{"id":673,"date":"2025-03-07T13:40:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T13:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=673"},"modified":"2025-03-07T13:40:06","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T13:40:06","slug":"673","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=673","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"
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This actress was a blonde bombshell who steamed up the silver screen in the 1950s, captivating audiences with her sultry looks, rebellious attitude, and undeniable talent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The \u201950s sex symbol circa 1953. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Her journey to stardom began in the Midwest, far from the glitz of Hollywood. Born in South Dakota, she spent her early years\u00a0dreaming of a life<\/a>\u00a0far removed from her small-town upbringing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The blonde bombshell photographed in 1953. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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That dream began to take shape when she moved to California as a teenager and was scouted by Howard Hughes. Her striking looks and natural charisma quickly turned heads, and by the late 1940s, she found herself on the beauty pageant circuit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The actress circa 1953. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In 1949, she was\u00a0crowned Miss Eight Ball<\/a>\u00a0by the Los Angeles Press Club, succeeding the previous year\u2019s winner, Marilyn Monroe. That victory set the actress from a small town on a trajectory that led straight to Hollywood.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The actress circa 1954. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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She quickly realized that her curvaceous figure and sultry appeal set her apart from other aspiring actresses. \u201cI didn\u2019t look like a normal woman \u2014 I was filling out in all the right places,\u201d she\u00a0admitted<\/a>. \u201cI realized that I was probably meant to be a movie star.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The famous actress photographed in 1954. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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And a star she became, appearing in a\u00a0string of films<\/a>\u00a0that cemented her status as a sex symbol. Titles like \u201cTeacher\u2019s Pet,\u201d \u201cHigh School Confidential!\u201d and \u201cThe Private Lives of Adam and Eve\u201d showcased her talent and undeniable on-screen magnetism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The blonde star at the movie premiere of \u201cA Star is Born\u201d in 1954 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Unlike many of her peers, she embraced the \u201cbad girl\u201d roles that studios offered. \u201cThose roles had a lot of pizzazz,\u201d she\u00a0said<\/a>. \u201cThe married, Goody Two-Shoes girls didn\u2019t go very far.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The \u201950s sex symbol in the 1950s. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The blonde star\u2019s beauty and confidence made her a favorite among Hollywood\u2019s elite, and she quickly gained a reputation for her high-profile relationships.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Over the years, she was linked to some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Carson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The famous blonde star photographed sharing a kiss with orchestra leader and her husband at the time, Ray Anthony, in 1955. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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However, when reflecting on her\u00a0favorite leading man<\/a>, it wasn\u2019t one of her many famous lovers \u2014 it was her \u201cTeacher\u2019s Pet\u201d co-star Clark Gable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHe was the king of all kings!\u201d she\u00a0gushed<\/a>. \u201cI shared his arms with Carole Lombard, Vivien Leigh, and Jean Harlow \u2014 along with his lips and little mustache. That lives in my mind all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The actress posing for a portrait for the film \u201cThe Second Greatest Sex\u201d in 1955. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But despite the whirlwind of fame, she was never one to conform to expectations. She exuded an independence that was rare for women in Hollywood at the time, unapologetically owning her sexuality.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The blonde actress circa 1955. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201c[\u2026] I like being sexy. [\u2026] I think I was born with it. I certainly opened a lot of doors during a postwar time when things were very conservative,\u201d the actress\u00a0reflected<\/a>. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what the women\u2019s movement was, but I was there living it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The blonde actress circa 1956. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite the glitz and romance, her personal life took a significant turn when she\u00a0became a mother.<\/a>\u00a0Her second husband, bandleader Ray Anthony, fathered her only child, Perry, in 1956. Becoming a mother reshaped her priorities and, ultimately, her career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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