stella stevens
 Stella's website  Stella Stevens
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 Although Stella Stevens'
film career began in 1959 with a bit part in
Say One For Me with Bing Crosby, she made a bold career move (for
that time) by posing nude for Playboy in the January 1960 issue. This
coincided with an excellent movie break in the film Li'l Abner, and
Stella's career was off and running. About the
Playboy appearances, she later said, "After that, I starred
in every one of my movies. I'll say one thing -- it got me a lot of
obscene mail. But it got me a lot of male fans, too, loyal fans. They've
stuck with me through the years, through all the movies."
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 She made a bigger impression the next year as Miss Purty in The Nutty Professor with Jerry Lewis. "At last I've established a position," she said. "That's the first step. Most of all, I want to be singled out." The critics certainly singled her out in The Courtship Of Eddie's Father, that same year. Opposite Glenn Ford, she put in a fine perfomance as Dollye Dailey. As Ian and Elizabeth Cameron wrote in Dames, "Stella Stevens is adept at playing the wide-eyed innocents who leave behind them a trail of confusion, consternation, or embarrassment. She did this particularly well in The Courtship Of Eddie's Father." Her starring roles in feature films continued through the sixties, playing opposite Dean Martin in the first Matt Helm vehicle, The Silencers, and with Rosalind Russell in Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows in 1968. |
 The seventies started off pretty good with Stella in one of her finest performances as the kind-hearted prostitute opposite Jason Robards in Peckinpah's The Ballad of Cable Hogue. She was a prostitute once again in the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure in 1971. The first of the Irwin Allen all-star disaster films, it was a huge hit at the box office, but it was about the last we would see of Stella in "major motion pictures". Since then, she seems to have made about a dozen "B" movies a year (and TV-movies). Enough, at least to warrant a "Stella Week" on the USA Network about twice a year... (if I were running things!) Although not necessarily tops with the critics, these kinds of films provide steady work. (Take a look at her entry on the IMDB if you doubt it!) She had expressed a desire to direct as early as 1964, but she's only directed two so far (American Heroine and The Ranch) However, she certainly handed the directing bug down to her son. Andrew Stevens has worn the hat of director, producer, screenwriter, as well as actor, in a steady stream of films, mostly the same type of low-budget action / adventure films. More than a few feature mom in a prominent role. (Andrew had appeared in mom's movie, The Ranch also!) |
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Stella recently published
her first novel,
Razzle Dazzle, whose main character, Johnny Gault, was inspired by
Elvis. (I think she must've read Atlas Shrugged at some point,
though, to get a name like that.) Stella is currently appearing in the
daytime soap,
General Hospital, as Jake. You can read all about her latest
adventures on |
Stella Videos! |
              
            
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Stella Soundtracks and Other Stuff! |
  
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