Drive-in Dream Girls: A Galaxy of B-Movie Starlets of the Sixties by Tom Lisanti
“Wildly entertaining … well-researched and informative.” – Editors, Paper; “Lisanti has managed to get some of the forgotten and near-forgotten bombshell divas of Grade B Cinema to dish, dish, dish, and his own commentary is gossipy, witty, frequently hilarious and always insightful. A must-have for all you kitsch movie fans out there!” – John Rowell, Show Business Weekly; “Engrossing and entertaining. A pop culture, trivia lovers’ heaven … a fascinating read.” – Nigel Patterson, Elvis Information Network; “Lisanti, always a fine writer and interviewer, gets some fascinating stories and tidbits. There’s a lot of interest here … worth reading.” – Laura Wagner, Classic Images; “The ultimate gift for the demented cineaste. Lots of fun … rich with photographs.” – Phil Hall, Gay City News; “This is the third in author Tom Lisanti’s sexy sixties sweethearts trilogy. [He] does a great service to fans of these movies, actresses, and the times.” – Katherine Orrison, Cult Movies; “A worthy follow-up to Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema.” – Michael Weldon, Psychotronic Magazine; “A collectors must! Well-illustrated.” – Film & Media Catalogue.
Selected What’s Hot Now! by the editors of Paper magazine (August 2003 issue)
During the ’60s, a bushel of B-movies were produced and aimed squarely at the teenage drive-in movie audience. In the early part of the decade, teens couldn’t get enough of the bikini-clad beauties dancing on the beach or being wooed by Elvis at raucous clambakes in Pajama Party, A Swingin’ Summer, Winter a-Go-Go, Blue Hawaii, and Kissin’ Cousins.
By 1966, however, young audiences clamored for more than what the beach or Presley films were offering as mini-skirted, go-go boot wearing, independent-minded chicks replaced bubbly beach girls in movies geared to young people who were racing to the nearest drive-in theater to catch Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Angels from Hell, The Cycle Savages, Maryjane, and Satan’s Sadists.
Finally, the fantasy film was still a staple at the drive-in as teenagers craved to cheer on or ogle the pretty heroine in the newest way out spy spoof (Out of Sight, Come Spy with Me) or cheesy sci-fi adventure (Beyond the Time Barrier, Women of the Prehistoric Planet).
Drive-in Dream Girls: A Galaxy of B-Movie Starlets of the Sixties pays homage to some of the sexy, young actresses who every teenage girl envied and every teenage boy desired. It offers interviews, profiles, surprising anecdotes, film and TV credits, and a plethora of photos of 50 groovy drive-in movie starlets including:
Interviewees:
Sue Casey: Beach Girls and the Monster, Swamp Country, Catalina Caper
Jackie DeShannon: Surf Party, C’mon, Let’s Live a Little
Andrea Dromm: Come Spy with Me
Gail Gilmore: The Girls on the Beach, Beach Ball, Girl Happy, Harum Scarum, Village of the Giants
Laurel Goodwin: Girls! Girls! Girls!
Sharyn Hillyer: The Spy in the Green Hat, The Karate Killers, Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding!
Luree Holmes: Beach Party, Pajama Party, Ski Party, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
Suzie Kaye: Wild Wild Winter, Women of the Prehistoric Planet, Clambake, It’s a Bikini World, The Angry Breed
Sue Ane Langdon: Roustabout, Hold On!, When the Boys Meet the Girls, Frankie and Johnny
Donna Loren: Muscle Beach Party, Bikini Beach, Pajama Party, Beach Blanket Bingo, Sergeant Deadhead
Vitina Marcus: The Lost World
Arlene Martel: Angels from Hell
Marlyn Mason: The Trouble with Girls, Makin’ It
Quinn O’Hara: A Swingin’ Summer, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, In the Year 2889, Cry of the Banshee
Melody Patterson: The Cycle Savages, The Angry Breed, Blood and Lace
Cynthia Pepper: Take Her, She’s Mine, Kissin’ Cousins
Hilarie Thompson: Maryjane, Getting Straight, Hex
Darlene Tompkins: Beyond the Time Barrier, Blue Hawaii
Carole Wells: The Lively Set, The House of Seven Corpses
Beverly Washburn: Spider Baby, Pit Stop
Lori Williams: Viva Las Vegas, Pajama Party, A Swingin’ Summer, Faster, Pussycat! Kill!, Kill!, It’s a Bikini World
