Queen Bettie: Table It

As evidenced by last year’s “Couch Potato” post, Bettie Page made a career out of finding new and fascinating ways to athletically straddle, lounge across, or perch precariously on all sorts of furniture—including the kind not meant for sitting. How many times did your parents reprimand you for sitting or standing on tables? Well, Bettie’s … Continue reading Queen Bettie: Table It

Bad Girls We Love: Molly from Batman (1966)

Decades before Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) movie ignited Batmania across the land, the original Batmania spread like wildfire after the debut episodes of the 1966–1968 Batman television series. One of the few instances of an honest-to-goodness pop culture phenomenon, Batman’s camp sensibilities and colorful pop art style endeared it to millions of fans, including yours … Continue reading Bad Girls We Love: Molly from Batman (1966)

Baby Pfeiffer, Baby Fran, and the Hollywood Knights

What was the elevator pitch for The Hollywood Knights (1980)? “It’s American Graffiti meets Animal House, only twice as silly and half as fun!” Sold! I don’t care how inferior it is to those films, though. I have a major soft spot for this one. Overall, it’s a frivolous and fluffy affair, a crass teen … Continue reading Baby Pfeiffer, Baby Fran, and the Hollywood Knights

Calendar Girl: Julie London for March

Calendar Girl’s track for March hits home in all the right ways. Of course there’s Julie London, whose sultry voice makes seasonal ennui sound sexier than it has any right to be. Then there’s the lyrics to “Melancholy March,” which so perfectly capture this month’s awkward middle child syndrome: Melancholy March, your gloom is showingYour … Continue reading Calendar Girl: Julie London for March

The Art of the Ad: The Playboy Club

At some point in the 1970s, probably just a couple of years before I was born, my parents and some of their friends visited the Playboy Club on East 59th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan. I know this because of the Playboy swizzle sticks stored in a kitchen cabinet during my childhood, which I … Continue reading The Art of the Ad: The Playboy Club