Stella Stevens was in dire want of a paycheck when Playboy got here calling.
The actress, who was groomed to be the subsequent Marilyn Monroe earlier than she made her personal mark through the remaining years of Hollywood’s golden period, died in 2023 at age 84.
She’s now the topic of a brand new documentary by her son Andrew Stevens, “Stella Stevens: The Final Starlet.” It options commentary by Quentin Tarantino and Vivica A. Fox, amongst others.
STELLA STEVENS, ‘THE NUTTY PROFESSOR’ ACTRESS AND ELVIS PRESLEY’S CO-STAR, DEAD AT 84
Stella Stevens by a swimming pool, circa 1965. The actress and Playboy pinup died in 2023 at age 84. (Silver Display Assortment/Getty Photographs)
Within the movie, viewers find out how Stevens, who had a younger son to feed, took a proposal to pose nude for the magazine. It cemented her position as a sought-after display siren, however it got here at a worth.
“She was alone in Hollywood, barely 18 years [and] broke with no supply of earnings,” Andrew advised Fox Information Digital.
“A photographer and his spouse got here to her, they usually stated, ‘We shoot for this journal referred to as Playboy, and we’ll pay you $5,000 for those who do a structure.’ Stella stated, ‘It was a job, and I wanted a job. I had a toddler to assist. I used to be a single individual residing in LA and I didn’t know anybody. So I took the work.’”
Andrew Stevens explored his late mom’s life and legacy in a brand new documentary, “Stella Stevens: The Final Starlet.” (Courtesy of Andrew Stevens)
Earlier than stripping down, Stevens was found at a division retailer in Memphis. She was flown to Hollywood for a display check after which signed a three-year contract with twentieth Century Fox. Whereas Stevens filmed three motion pictures in six months, she was dropped by the studio over a piece card technicality.
Hugh Hefner died in 2017. He was 91. (Dan Tuffs/Getty Photographs)
Regardless of the $5,000 provide, Stevens stated Playboy founder Hugh Hefner advised her after the racy shoot that he would solely pay her half. To earn the remainder, she needed to work as a hostess at one in every of his golf equipment.
“She’s quoted as saying, ‘I advised him to shove it, I cannot,’” stated Andrew.
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Stella Stevens had some stern phrases for Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. (Display Archives/Getty Photographs)
Stevens signed a brand new contract with Paramount. She scored a co-starring position in “Li’l Abner” as Appassionata Von Climax. She was decided to get her photographs again earlier than they went to print.
“She referred to as Hugh Hefner and stated, ‘I’ve this massive Hollywood film now… please don’t publish the photographs. I’ll purchase them again from you,’” stated Andrew. “He stated, ‘Oh no, you’ve a contract. We’re utilizing them.’ So, [Playboy] exploited ‘Li’l Abner,’ which takes place in a legendary place referred to as Dogpatch. They titled her photographs ‘Dogpatch Playmate.’”
WATCH: ’60S STAR STELLA STEVENS TRIED TO BUY BACK PLAYBOY PICS FROM HUGH HEFNER: SON
“The irony is, after being dropped from twentieth Century Fox, she gained a Golden Globe as Greatest Newcomer of the 12 months in 1960 when Marilyn additionally gained a Golden Globe for Greatest Actress,” Andrew shared. “And [Marilyn won] for the studio that had simply dropped [my mother’s] contract.”
Stella Stevens was groomed to be the subsequent Marilyn Monroe. (RDB/ullstein bild through Getty Photographs)
Stevens felt that being a intercourse image was a “double edge sword,” stated Andrew.
“On one hand, she appreciated that she acquired extra consideration within the Hollywood neighborhood,” he defined. “Everybody wished to fulfill her… [But] the previous Hollywood studio system at the moment was a really male-dominated, misogynistic neighborhood. And the casting sofa was very actual. And as [film critic] Leonard Maltin is quoted as saying [in the film], ‘There was a complete city run by early day Harvey Weinsteins.’”
“Stella Stevens: The Final Starlet” lately premiered on the Fort Lauderdale Worldwide Movie Competition. (Courtesy of Andrew Stevens)
“In some methods, [being a sex symbol] gave her a profession enhance,” stated Andrew. “However on the flip aspect, she’s quoted as saying it killed doing something respectable or reputable after that. Folks wouldn’t take her critically due to this sexpot moniker that she was given. So, the extra weighty and meaty dramatic roles weren’t as forthcoming because the extra frivolous post-Marilyn Monroe-type roles.”
“She referred to as Hugh Hefner and stated, ‘I’ve this massive Hollywood film now… please don’t publish the photographs. I’ll purchase them again from you,.’ He stated, ‘Oh no, you’ve a contract. We’re utilizing them.’”
Stella Stevens thought-about “Li’l Abner” her massive break. (Silver Display Assortment/Getty Photographs)
Stevens was decided to be taken critically as an actress. Based on the documentary, Stevens had zero need to seem alongside Elvis Presley in 1962’s “Ladies! Ladies! Ladies!”.
“The studio was pushing her to do it,” Andrew defined. “On the time, only a few actors had any say over what the studio assigned them to do… Stella, fairly outspokenly, stated, ‘I don’t need to be the lady that Elvis Presley leaves for one more lady. That’s not what I take into account for my profession.’”
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Stella Stevens and Elvis Presley in a scene from the movie “Ladies! Ladies! Ladies!,” a film she detested. (Getty Photographs)
“She had simply completed a film called ‘Too Late Blues,’ directed by John Cassavetes, starring Bobby Darin,” Andrew identified. “It was this… dramatic piece. That’s the form of work she was involved in doing. Not some frivolous fluff piece, though Elvis motion pictures have been extremely popular on the time. [But] no person took him critically as an actor, and no person took them critically.”
“She was having her personal struggles with attempting to be taken critically after having posed in Playboy.”
Stella Stevens wished to work with Montgomery Clift, who’s seen right here with Marilyn Monroe in 1961’s “The Misfits.” The mission by no means occurred. (United Artists/Getty Photographs)
Whereas Stevens had “nice respect” for Presley, she urged the studio to not solid her within the movie. Stevens solely agreed to do it after she was promised to play reverse Montgomery Clift in her subsequent film. It by no means occurred.
Stella Stevens was decided to be taken critically as an actress. She additionally wished to direct. (Silver Display Assortment/Getty Photographs)
Stevens detested the Presley flick and will by no means carry herself to look at it.
There was one one that believed in Stevens’ expertise – Jerry Lewis. The comedian selected her to play his love curiosity in 1963’s “The Nutty Professor.”
“Stella and Jerry Lewis beloved one another,” stated Andrew. “They’d such a fantastic collaborative working relationship. When Jerry acquired the inexperienced mild to shoot ‘The Nutty Professor’ at Paramount, he stated, ‘I need essentially the most lovely lady you’ve below contract.’ And I believe he named the position Stella Purdy after Stella. They only had a beautiful relationship.”
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Jerry Lewis named the character Stella Purdy after the actress. (Silver Display Assortment/Getty Photographs)
“I’ve fond reminiscences of figuring out Jerry Lewis and being on the set, watching him direct,” Andrew recalled. “… I believe he was a fantastic mentor for Stella.”
Rising up, Andrew admitted that his relationship with Stevens was difficult.
She dropped out of highschool at 15 to marry Andrew’s father, Herman Stephens. The couple divorced in 1956, and she or he took Andrew to California, the place she might pursue an performing profession. His father and grandfather later confirmed up at her residence to take him again to Memphis, leading to an unsightly custody battle.
Andrew Stevens admitted that his relationship together with his well-known mom was difficult. (Courtesy of Andrew Stevens)
“The unlucky factor about each of them is that they have been infants having infants,” Andrew mirrored about his dad and mom. “My mom was 16 and my father was 18 after I was born.
“My father barely graduated from highschool. My mom needed to stop highschool to remain residence and care for me. She went to high school at evening to get a GED to have the ability to then go to Memphis State College… However neither one, fairly actually, was actually geared up to care for a toddler.”
Stella Stevens began performing and modeling throughout her time at Memphis State College. She made her movie debut in a minor position within the Bing Crosby musical “Say One for Me” in 1959. (Getty Photographs)
“… My choice would all the time have been to be in Memphis with my pals and the remainder of my household,” Andrew admitted. “I actually don’t begrudge my mom from wanting her baby. However fairly frankly, neither of my dad and mom had the products to have the ability to elevate a child.”
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Stella Stevens additionally labored with Dean Martin in two movies. (Columbia Photos/Getty Photographs)
Whereas mom and son had “a number of intervals of estrangement,” they bonded on set. She directed the 1989 movie “The Ranch,” which starred Andrew. He later directed her in 1991’s “The Terror Inside II.”
Stevens labored steadily in tv within the Nineteen Seventies and ’80s, showing in “Marvel Girl,” “Hart to Hart,” “The Love Boat” and “Evening Courtroom,” simply to call a number of. She stayed busy till she might not work because of Alzheimer’s illness.
To Stevens’ dismay, his mom wasn’t included within the Academy Awards’ annual “In Memoriam” section, and she or he by no means acquired a star on the Hollywood Stroll of Fame.
Stella Stevens attends the Los Angeles Jewish Movie Competition opening evening gala on Could 8, 2010. (Amy Graves/WireImage/Getty Photographs)
“My mom deserved higher,” stated Andrew. “Regardless that my life along with her was tumultuous and sophisticated and never all the time heat and fuzzy, time and distance have given me a brand new perspective on the affect she had.”
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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