Bombshells

Late last year, I was formulating a series of posts on the Hollywood archetype known as “The Bombshell.” Well, those posts haven’t come to published fruition yet. While we wait for them to (hopefully) appear at some point, let’s get a teaser taste (of cheesecake?) by turning this Random Image post over to Bombshells. Diana … Continue reading Bombshells →

Fishnet Friday, with Marilyn Monroe

A while back, we invited Bettie Page to the stage for Fishnet Friday and to say she brought down the house is an understatement. if anyone else could equal the Queen of Pinups it’s The Blonde Bombshell herself, American icon Marilyn Monroe. From rocking the ‘nets alongside leggy pal Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes … Continue reading Fishnet Friday, with Marilyn Monroe →

Happy 90th, Julie Newmar

One of these days I’m going to turn more of this blog’s attention to the 1960s Batman television show. Obviously, my pop culture loves range far and wide, so it’s hard to squeeze them all in here, but Batman was critical to my childhood, my love of comic books, and my development into a scholar … Continue reading Happy 90th, Julie Newmar →

All the Colours of Edwige Fenech

This December, on Christmas Eve, French-Italian actress and producer Edwige Fenech turns 75, which offers as good a reason as any to celebrate this living legend. If you’ve never so much as dipped a toe in the beautiful and strange world of 1970s Italian giallo films, you might be questioning that “living legend” assertion. For … Continue reading All the Colours of Edwige Fenech →

RIP Jane Birkin

When I was growing up, all I knew of Jane Birkin could be summed up in three words: leggy, glamorous, and beautiful. She existed in my pop culture sphere as an unattainable, unspeakably gorgeous human being who was a photographer’s dream subject. Later, I learned she was a model, a singer, an actress, lent her … Continue reading RIP Jane Birkin →

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) →

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 →