Sunday, November 10, 2024

FAREWELL, JOYCE TAYLOR

When I was a boy, I fell head over heels for your portrayal of Princess Antillia in George Pal/Daniel Mainwaring's exotic epic, Atlantis, The Lost Continent.

Indeed, Antillia wasn't always the most congenial lady, but you gave her just the right aloofness to draw me in, and I know many others who feel the same way.

I found you most appealing, as well, in Beauty and the Beast 1962, where you played Althea (the titular beauty, of course), though you shined just as brightly in Twice-Told Tales; 13 Frightened Girls; Ring of Fire; The F.B.I. Story; Beyond a Reasonable Doubt; and (vocally in) Santa and the Three Bears

You excelled on a whole, other level for television, with appearances on Men Into Space; Sea Hunt; 77 Sunset Strip; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (and its theatrical edition, To Trap a Spy); Lawman; Bat Masterson; Bonanza; Tales of Wells Fargo; Wagon Train; Whispering SmithThe Untouchables; Lock-up; The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet; The Real McCoys; The Gale Storm Show (Oh, Susana); and The Littlest Hobo.

You deserve comparable credit as an unsung pin-up, who more than held your own with the best of them.  (Ah, the photos say it all.) 

You meant a lot to me, Ms. Taylor, and you always will. Your work and unparalleled charm will only strengthen over time, not only in my heart, but in the collective pulse of a generation of fans. 

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