happened At The World's Fair); Diane McBain (Spin Out, The Mini Skirt Mob); Joan Staley (Roustabout, The Ghost & Mrs. Chicken); Jill Haworth (It!, Haunted House Of Horror); Pamela Tiffin (For Those Who Think Young, The Pleasure Seekers); Francine York (Tickle Me, Curse Of The Swamp Creature), Joy Harmon (Young Dillinger, Village Of The Giants); Eileen O'Neill (A Man Called Dagger); Julie Parrish (Winter A Go-Go, Paradise Hawaiian Style); Jean Hale (The Oscar, St. Valentine's Day Massacre); Chris Noel (Get Yourself A College Girl, Girl Happy); Lana Wood (Girls On The Beach, Diamonds Are Forever); Celeste Yarnall (Eve, Live A Little Love A Little); Judy Pace (Three In The Attic, Brian's Song - as Gale Sayers' wife); Karen Jensen (Out Of Sight, tv's Bracken's World); Linda Harrison (Planet Of The Apes, Bracken's World); Tisha Sterling (Village Of The Giants, Norwood).

Most of these ladies were finished in the business by the age of 30. Society at the time dictated that they marry and have kids, and having a family back then usually meant the end of a woman's career. Too bad for us, as most of these ladies had a lot more to offer the big screen than beauty (fortunately, their luminous performances in these often cheesy movies will live forever). For anyone who is a big fan - like I was - of a few of the ladies interviewed here, I suggest you get this book right away. You'll find yourself becoming an admirer of all of them by the time you finish reading it.

3 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Femmes!, August 24, 2001

By 

Nelson Aspen "Author/Journalist" (Los Angeles & NYC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fantasy Femmes of 60's Cinema: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Biker, Beach, and Elvis Movies (Hardcover)

All your faves are covered...and maybe a few you forgot about! This book is campy and fun, but also quite informative for movie buffs and anyone old enough to remember the babe-a-licious actresses of the 60's. Would also make a great gift!