#20 Nancy Kovack

Nancy Kovack is a unique combination of beauty and brains. Unfortunately, the first tended to outshine the second, and Nancy never really got the serious roles she longed for. Instead, she racked up the credits as a game show hostess, an Elvis girl, a Star Trek babe, and a Matt Helm Slaygirl (What? You’ve never heard of the Slaygirls?). She also did turns on Batman, Bewitched, Love American Style, and a Vincent Price horror flick. She gave it all up, though, to marry the famous conductor Zubin Mehta. I kid you not.

Real Name:  Nancy Kovach (I guess the “k” helped ensure correct pronunciation)

Embarrassing Real Birthplace:  Flint, MI

Cheesy Pageant Titles

• Miss Flint
• Miss Austin Healey
• Witch of the Year, Charlie Weaver's Hobby Lobby

Embarrassing Movies

• Jason and the Argonauts
• Tarzan and the Valley of Gold
• The Brain-Killer Affair
• The Outlaws Is Coming (with the Three Stooges)

Embarrassing Taglines

• It's Elvis as Johnny and oh, Lordy, how he can love! 
• Follow his secret from bedroom to bedlam, with guns, girls and dynamite! 
• The epic story that was destined to stand as a colossus of adventure!

Embarrassing Characters

• Mallotte DuClasse
• Athelstone Scone
• Clio Vanita
• Chou Chou
• Big Shirley

Unlikely Spouses & Boyfriends

• Cary Grant
• William Shatner
• Zubin Mehta

Whiffs of Scandal:  

• Sued Nancy MacDougal (of Whitewater fame) for embezzlement
• Husband had illegitimate child while married to Nancy

Interesting Tidbits

• Attended Univ. of Michigan at age 15 (and graduated at age 19)
• Has a reported IQ of 158
• Studied Farsi at UCLA
• Won 8 beauty contests before age 20
• Was a radio DJ at age 16
• Got an Emmy nomination for a guest appearance on Mannix
• Is a Christian Scientist

Where can I learn more?

• Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen
• IMDb
• Amazing B Monster
• People
• Wikipedia
• Cult Sirens
• Brian's Drive-In Theater

Nice hat!

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