Forgotten Names, Unforgettable Faces
Navigate
With the increased popularity of so-called modern "retro" pin-up girls, it's good to look back to those women who were part of the golden age of the pin-up (an era which I place around the mid-to-late 1950's). It was these women who perfected what can be considered the body language of the pin-up -- those poses that teased and tickled all whom looked upon them.
There are those whose names will be forever associate with the classic glamour girl era (Bettie Page, June Wilkinson, Mamie Van Doren, just to name a few). But there are also those models who have become somewhat lost to history -- models whose contributions helped shaped pin-up iconography just as much as the aforementioned queens of pin-ups.
Every so often, I'll feature a few of these lesser-known women and hopefully shed some light on the styles and modes that have been adopted by modern-day cheesecake models.
Vikki Dougan
Vikki Dougan is probably the most well known pin-up model out of this group. During her heyday, she was one of the most sought-after models around. She worked with all the big names in photography at the time (Peter Gowland, Earl Leaf, and Russ Meyer) and was a frequent covergirl on countless magazines (including an issue of Life in the mid 1950's). Her look was a fresh alternative to the buxom blonde bombshell that dominated the male psyche of the era. What her real claim to fame was, and what gave her the nickname of "The Back," were her gasp-inspiring dresses where the backs were cut lower than most women would dare wear. So in a real sense, Dougan was creating a stir with her backside decades before one Ms. Jennifer Lopez.
It was Dougan (and others like her) who started one of the most hotly debated topics in men's magazines from the late 50's to the early 60's - Was the bosom still best or was the derriere taking over as the object of affection in the hearts and minds (and loins) of red-blooded American men?
Bonnie Logan
Bonnie Logan helped epitomize the "exotic" look in pin-up models. From a background of a blonde Norwegian father and a Spanish gypsy mother, Logan could look sultry and European while at the same time looking like the all-American sexpot.
Even though her primary career was that of a nightclub singer (and sometime dancer), her lasting fame comes from her many magazine pictorials (under both her name and the pseudonym Laura Lee). One of her most sought-after magazine covers is the infamous tight sweater shot of her and June Wilkinson on the front of Girl Watcher #2.
Logan was one of women who just looked great in everything from a tight shirt and caprice pants to fishnet stockings (and not much else). She looked the part of a bad girl and seemed to enjoy being one. She liked the "tease" and could really use it to her advantage. This was a woman who was in control of all the cards, and if you were lucky, she might just deal you in. Logan was not the type of woman you would bring home to mother; rather she was the one you would meet at the backstage entrance for a midnight nightcap.
Sandra Marnelle
Sandra Marnelle, a rather mysterious model in the late 1950's, is one of those rare examples of both being a pin-up model of her era and a woman who's look is so universal that it seems fresh today. There's not much by the way of personal information about her out there-just a couple of glorious pictorials in some second-tier magazines. But those pictures are more than enough to set apart from the run-of-the-mill B-girl turned cheesecake model.
Marnelle, on one level, can be looked on as the first of many Bettie Page imitators, but she also possesses a sultry look that was rather out of place during the playful, burlesque-inspired, poses of the 40's and 50's. This isn't to be confused with the serious, raw sex looks you get in latter day men's magazines. Marnelle smoldered with a sensuality that exuded a self-assuredness and personal empowerment which was years ahead of its time.
The look and demeanor of Marnelle is so archetypal (with her page-boy bangs, black eyebrows, and pale skin) that it can be seen reflected in an almost eerie similarity to such
modern pin-up cuties such as Dita Von Teese, Demanda de Mure, and April Atomic.
====
More pictures of the three featured women can also be at Jason's Yahoo! Club, Java's Bachelor Pad After Dark
You must be at least Silver Member to post comments.
Most Recent Comments - 0 comments total