Often instant celebrity leads to a Hollywood career. Or at least a contract.
She captured the imaginations of millions as the girl in the polka dot bikini when her photo appeared in Life Magazine.
The picture drew hundreds of thousands in fan mail, and elevated her into the upper reaches of World War II-era pinups (a classy group including Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable, among others).
From then on it was polka dots all the way.
And of course one can get carried away.
But that’s Hollywood!
Some tidbits about our winsome personality of the day, Chili Williams.
She was born Marian Sorenson in Minneapolis in 1921, and started modelling as a teenager. After nabbing a movie contract, she appeared in a string of mostly forgettable B-or-lower films. She romanced the likes of Jack Carson and Rory Calhoun.
She ruffled some feather when she posed nude — a no-no at the time. After a tempestuous first marriage, she settled down with hubby No. 2 in Las Vegas where she ran a dress shop. She lived a long life, passing away in 2003 at the age of 81.
And, boy, did she look great in polka dots.
CHILI WILLIAMS wasn’t the girl in the itsy, bitsy, teenie, weenie, yellow POLKA-DOT BIKINI from the 1960 song fame…
But she was one of the pin-up girls that distracted the G.I.’s from WWII.
Her ‘movie’ career was not exactly CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD, but you have to play along with Joe & Frank’s pop culture fascination with her today…
And to that end, there’s a more detailed story here-
https://www.skylighters.org/girlsinfocus/
Like I keep saying… there are so many great untold HOLLYWOOD stories that NEVER get mentioned!
Great photos. Each one a gem in its own way. Studio and studio-adjacent photographers in the Golden Age and beyond created their own vernacular, with standards of composition, lighting (and beauty) which persist to this day.