#42 Celeste Yarnall

Celeste Yarnall’s IMDb profile states that she “is an amazing woman of many talents who has been very successful in a diverse number of fields. There appears to be nothing she cannot do when she puts her mind to it.” It does seem that she’s accomplished quite a bit after retiring as an actress, including:

• Running her own real estate company
• Managing a number of screenwriters
• Earning a Ph.D. in nutrition from Pacific Western University (and acting as adjunct professor there)
• Writing two books on pet nutrition, Natural Cat Care and Natural Dog Care

Before retirement? Well, we've got some classic B's, a handful of well-known flicks, and tons of TV. She was also an Elvis and a Star Trek babe.

Cheesy Pageant Titles

• Miss Rheingold
• Most Photogenic Beauty of the Year, Cannes
• Most Promising New Star, National Association of Theatre Owners

Embarrassing Movies

• Elvis Found Alive
• Blood Devils (AKA Beast of Blood)
• The Velvet Vampire *

* -  author has seen

Embarrassing Taglines

• They desired her body... She craved their blood.
• See Human Heads Transplanted!
• She's waiting to love you...to death! Climax after climax of terror and desire...where the living change places with the dead.
• See natives eaten alive by giant vultures!

Embarrassing Characters

• Girl
• 2nd Girl
• College Girl
• The Mark's Girl
• Volvo Boss

Unlikely Spouses & Boyfriends

• Shel Silverstein
• William Shatner
• Elvis (really more like a crush though)

Whiffs of Scandal:  Just a touch of nudity

Interesting Tidbits

• Discovered by Rick and Ozzie Nelson while walking past their offices
• Lists playing the pedal harp and dancing Argentine tango as hobbies
• Is married to "noted British artist" Nazim Artist (and, yes, I do believe that's his real name)

Where can I learn more?

• Personal site
• Blog
• Twitter
• IMDb
• Interview (mostly about Elvis, I'm afraid)
• Wikipedia
• Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen

Oh, Pavel!

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#43 Julie Ege

Julie Ege was one of those perfect Scandinavian sexpots that were popular in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Think Anita Ekberg, Brit Ekland, Ursula Andress, and Ann-Margaret. 

Starting out as a Bond girl, Julie later did some Hammer flicks, then eventually moved onto the wink-wink-nudge-nudge sex comedies that kept the British film industry off life support. That last bunch includes such classics as:

• Not Now Darling
• It’s Not the Size That Counts
• Rentadick

Now, she may not have been Merryl Streep, but Julie appears to have been a genuinely down-to-earth, warm, caring and very genuine person.  Too bad she's not still around (she died of breast cancer in 2008, at age 64).

Embarrassing Real Name:  Julie Dzuli

Embarrassing Real Birthplace:  Hoyland, Norway

Pageant Titles:  Miss Norway

Embarrassing Movies

• The Last Days of Man on Earth
• Creatures the World Forgot
• The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires *
• The Amorous Milkman

* - author has seen

Embarrassing Taglines

• Deadly Horrors! Dragon Thrills! The First Kung Fu Horror Spectacular!
• See prehistoric love rites! See primitive chieftains duel in naked fury! See the young lovers sacrificed! See staked girl menaced by giant python!

Embarrassing Characters

• Inga Giltenburg
• Utta Armitage
• Wenche Berg
• Miss Dazzle 
• Voluptua

Unlikely Spouses & Boyfriends:  Peter Sellers

Whiffs of Scandal:  Penthouse Pet

Interesting Tidbits

• Began modelling at 16
• Once worked in a bicycle factory
• Came to the UK as an au pair
• Cut a couple of 45s
• Was in a Norwegian stage version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Worked as a nurse after retiring as an actress
• Grew her own food and made her own clothes

Where can I learn more?

• Naken (Naked), her autobiography
• Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen
• Obit 1
• Obit 2
• IMDb
• Wikipedia
• Movie posters

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#44 Evelyne Kraft

A stunning Nordic blonde, Evelyne Kraft had only 23 credits to her name, but somehow managed to get in some classic stinkers. The best of these, though, has to be the unbelievable Mighty Peking Man, AKA Goliathon. That title was rereleased by none other than Quentin Tarantino, who praised its “certain level of insane genius.” Be sure to get on YouTube and check out Evelyne’s “dances with leopards” clip from this film.

Interesting Real Birthplace:  USSR

Embarrassing Movies

• Lady Dracula
• The French Sex Murders
• Ooh La La … The Little Blondes Are Here
• Superbug: The Craziest Car in the World

Embarrassing Taglines

• Action...Excitement...Spectacle beyond your wildest dreams!
• DESTRUCTION FOR ALL!
• A BUGgy ride to hi-hilarity!

Embarrassing Characters

• Countess Barbara von Weidenborn
• Sister Engelmunda
• Janina Schluep
• False Secretary

Interesting Tidbits: 

• Married a wealthy real estate mogul
• Gave up acting for charity work

Where can I learn more?

• IMDb (auf Deutsch)
• Remembrance (she died fairly young, at 57)

Dances with leopards

<#45          #43>

#45 Yanti Somer

A stereotypical Nordic blonde (though she seemed to be always in a buzz cut), Yanti Somer emerged from nowhere to make some classic Italian sci fi. If you’re not familiar with that genre, it’s basically just rip-offs of Star Wars that flooded drive-in screens in the late ‘70s. Yanti also was in several spaghetti western comedies (if you can imagine such a thing). 

Sorry I couldn’t find more out there on her. She is beautiful, but also pretty darn obscure (heck, her Wikipedia entry’s in German). Her last movie was in 1982, and she seems to have completely disappeared since then.

Embarrassing Real Name:  Kirsti Somersalo (though I’m not sure Yanti Somer is much of an improvement)

Embarrassing Movies

• War of the Planets *
• Battle of the Stars * (not the TV show)
• Star Odyssey *
• War of the Robots *
• Are You Engaged to a Greek Sailor or an Airline Pilot?

* - author has seen

Embarrassing Taglines

• He's A Fun-of-a-Gun!
• He Makes The Fastest Guns In The West...Die Laughing!
• Hostile Alien Cyborgs in a Battle for the Universe
• Robot Terror from Space!

Embarrassing Characters

• Mayer’s Henchwoman
• Liverpool’s Sister
• Second Flaherty Secretary
• Meela
• Fascista

Whiffs of Scandal:  Some nudes (that I, unfortunately, couldn’t find)

Interesting Tidbits

• Nickname growing up was Titti
• Started out as a model in Paris, then later in Milan
• AKA Xanti Valio and Yanti Valio

Where can I learn more?

• IMDb
• Interview

Bad hair day

<#46          #44>

#46 Mylene Demongeot

Mylene Demongeot started out as a standard-issue French sex kitten, but moved to more serious roles later in her career. She’s actually been working for over 60 years, and has accumulated over 100 credits. Don’t worry, though – those credits do indeed include plenty of sword and sandal epics, Three Musketeer romances (a uniquely French kind of B movie), some Fantomas flicks (ditto), and other embarrassments.

Real Name:  Marie-Helene Demongeot

Embarrassing Movies

• The Giant of Marathon 
• Vengeance of the Three Musketeers
• Romulus and the Sabines
• Beach Casanova
• Big Man – The False Etruscan

Embarrassing Taglines

• The strange and terrible combat of two men in a strange and terrible Mexican town
• The moral bankruptcy of desperate youth brought stunningly, shockingly to the screen...
• Startling! Shocking! Rips the Veil of Secrecy From Love's Most Shameful Sin!

Embarrassing Characters

• Fanfan
• Zizi
• Zina von Raunacher
• Wife in House 3

Interesting Tidbits

• Was born cross-eyed
• Her mother was Russian, her father was born in Italy, and the two met in Shanghai
• Modeled for Pierre Cardin
• Was nominated for two Cesars (the French equivalent of the Oscars)
• Was made a Commander of the French Order of Arts & Letters

Where can I learn more?

• IMDb
• Cult Sirens
• Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen
• Film Star Postcards
• Pics
• Wikipedia

Aww ...

<#47          #45>

#47 Yvonne Monlaur

Prototypical French sex kitten Yvonne Monlaur sure got around. She made movies in France, Italy, Germany, and the U.K. (including a couple of Hammer flicks for that last one). She was only active for about twelve years, though, with her peak coming around 1960. She’s very active today, however, on the convention circuit, as well as having her own blog. By the way, it helps to parlez vous if you want to check out that last one.

Embarrassing Movies

• Night of Lust
• Circus of Horrors
• Brides of Dracula *
• Terror of the Tongs

* - author has seen

Embarrassing Taglines

• Sexy... Secretive... Seductive...
• Terror that grips you by the throat ... and never lets go!
• In the privacy of a girls' school he sought his prey - turning innocent beauty into a thing of unspeakable horror!
• Spectacular Towering Terror! One man's lust...made men into beasts, stripped women of their souls!

Embarrassing Characters

• Nanda Colombo
• Nennella
• Shalee
• Gyptis
• Elvira

Interesting Tidbits

• Father was a Russian count
• Mother was a ballet dancer
• 89-56-89 (cm)
• Was in a serious speedboat accident while filming
• Lost out on the role of Domino in Thunderball to Claudine Auger

Where can I learn more?

• Personal site
• Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen
• IMDb
• Wikipedia

<#48          #46>

#48 Belinda Lee

Not a bad actress, Belinda Lee also just so happened to be a “green-eyed blonde bombshell” (IMDb).  Subsequently, she had a hard time avoiding being typecast as a “buxom, peroxide blonde.” Frustrated with such roles, she escaped to Italy, a particularly ironic destination, as that country is famous as a B movie mecca. She died heartbreakingly young, at age 25.

Game, anyone?

Embarrassing Real Birthplace:  Budleigh Salterton, Devonshire (actually, rather a tony place)

Cheesy Pageant Titles:  Miss Deep Ocean of 1954, US Navy

Embarrassing Movies

• Nights of Lucretia Borgia
• Way of the Wicked
• Blood Feud
• Satan Tempts with Love

Embarrassing Taglines

• She climbed a ladder of lovers into a lap of luxury!
• CLOSE ENOUGH TO KISS...OR KILL! 
• Ablaze With Thrills, Excitement and Dangers Such as the Screen Has Never Seen!
• A Picture Best Understood By Adults!

Embarrassing Characters

• Henet
• Lucretia Borgia 
• Messalina 
• Aphrodite
• Rosemarie Nittbritt, Prostitute

Whiffs of Scandal

• Affairs
• Suicide attempt
• Last boyfriend was a pedophile

Unlikely Spouses & Boyfriends

• Prince Filippo Orsini
• King Farouk of Egypt

Untimely Demise:  25, in an auto accident

Interesting Tidbits

• Nickame was "Billie"
• Attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts
• Was seriously injured when her hair caught on fire while filming a candle-lit scene

Where can I learn more?

• British Film Institute
• IMDb
• Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen
• Wikipedia

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