T   H   E

C   O   M   P   A   N   I   O   N

PART EIGHT

By Brendan Hancock
Edited by Matthew J Schelle

Originally Written for The Australian Rock & Roll Appreciation Society in 2005

PART EIGHT of EIGHT

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BETTIE MANIA
No matter what the reason, Bettie page is more popular today than she was back in the late 1950s.

A testament to Bettie’s enduring mystique that in a readers poll in “Glamour Girls: Then & Now”, a magazine devoted to pinup girls both past and present, Bettie was recently ranked as the third-most popular girl of all time, after Marilyn Monroe and Jane Mansfield yet she was ahead of well known contemporary beauties such as Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks and Elle Macpherson.

Bettie’s fan base is now made up of the original cheesecake lovers, but also a growing number of sadomasochistic and bondage enthusiasts are regarding her as a major influence on their work.

Bettie’s cult status as an icon in pop culture has been firmly cemented in recent years in a number of hip reverential nods from fans within the entertainment industry.

Examples can be found on the hit sci-fi television show THE X-FILES which featured a man who was haunted by a pinup girl tattoo on his arm that drove him to murder, the tattoo would whisper to him with a very southern accent that was supplied by Jodie Foster and the featured tattoo was without doubt Bettie. Many shows have since featured Bettie look-alikes including the children’s animated series BATMAN the animated series, and Patricia Arquette’s comb black bangs is unmistakable Bad girl Bettie in David Lynch’s 1997 surreal film Lost Highway.

It didn’t take long after the real Bettie Page was back in the public eye that rumours of Hollywood doing everything in the power to buy the rights to the Bettie Page story. Many rumoured projects came and went with the only eventual project coming to fruitarian was a 2 hour documentary that screened in April 1997. The documentary was produced by the E! Entertainment cable channel and was for their series called “E! True Hollywood Story - From Pinup to Sex Queen: Bettie Page”.

The documentary sparked more interest in footage of Bettie and soon the market was flooded with a mix of bootlegged and authorised DVD and videos featuring Bettie and usually supported by other lesser known cheesecake models of the time. Most of the footage that was and still is available can be traced back to the 16mm silent films of IRVING KLAW. Some of the biggest sellers include the titles Bettie Page Bondage Queen, Teaserama, Bettie Page uncovered, Bettie Page:Pinup Queen and 100 Girls by Bunny Yeager.

By 2004 it finally looked like a Bettie Page biopic from Hollywood would finally be realised. At first there were rumoured to be no less than three movies in the pipeline with a who’s who of Hollywood A list starlets lining up for the coveted role of Bettie and directors such as Martin Scorses (Taxi Driver, Goodfellas) attached to direct. The first known effort of getting a Bettie Page film off the ground was Linda BURK who wrote the screenplay “PINUP: THE BETTIE PAGE STORY”. Using it as a staring vehicle for herself, Linda joined forces with Bunny Yeager and outdoor Bettie Page photographer, Art Amsie, to consult on her screenplay. Although the official site for the project http://www.geocities.com/bettiepagemovie/pinup.htm generated a lot of support, the film has yet to see the light of day.

By mid 2004, there seemed to be only two major players. The first film off the ranks was a small low budget affair that starred Paige Richards as Bettie. The film, “Bettie Page: Dark Angel” was directed by Nico B. and suffered in the plot department and the film’s low budget was always evident. The film is set during the last three years of her pinup career with the story being told by re-enactments of famous Bettie photo shoots including Bunny Yeager and Irving Klaw sessions.

The most anticipated version of the Bettie page story is “The Ballad Of Bettie Page, the film has been in development hell for some time before the camera starting rolling in June 2004.

Directed by Mary Harron (American Psycho) and co-writing with Guinevere Turner (Go Fish), this version of the Bettie Page story promises to be something truly special. Being produced with the help of HBO and starring Gretchen Moll as Bettie, this version has both the money and talent to pull of a great version of the Bettie Page Story.

Bettie has also had an impact in popular music both indirectly and directly. There are the musical artists that have outright payed tribute to Bettie by name or indirectly with cover art. Yet her influence on popular culture since the 1950’s can not be ignored. Bettie Page inspired music from bands such as The Royal Crowns with “Bettie Page”, Mystery Gan Rockabilly Trio and their song “My Baby wants to look like Bettie Page” or even the well known “Bettie Bettie” from the country rockabilly band BR5-49. There is even the Wes Putsy and the Sonic Aces from Australia who’s sing “My Baby Looks Like Bettie Page”, which illustrates that Bettie’s influence stretches all four corners of the globe.  Her influence on popular music can be traced as far back as 1957, when she was featured on the cover of Fat’s Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’ album cover”. She is still a source of inspiration with more contemporary artists like Vanessa Daou and her song “Slow to Burn”, the continentals with “Bettie Page’s Cowgirl Bob” and ‘Bettie Page” by the band Disturbance.

With the advent of the internet Bettie’s place in history and popular culture is well and truly cemented for a long time to come. On 20^th August 2002 the official Bettie Page web site (www.bettiepage.com) went online and has become the place for all the latest official Bettie Page news and merchandise. The internet has played a major part of reinventing Bettie Page to a whole new generation of fans from all walks of life and from all over the world. The growing number of fan sites dedicated to her such as The Bettie Page (www.thebettiepage.com), and Dave’s Bettie Page (http://bettieville.com/bp/) proves this.  It will be safe to say that through these sites the legend of Bettie Page will be around way after we are gone.

MUSIC INSPIRED by Bettie:

Queen of Curves

Bettie Bettie (BR5-49)

Bettie, Bettie

Bettie Page, Bettie Page

I'm gonna find me a Bettie Page

Bettie Mae

Bettie Page (The Skirtchasers)

My Baby Thinks She's Bettie Page

I'm in Love with Bettie Page

Port Au Prince: Travels With Bettie Page (Royal Crown Review)

Page Turners (Desar)

Bettie Page

PART EIGHT of EIGHT

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