Lori Saunders

[sidaris]

[sidaris]

Girls on the Beach Still

[Findcandor]

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I thought I would prepare a "quickie" post analyzing a bonafide "sex symbol" actress, but the job grew and grew. One of her movies calling to be looked into was 1975's Bloodbath, and a search landed me on a page offering Blood Bath from 1966. When I ran the film thinking this black and white film could not have been the "Bloodbath" I was looking for, what came on the screen? Just the purtiest thang that made my eyes nearly fall out of their sockets in a way that would have made Tex Avery proud.



Lori Saunders' appearance from Blood Bath (a mishmosh from American International Pictures) that caught my eye may be seen below, as she was in dismay while dressed in her Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Polka Dot Bikini (which unfortunately was not itsy bitsy nor teenie weenie enough). It wasn't long before I realized she was one of the Petticoat Junction girls, a 1965-1970 TV series I've never seen an episode of in its entirety, but when the opening sequence came on, who was able to resist the three lovelies who suggestively pulled down their dainty garments from the fence? (I'll confess the one I thought was the most "special" was the brunette.)


Thanks to Sidaris, Post #13.

I went through this thread, as well as other mentions for the actress in the forum, and perhaps half of the offerings were from Member "Sidaris." Sidaris has evidently gone head over heels for Lori Saunders, obviously reflecting a man of superior taste. In a post from 2018 that was outside this thread, Sidaris provided the following photo:



...While commenting, "Probably as close to an ass shot as she ever got." That may well have been true as far as posed fare, but I wanted to present these following Blood Bath views for those interested in examining more Saunders butt:



Further explorations of the woman with the beautiful face and fantastic figure from Blood Bath. (While I'm not suggesting she served as a doppelganger, there was something Mary Tyler Moore-ish about her.)





One of her rare starring roles was from the little-known So Sad About Gloria (1973), co-starring Dean Jagger as her uncle (who may be seen in the second shot below); it appears she was attempting to shed her wholesome image by appearing in a couple of other "shockers" (or schlockers), a strategy that sadly did not pan out, either for her or for us.



I have not watched this movie (although I went through it to collect these views) but the plot concerns an heiress (played by the lovely actress) who gets released from a mental asylum, and winds up with a suspiciously too-caring man while plagued with the anxiety of one who isn't sure whether she's a killer. Curiously, the main film explored in my post (which led to this post) regarding the "bonafide sex symbol" (Carroll Baker) is Paranoid, which examined similar turf. (In case you may be curious about that other post, here it is.)



Another of Lori Saunders' rare starring roles was 1965's Mara of the Wilderness, where she was credited as Linda Saunders (Lori evidently changed her name to avoid confusion with one of the other Petticoat Junction girls, named Linda), which I happened to have seen, mainly because Adam West was the other star. Naturally, I was compelled to find reference from this film, since we know in this type of fare (as with Sheena, Queen of the Jungle) that female "Tarzans" are expected to be scantily dressed. Unfortunately, the costume designer, assuming this low-budgeter was able to afford one, picked garb that covered up our heroine far too entirely.



Also unfortunately, the film version I found was of the worst quality. (EDIT: the last three shots Sidaris provided in his 2016 post offer clearer views of Lori as Mara.) If you would like to see a beautiful lobby card that simulates the last shot from the row above (where Mara attempts to stab Adam West's character when one of her doggies — I mean, wolves — gets caught in an inhumane trap), please travel to this post from a year ago, where good old Sidaris provided the goods.



Reportedly born in 1941 and still with us, and married to the same lucky feller since 1961 (indicating she may not have gotten to sow her wild oats, which was nothing less than a tragedy for the male race), Lori hung up her acting career by 1974 (save for coming out of semi-retirement for another schlocker, a 1980 sci-fi'er starring Cameron Mitchell... when she was only thirty-nine). This is not just right. Especially considering she was a capable thespian. She was emoting very professionally in the Gloria movie.

Never mind about So Sad About Gloria. What's far sadder is that the world has been unnecessarily deprived of more Lori Saunders.


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[womwam]

1970 Beverly Hillbillies


sample of lo-res caps...

[sidaris]

Reshooting the Water Tower opening credits of Petticoat Junction's third season, with new cast members Lori Saunders and Gunilla Hutton. Linda Kaye Henning was the only Bradley sister that stayed with Petticoat Junction for its entire run.

[sidaris]

Note to mods : This is Lori. She was billed as Linda Saunders prior to Petticoat Junction.

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Agency Photo

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Another still from the "painted Lori" set

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