'Joi Lansing - A Body To Die For' - A Love Story

By Steve D. Stones

I first became obsessed with Joi Lansing when I saw her kissing actor Arthur Franz in The Atomic Submarine (1959). Next, I saw Lansing in an opening sequence in Queen of Outer Space (1958) kissing actor Patrick Waltz. Ms. Lansing had the act of kissing down to an art.

Lansing's good looks and charming smile were not her only valuable assets. Her singing talents also made her stand out as an actress. She had a successful singing act in New York and Las Vegas. Lansing sang with country star Ferlin Husky in the cult classic - Hillbillies In A Haunted House (1967).

"Joi Lansing - A Body To Die For, A Love Story," (BearManor Media)  follows the last four years of her life before dying of breast cancer in August 1972 at age 43. The book is told from the perspective of Lansing's friend and lover - Rachel Lansing, aka Ivory Hunter, aka author Alexis Hunter. Lansing and Hunter met while filming the 1969 schlock movie - Bigfoot. Hunter wore an ape costume in the film.

Raised in Kansas, Hunter grew up watching lots of TV and immediately became infatuated with Lansing after seeing her on The Bob Cummings Show in the early 1960s. Her family relocated to Charter Oak, California, just thirty miles from Hollywood.  This brought her closer to her dream of starring in movies.

Hunter states in the opening prologue of the book that she had three specific reasons for writing the book. First, to warn readers of the dangers of silicone injections, which was part of the pain Lansing suffered during the last years of her life. Hunter also had a desire to express how vulnerable and fragile Lansing's self image was as a result of the pressures to remain young and beautiful in Hollywood.

Finally, Hunter had a desire to express just how strong love can endure between two human beings, regardless of their sexual orientation. Lansing may have been married to a man and thought to be "straight," but her connection with Hunter made the two soul mates in their short time together. The reader really gets a strong sense of just how much the two women loved and respected each other.

Hunter spends lots of time describing an almost day by day account the meals she, Lansing and Lansing's husband Stan ate in restaurants, as well as the places they traveled in the four years they were together. Hunter was fortunate enough to meet a number of Hollywood celebrities because of her relationship with Lansing, including Elvis, James Brown and Frank Sinatra. Sinatra once dated Lansing.

This touching story of Lansing and Hunter's life and their final days together brings tears to the reader's eyes. Hunter was by Lansing's side until the very end, sleeping next to her in a hospital bed every night.

As the book came to a close, I found myself being curious about Hunter's life today. She mentions she is an artist  who creates paintings and jewelry. Did she ever find new love? Also, what happened to Lansing's husband Stan? Is Hunter still a part of Lansing's family today? Perhaps these are not important questions for the reader to know the answers? What is important is that the two women shared a loving bond together in a short period of time.

For a complete resume of Lansing's career, refer to her page on the Internet Movie Database. She has a long and impressive list of television shows and movies she starred in during her twenty-eight year career. Happy reading.

Queen of Outer Space (1958) - She Hates All Men

By Steve D. Stones

Even Zsa Zsa Gabor's Hungarian beauty cannot save this 1950s sci-fi clunker. Still, it's a fun little film to watch - if only to laugh at the cheap pastel colored sets, politically incorrect language about women and the fulfillment of every male's fantasy to live in a world only inhabited by pretty gals in short skirts carrying ray guns. Listen carefully for the cute gals saying over and over again - "Botchino! Botchino!"

Originally entitled "Queen of The Universe" and produced by Allied Artists (formerly Monogram Pictures), the film was not the first to employ the idea of men landing on a planet only inhabited by beautiful women. Cat Women of The Moon (1954), Fire Maidens of Outer Space (1956) and Missile To The Moon (1958) are others that use the same plot.

Opening sequences recycle stock footage from other Allied Artists films of the early 1950s - such as Flight To Mars (1951) and When Worlds Collide (1951). Costumes and props are also recycled from Forbidden Planet (1956). A giant rubber spider is used in a cave scene that bears a resemblance to other giant rubber spiders used in many sci-fi films of the era.

Four men travel to Space Station 8 to investigate reports of alien attacks on the station. While in route to the station, the four men crash land on the planet Venus, which is inhabited only by women. The lovely gals in mini skirts do not greet them with open arms. In fact, their Queen Yllana - played by Laurie Mitchell - hates all men and wants the unwelcomed males imprisoned and executed.

One of the men - played by tall, lean, chisel faced Eric Flemming (of TV's Rawhide) tries to charm Yllana so he can save himself and his men. The Queen plans to use her "beta-disintegrator" ray to destroy the earth. The beta-distintegrator is a machine with an atomic beam aimed at the earth - which looks made of cardboard and oversized Erector playsets. Even Ming The Merciless' atomic beam in Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars (1938) looked more convincing than this laughable "Beta-Disintegrator."

Talleah, played by Zsa Zsa Gabor, is a scientist who is part of a group that opposes the queen's hostile ways. It's tough enough for the viewer to be convinced of Gabor as a scientist with a Hungarian accent on Venus, but what's even more silly is the fact that Gabor's outfits change in every scene she is in. She leads a small revolt against the queen and teams up with the men.

Gabor and the men are eventually captured by the queen and forced to witness Yllana power up the beta disintegrator ray to destroy the earth. The ray has been sabotaged by Talleah's group, and it blows up with queen Yllana inside. A televised communication from earth informs the men that they cannot return home for a year or more. The film ends with each man smiling from ear to ear, happy to be stranded on a planet with lots of beautiful women.

Reports over the years have suggested that Laurie Mitchel and Zsa Zsa Gabor did not get along very well on and off the set of the film. Mitchell confirms that this report is not true on the audio commentary for the film on DVD. Mitchell says that Gabor liked to keep to herself and was very quiet and shy off camera. She also mentions that Gabor was very picky about wearing many of the dresses assigned to her character to wear on camera - in an attempt to protect her image as an actress.

For every student of bad cinema, particularly bad sci-fi films - Queen of Outer Space is a must. Don't miss it! Happy viewing!