Yvette Vickers

[cuzzyman927]

[mylander]

An improvement on a previous post.

[Sonnet]

Hi-res centerfold scan (9,100 x 4,350 pixels - 6.80 MB)

[cuzzyman927]

First two are reposts of dead images.
Thanks to OPs.

[cuzzyman927]

Larger versions and no print.

[Findcandor]

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Get too close to the Vickers, Man...
...and the sensational sexpot could spell your doom.

(I went through the thread three times in an effort to offer original photos..!)



There is not much that can be done about the following observation, since a single individual has not made every decision for VEF from the outset, VEF is an evolving process, and naturally there will be decisions that have been made inconsistently. Let me explain: not long ago, I had reason to converse with a couple of the kind moderators in charge of "Softcore Models," and I wondered... what was Julie Strain doing in "Softcore"?

"Softcore" implies "sexuality" (and to the minds of many with hang-ups from the masses, porn), and certainly Julie has been known to take off her clothes, but she was an actress.

As an example, I would place Monique Gabrielle in the same category as Julie Strain, that is, an actress whose body of work rested primarily with exploitation fare. Yet Monique's thread has been placed in the "Classic Celebrities" section, and that was the correct decision.

(Even though Monique has been known to do hardcore, which could have even garnered her a spot in the "Hardcore" section. Wouldn't it be an injustice to designate somebody such as Monique Gabrielle as a porn actress? And I'm certainly not putting down porn performers, who deserve our thanks and respect. You all know I'm referring to societal stigma, as well as a degree of disrespect for people who have become famous for more than the occasional flirtation with nudity and/or simulated sex.)


That's James Cagney in the second photo with Yvette, cast in a small role in Short Cut to Hell (1957), the great actor's only directorial effort.
The film is a retelling of the Alan Ladd classic, This Gun for Hire, about a hit-man bent on revenge.

I was similarly surprised to find Yvette Vickers has been designated in the "Softcore" section, as if Yvette were synonymous with "sex." My knowledge of Yvette is from 1950s horror films. I can see she posed for Playboy; on the other hand, nearly one whole decade before the Playboy exposure, Yvette was in a Billy Wilder film as a "real" actress. Back in 2009, in Post #4, Member "Marxz" presented a biography of Yvette; it may clearly be seen that while Yvette was a sexy actress, she was not a "sex" actress.

Originally Posted by mynxfan

Lots of actresses have posed for Playboy, even someone such as Barbra Streisand (see cover above), in her case without revealing anything particularly intimate. Barbra's thread is in the "Vintage" section, as should be; Sam Spade's first post from 2006 reveals her breasts from The Owl and the Pussycat. That does not mean Barbra should be classified as a "Softcore Model."

The designation for inclusion in the "Softcore Models" section, as may be read at the top of this page: "Playmates, Page 3 girls, magazine and film nude models that started their career in 1995 or before." I'm gathering the idea rested primarily on the showcasing of pin-up girls and models such as (famously) Bettie Page.



The only justification for Yvette's inclusion that fits the description from above is that Yvette was a playmate. Yet she was far more than a playmate. Here is a page entitled, "Playmates For A Day! The 45 Sexiest Celebrities To Have Appeared In Playboy"; Number 2 is Drew Barrymore, and Number 3 is Charlize Theron. Can you imagine designating these two as softcore models? The Number 4 lady was described as "Anderson has appeared on 13 different covers," and yet Pamela Anderson cannot be thought of as a "softcore model." She is correctly listed in the "Classic Celebrities" section, where she belongs.



(Watermark no more!)

Yvette Vickers is seen above in a scene from 1959's I Mobster (1959); the fact that she posed in Playboy had nothing to do with her career as a legitimate actress, and her bold decision to share her sweet secrets fortunately did not brand her with a Scarlet Letter, even during the dangerously repressed 1950s.



Above is an article entitled, "Broadway Role Lured Yvette Out of Trees" (which has been transcribed for easy reading on this page). It's from New York City's Daily News, dated December 20, 1959, and the story is about how she came to "Manhattan for a legitimate dramatic role. She seems quite at home on our island." (Yvette appeared in a Broadway play with Melvyn Douglas.)


The movie section of a newspaper from the period highlighting Yvette.
She plays the "rival" for the man of the title character of 1958's Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.

Naturally, given her July 1959 appearance in the famed men's magazine, the interviewer asked: “What’s all this about your posing for Playboy Magazine in the altogether last July?” Yvette replied ("after a pause"):

“You see, I was poorly advised by my press agent." Apparently, she engaged in a defensive measure, attempting to distance herself from the "stigma," before continuing with: "Also, I was not in the altogether. I was covered all the way down."

I didn't mean to open up with the foregoing, it's just that I needed to convey my surprise with this VEF "misplacement." The reason why I am here is because I was going through the thread, and ran into the 2014 post by Member "Navvet," where he wrote: "Unfortunately, Yvette had a sad, lonely end."

The link for the People Magazine article no longer worked, and I wished to provide an update with the following links from their site:

Her cause of death:
https://people.com/celebrity/yvette-...heart-disease/

"INSIDE STORY: The Final Tragic Years of Yvette Vickers":
https://people.com/celebrity/yvette-...r-tragic-life/

The second article begins with: "...Hugh Hefner chose Yvette Vickers to appear as Miss July 1959, with a centerfold photo of her lying on a sofa flashing her bare behind.

“Our lawyer thought that photo was going to get us into trouble,” recalls Hefner with a laugh. “He literally wanted to stop the presses and change the Playmate. I said, ‘Forget it.’ ”

The photo being referred to is one Member "Sonnet" put up half-a-year ago as a "Hi-res scan" in Post #44, first offered by Member "Beginner" in Post #1 of this thread, and which was also offered by Member "Howmer" in 2012. I liked his comment:

Originally Posted by howmer

For 1959, she's got the sexiest, filthiest look on her face - you can tell that this was a girl who was a lot of fun! R.I.P. Yvette.

The last People link was this, from their article entitled, "Yvette Vickers Dies Mysterious Death."
https://people.com/celebrity/yvette-vickers-dead/

Her actress neighbor stated: "She kept to herself, had friends and seemed like a very independent spirit." We also learn she had a "...relationship with Hutton... said to have lasted 15 years." (I recently made reference to Jim Hutton in a post for the Paula Prentiss thread.)


A new view of a shoot presented in this thread several times, most recently in Post #43 from Member "Mylander," as may be seen above.
Watermark from my photo has been terminated. Also see other views from the same shoot in Fabrizio's Post #2.

The crux of her passing rested with how her "mummified remains" were discovered, after how she "could have been dead for as long as a year." She was all alone, and no one checked up on her! How super, super sad.

Before leaving, I wished to highlight these posts from the thread where I felt Yvette was shown off in especially tantalizing form.

Originally Posted by cuzzyman927

Originally Posted by COP11

Those last views are dynamite, aren't they? Member "Fabrizio" expanded on the same sexy topless shoot, from his Post #19.


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[r wakeman]

In the book Redheads (2005):

[r wakeman]

In Playmates Revisited - 1959 pictorial, July 1964:

[r wakeman]

In Centerfolds of the Century pictorial, January 2000