So there you are sitting
in front of your computer screen
And that burning question is just
eating up your brain
Just who were those lovely
leading ladies
Of the sci-fi 'B' movies
of the fifties???
They were constantly harrassed and persued by monsters, aliens and mutants, not to mention the Handsome Fearless Leader of the film... They were doctors or scientists and even secretaries and housewives... They travelled to the deepest regions of outer space and down to the very bowels of our planet... Overall they were a brave lot, but that didn't mean they couldn't let out an earpeircing scream or fall to the floor in a dead faint upon the first sight of a monster or alien... Occaisional bouts of panic and hysteria were common, as were twisting an ankle or falling flat on their face while being chased by whatever nasty creature they were confronting... Sometimes they wore hi-heels in the desert or an evening dress in the jungle, but they always looked sassy... And in the end they always fell in love with the persuing Handsome Fearless Leader... But when push came to shove, they never failed to come through, they got the job done... Their perseverance and courage in the face of droves of Earth's evil enemies has not gone unoticed by their legions of fans... They defended humanity against giant radioactive dinosaurs and evil space aliens... We could all be mindless slaves or the food source for some far away evil alien planet if not for their bravery...
So now Punchy would like to remove his Toronto Blue Jays cap and place it in front of his heart and salute those lovely ladies that saved humankind's collective butt so long ago... Please join me in tribute to these wonderful ladies...
Most of stars in the Sci-fi B movies
were actors on their way up or down the ladder of Hollywood
success... No self respecting star would be caught dead in one of
these films unless their career was on the wane... Some made quite a
good living in these films and their names pop up time after time in
the genre while others appear only once or twice... But they're all
stars to anyone addicted to this type of thing... Did I mention that
I'm an addict???
Born...1927
Starred In:
It Came From Outer Space 1953 (Ellen
Fields)
When Worlds Collide 1951 (Joyce
Hendron)
Born...1935
Starred In:
War Of The Worlds 1953 (Sylvia Van
Buren)
Real Name... Betty May Adams
Born...1928
Starred In:
Creature From The Black Lagoon 1954 (Kay
Lawrence)
Born...1933
Starred In:
Them 1954 (Dr. Patricia
Medford)
Born...1925
Starred In:
It Came From Beneath The Sea 1955 (Lesley
Joyce)
This Island Earth 1955 (Dr. Ruth
Adams)
Timeslip 1956 (Jill Rabowski)
Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet 1965
(Marsha Evans)
Starred In:
Revenge Of The Creature 1955 (Helen
Dobson)
Born... Unknown
Starred In:
Earth vs. The Flying Saucers 1956 (Carol
Marvin)
20 Million Miles To Earth 1957 (Narisa
Leonardo)
Born...1930
Starred In:
Forbidden Planet 1956 (Altaira
Morbius)
Born...1930
Starred In: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers 1956 (Becky
Driscoll)
Real Name... Mary Jane Hayes
Born...1930
Starred In:
Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman 1958 (Nancy
Fowler Archer)
Born...1933
Starred In:
The Blob 1958 (Jane Martin)
Real Name... Sari Gabor
Born...1919
Starred In:
Queen Of Outer Space (Talleah)
Born...1942
Starred In:
The Time Machine 1960 (Weena)
Born... Unknown
Starred In:
Angry Red Planet 1960 (Iris
Ryan)
Real Name... Yvette Vedder
Born...1936
Starred In:
Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman 1958 (Honey
Parker)
Attack Of The Giant Leeches 1960 (Liz
Walker)
Real Name... Beverly
Fessenden
Born...1929
Starred In:
It Conquered The World 1956 (Claire
Anderson)
Not Of This Earth 1957 (Nadine
Story)
The Alligator People 1959 (Joyce
Webster)
Real Name... Marilyn Watts
Born...1932
Starred In:
The Black Scorpion, 1957 (Teresa
Alverez)
The Giant Claw 1957 (Sally
Caldwell)
Tarantula 1955 (Stephanie
Clayton)
Born...1922
Real Name... Doris Jensen
Starred In:
The Vampire, 1957 (Carol
Butler)
The Phantom Planet, 1961
(Liara)
The Leech Woman, 1960 (June
Talbot)
Born...1931
Starred In:
The Leech Woman 1960 (Sally
Howard)
I Married a Monster from Outer Space 1958
(Marge Bradley Farrell)
The Cyclops, 1957 (Susan
Winter)
Daughter of Dr. Jekyll 1957 (Janet
Smith)
Born...Unknown
Starred In:
Earth vs. the Spider 1958 (Helen
Kingman)
Giant From the Unknown 1958 (Janet
Cleveland)
War of the Colossal Beast 1958 (Joyce
Manning)
It Conquered the World 1956 (Joan
Nelson)
Born...1920
Died...1978
Starred In:
The Cosmic Man 1959 (Kathy
Grant)
Night of the Blood Beast 1958 (Julie
Benson)
Born...1924
Died...1976
Starred In:
The She-Creature 1956 (Dorothy
Chappel)
Phantom from 10,000 Leagues 1956 (Lois
King)
Missile to the Moon 1959 (June
Saxton)
The Amazing Colossal Man 1957 (Carol
Forrest)
Real Name... Dixie Kay
Nelson
Born...1933
Starred In:
Revenge of the Creature 1955 (Helen
Dobson)
The Day the World Ended 1956 (Louise
Maddison)
Real Name... Emily Marie
Bertelson
Born...1922
Starred In:
Cat-Women of the Moon 1953 (Helen
Salinger)
Swamp Women 1955 (Josie)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy 1955
(Madame Rontru)
The Day Mars Invaded Earth 1962 (Claire
Fielding)
Chamber of Horrors 1966 (Madame
Corona)
Real Name... Georgette Andre
Barry
Born...1919
Starred In:
Red Planet Mars 1952 (Linda
Cronyn)
House of the Black Death 1965 (Katherine
Mallory)
Born...1914
Died...1999
Real Name... Beatrice Peterson
Starred In:
The Lost Continent 1951 (Maria
Stevens)
Invaders from Mars 1953 (Mary
MacLean)
Real Nane... Anne Francis
Robbins
Born...1923
Starred In:
Donovan's Brain 1953 (Janice
Cory)
Yes even Mrs. Regan was in the
B's
OR GO TO
Flying Saucers And Radioactive Monsters
100 Quickie Reviews About Those Goofy
Sci-Fi Movies From The 50's
