She's the Greatest Star

And Debbie Reynolds noses it.

Attention, Music Lovers

As Thombeau Would Say...

...a girl and her poodle, pigeons, and pet monkey will soon be parted.

From the RETROZONE archives

Beads and Feathers

To say nothing of boobies and bangles; gladiators and girdles.

Smoke and Mirrors

To say nothing of plaster and paint; scotch tape and string.

It's True!

Blondes have more fun.

Reach Out and Touch

As our friends out there in bloggersville face adversity and challenges, let's remember Miss Ross' mantra:

Reach out and touch,

somebody's hand.

Make this world a better place,

if you can.

And, of course, do it while wearing a purple sequined Bob Mackie cape dripping with a dozen white fox furs. If you can. We love you!

Ann-Margret to the Rescue

Please enjoy some archival videos while we regroup and renew ourselves!

(Fast forward to 1:35 for full-frontal fabulosity.)

P.S. Thank you to everyone who has written us, publicly and privately. Fear not, darlings, we're just taking a little breather while we catch up on (shudder) our real world responsibilities. We love you!

Where the Wild Things Are

UPDATE: After leaving the SSUWAT manse, FelixInHollywood, askthecoolcookie, normadesmond and Thombeau ran off to join the circus.

Have a Fabulous Week!

We're sure you're making your entrance again, with your usual flair!

(Updates will be light this week, darlings, due to this blasted holiday season.)

Who Knew?

We've always avoided Las Vegas, fearing the worst; but we're feeling flamboyant, feverish and fickle, so we may just have found our next vacation destination.

The Mysterious Case of the Three Nicks

Hootenanny Hoot (1963, MGM)
dir.: Gene Nelson
Nick Novarro as Jed Morse
Pam Austin as Billie-Joe Henley

Nick Novarro has exactly two recorded entries on imdb.com: Hootenanny Hoot (1963), a country-themed musical for MGM; and Scream of the Butterfly (1965), a low-budget shocker with a surprising twist (Nick's character is a gay-for-pay gigolo). That's it. No biographical info. No other credits. And it made us curious: how do you go from being featured in an MGM musical (albeit a Katzman unit quickie) to a seedy, barely-distributed exploitation flick in just over a year? Even more puzzling: with a face and frame which still inspires lustful admiration from contemporary viewers who have belatedly discovered Scream of the Butterfly as a cult film, how do you completely disappear into anonymity?

With a little investigative research (okay, Googling) we discovered something: the lithsome Nick, although credited as "Novarro" in both films, was listed as "Navarro" in some of the advertising copy.

A ha!

Nick Navarro has a still-brief, yet somewhat more extensive list of credits as a dancer and choreographer, which would fit in with his role as a high-kickin' hootenanny hooter. He also was sometimes billed under what we assume is his given name, Nick Covacevich - which is how he appeared in West Side Story (1961) as "Toro."


Dancer Kathy Kroll also lent some tantalizing clues, crediting Nick Navarro on her website among the choreographers she worked with over the years, including the Bare Touch of Vegas revue from 1978-80.


And then the trail goes cold again. The last credit we can find is as choreographer for LaToya Jackson's Playboy Celebrity Centerfold home video, which we can only assume is no better than Scream of the Butterfly. Nick Novarro, Navarro, or Covacevich, if you're reading this, inquiring minds want to know where and how you are.

Lamas Liked Leather?

Mrs. Lamas clues us in to what went on at Fernando's Hideaway.

Granny? Tranny?

No... Totie!

We Love a Cabaret

Showgirls

Surprise!

These really are, in fact, biological women.

Strip Tease

Shari Lewis

Lisa Kirk

Mae West (courtesy of DAMON DEVINE)

Betty Hutton

Frankly, we'd be more excited to see any of these dames than Cher.
And don't even get us started on Celine.