60's actresses

I always felt that despite all of her competition, Elizabeth Montgomery was in fact, the sexiest, and most beautiful woman in television during the 60's. Diana Rigg was actually given this title, but an error was made; TV's "Samantha" had it all: looks, poise, personality, cuteness, and just a bit of the devil. She also had the nose twitch (which, by the way, was better than Jeannie's blink), and when doltish Darrin wasn't looking, all hell broke loose.

There's no question that Samantha Stevens was waaaaay too good looking for her square husband. The entire character plots needed to be seriously taken in stride, for Unbelievably moralizing males were contstantly keeping these good girls down. So, your wife is magic, can twitch her nose--or blink, and all of a sudden you've got a million bucks...and you say "no"?...Yeah right.

Mary Tyler Moore was an American hero to housewives, and an icon for an era. She made "pedal-pushers" an outright fashion trend, and women all over America were identifying with "Laura Petrie." MTM's different looks and stylish, demure approach to housewife-dom set her just a notch above the rest.

"...Meet Cathy who's been most everywhere, from Zanzibar to Berkeley Square, but Patty's only seen the sights a girl can see from Brooklyn Heights, what a crazy pair..."

Patty Lane was one of my biggest crushes, but I also liked The Patty Duke Show tremendously. She was America's favorite girlfriend. Though "Patty" was supposed to represent the typical girl-next-door-with-perhaps-a-bit-too-much-energy, she was in reality, nothing like any of the girls in my neighborhood.

Blink! Blink! Sure, we laughed at the comedy, but that's not why we watched this show. C'mon, if you're a guy, then you know why you tuned in. There were very few television equivalents to "Jeannie".

She was a bubble-headed vixen with a costume that almost fit, and an infectuous giggle. Jeannie's only downfall was that she was in love with an idiot like Major Anthony Nelson. I loved her invisible killer dog "Jin-Jin" and the way he'd rip people's clothes to shreds!

Sally Field. if you didn't have a goofy crush on "Gidget", then there was something basically wrong. All of us guys thought she was cute, but in an "anti-girl" kind of way. She wasn't sexy, yet she was; she wasn't beautiful, yet she was; she was a "Gidget". Oh yeah, let's not forget her boyfriend "Moondoggie".

Maureen O'Sullivan. Sadly, this marvelous lady just sort of disappeared altogether after the "Tarzan" films. Noteably, she was Mia Farrow's mom. However, if you were a guy in the early 60's, catching Tarzan movies in syndication, you knew that she was truly "Jane" before she was anything--or anyone else.

"Jane" was perky and adventurous; a bit of a disciplinarian with a staid British accent. She was also fun. At first, all of us guys were disappointed at having a female intruder, a woman of the house spoiling all the potential jungle action.

But Tarzan's "Jane" didn't spoil a dang thang. Instead, she gave new radiance to a worn out picture tube. She had the most risque outfit ever. It showed naked hip and derriere when profiled. Aside from her nude swimming scenes, Ms. O'Sullivan forced the Motion Picture Industry to enforce a "code" to keep her outfits in line.

Inger Stensland from Stockholm, Sweden, was often referred to as the "Tragic Beauty" . She was a great actress, another one of my first (and most serious crushes), but unfortunately, very unhappy. Her sadness shone through, even in her work, which in my opinion, made her such a great dramatic actress.

For me, she will always be "The Farmer's Daughter", a favorite TV show of mine. Sadly, she finally took her own life in April of 1970.

"Batgirl's" Yvonne Craig was typecast from the very beginning: sexpot. She was an iconic figure in 60's movies and Television, and though I didn't always know her name, I definitely knew her face. I really loved her memorable "green-girl Marta" character from the "Star Trek" episode "Whom Gods Destroy.

As Batgirl, she was an absolute turn-on. Commissioner Gordon's daughter "Barbara", (who was too damned sexy for her own good), Never once sparked any interest in Batman or Robin. . This I never understood.

Happily, I got to meet Yvonne in 1996. She signed a cartoon caricature of Batgirl that I had done. She looked at my signature and said "Oh, he must be from L.A. I've never heard of this artist though." I introduced myself as the artist, and without skipping a beat, she said, "Oh, Wonderful!" and signed it for me.

And yes, she was a very nice lady

My first encounter with Sherry Jackson (left) was on "Star Trek". I've never forgotten her since. She was just a little girl on "The Danny Thomas Show".

Stella Stevens first dazzled my young
eyes in the Jerry Lewis movie
"The Nutty Professor." She was also
Playboy's Miss January 1961.

British imports were the best. They were more mod, and had those lovely cultured accents. One almost felt smarter just listening to them. The thick lips on Hayley Mills almost had me falling for her, but she was just too close to my age. Twiggy, on the other hand, was definitely hip, mod, and 98% fat free.

Dawn Wells. she was another one of those who was everybody's "girlfriend". "Mary Ann" was pretty darned hot. Ginger was so-so. This is what bothered me most: Trapped on Gilligan's Island, and the Professor can't figure out what to do with her? Even I wasn't that dumb.

I know it's hard to believe, but Raquel Welch never did much for me. I suppose it's because I hadn't become aware of her until the later 60's with "Fantastic Voyage". Still, I felt she deserved tribute just the same.

Actresses that were some of my biggest (and most enduring) crushes of all time:

Juliet Mills
Angela Cartwright
Myoshi Umeki
Linda Crystal
Linda Kaye Henning
Susan Dey
Sally Field
Cindy Eilbacher
Cathy Lane (Patty Duke)
Paula Prentiss