I fully expect to be chided for this post by at least one regular commenter. Her brief career means much more to me in my memories of being a pre-adolescent watcher of this film and the early percolation of my hormones than it does compared to her importance in the scheme of things related to science fiction and fantasy. Still, as often happens, I learned some interesting tidbits about her reading her obituary. She met the screenwriter Terry Southern on the set of The Loved One and became his significant other until he died in 1995. (Southern's genre credit is as the writer of Barbarella, but he is best known for Dr. Strangelove and The Cincinnati Kid.) With ghost writer Tom Lisanti, Ms. Gilmore wrote Trippin’ With Terry Southern: What I Think I Remember, which was published in 2010.
And so, invoking the First Rule of Blogging, also known as "You are not the boss of me!", this blog bids farewell to Gail Gilmore, who played the reluctant giantess Elsa in Village of the Giants some 49 years ago. She is never to be forgotten.
I fully expect to be chided for this post by at least one regular commenter.
ReplyDeleteFear not, sir; the contributions of artists in genre are not to be dismissed. Her relationship with Terry Southern is very cool. Makes me wonder whether she showed up in The Magic Christian which is a wonderful movie if you are in a less-than-legal state.
Yes, Ms. Gilmore had uncredited appearances in both The Loved One and The Magic Christian. I like some of Terry Southern's other stuff, but I frigging LOVE Dr. Strangelove and The Cincinnati Kid, though they are very different films.
DeleteConsider yourself chided! :-) For me, it was Raquel Welch in that 60s movie with those cavemen and dinosaurs and other non Raquel Welch things in it. I'll be damned if I can remember anything about it except for Raquel Welch and that when my mom entered the room I didn't dare stand up...
ReplyDeleteI completely understand Ms. Welch percolating hormones. I remember her especially in Bedazzled.
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