The Tease from Tennessee was abused, used, lied to, cheated, and finally institutionalized. At times she heard voices; most of her life she just heard lies.

Thousands of men would have taken care of her, done anything for her but ironically, the men that she knew rarely did.

Somewhere along the five decades since she blazed across endless men's magazines, 50's wankers so greasy that you'd want to spray yourself with Lysol after handling them, But Bettie became immortal. She was above the junk that she appeared in. She steamed. She seduced. She flirted with the camera better than any model; any actress, any seductress...ever. She became an ageless personification of every boy's dream girl: sweet, slightly sinful and being a photo, always perfect. Bettie Page was the perfect ideal girlfriend to decades of people: the perfect girl: one who they'd never know.

A high school scholar, Bettie Page wanted a career as a reporter, maintained a top GPA and briefly became a teacher. Bettie's mother never spent a minute praising the talented, intelligent student. Bettie had said that it would have loved to have her mother present once, just once, for one of her stage performances: it never happened. What type of parent crushes their child's dreams? Hers did: Page lost a fully-paid scholarship by fractions of a point thanks to the stress brought on at the worst time: before that fateful final exam.

Bettie did enter college and excelled. Her ambition to become a treacher took a bad turn for her, but a great turn for legions of fans yet to come: Unable to cope with rowdy students, a dejected Page pushed to become an actor. A legend was about to be born.

Moving to New York, she is rumored to have lived with an elderly Rumanian man who had a soft spot for young actresses. Depending on who was asked, she was either a ravenous lover or a goody two-shoes. One thing is accurate: she picked the worst men to love. If there was a bottom-feeder to be avoided, Bettie found most of her relationships there: a drunk, a lazy bum, married men, jealous guys. It would have taken a strong man to live with a walking, talking bombshell like Bettie, but sadly, none of the guys there had the guts to really try. So, she poured herself into work.

Bettie began a modeling career that included work with photo clubs, Irving Klaw, Sam Menning and others. Chronically late for every shoot, Bettie often had an appointed club member waiting in her hallway to drive her to work. Photographers waited, but they all admitted (to writer Greg Theakston's BETTIE PAGES) that the wait was worth it.

Despite her denial, Bettie did a lot of nudes and not all of them were art. Whether they were good or not, photographers couldn't get enough of the black-banged girl with the southern twang. Grainy loops by Irving Klaw and bit parts in the tacky Teaserama, Striparama and Variatese were an embarrassment. The model wanted more, but without the self-discipline to get to auditions on time, Ms. Page was just losing time.

Bettie spent most of her earnings on acting classes. Appearing in numerous small venues, she never hit the big time. Rumors of TV commercials are unsubstantiated; one story had Bettie trying out for Jackie Gleason's line-up of young beauties, but when the Great One discovered her real age, a fact that she apparently blabbed despite her manager's warning not to, she got bounced. Gleason was an arrogant asshole... and in that case, a stupid one.

Bettie Page was adorable, but ten years past her prime; the model admitted to setting back her biological clock. The perpetually honest Page inevitably couldn't fib, so roles passed her by. Not that her attempts at performing, as seen in the Klaw smokers weren't noteworthy, just not exactly Gone With The Wind. Whether she could or couldn't act is lost to time: all that we know is that Bettie never made the cut... then again, she DID have a thing for cutting:

Relationships were bad, if not downright dangerous: Page's penchant for religious tangents and sharp knives were not an event worth repeating, at least according to Richard Foster's book, a tome that the journalist prefers to move away from. Too much of anything is bad, and that was about to happen to Bettie's semi-career, too. The black-banged beauty had become something of a black cat crossing your path; anyone who got too close to Bettie Page sure had a tale to tell about it... or didn't want to talk about it at all.

Between Senator Estes Kefauver and U.S. Attorney General Bobby Kennedy, most of the Klaw loops are history (ie: burned or destroyed). The late Paula Klaw made off with some of them; and that's all that is left...or is it? Many photo club shots are reemerging today: who else has some? Art Amsie maintains a wonderful collection of personal Bettie images (as well as a warm friendship with the icon). But whatever happened to her friends among the Klaw models? Wherever they landed, they sure are not talking about their modeling days.

According to Richard Foster's tell-all biography, Bettie's next photo would be a police mug shot in the 1970's; the black-maned bombshell fell from grace and was abandoned once again by the men of a culture that threw away icons like the wrapper on a Henry's hamburger.

Rediscovered by former Disney artist Dave Stevens (former husband to B-actress Brinke Stevens), Bettie Page found a new generation of lovesick fans as the girl friend of THE ROCKETEER, a terrific, short-lived comic book series that was the basis of Disney's live-action motion picture by the same name. In one of their dumber moves (weakly adapting Dale Messick's BRENDA STARR being the other), the boys at "mausswitz" chose to drop any reference to the famed model in their movie. Even through tough times of his own, Dave Stevens remains loyal and protective of the icon recognizing that his self-produced shrine may have become a Pandora's box.

Bettie Page knew better than to fade before the eyes of her enchanted fans; she remains semi-secluded, living modestly; a legend with dignity in an age without regard or respect for either dignity or legends.

Bettie Page turned 80 on 4-22-2003. In the fashion of an honored and revered idol, Bettie was taken by stretch limo to a private party hosted by the other pioneer who idolized her: Hugh Hefner and Playmates greeted the living legend with a cake bearing her 1955 image from Playboy magazine. Unlike the rest of the world who cuts a profit from the pinup queen, Hefner gave her the greatest honors that the legend could get: respect, love, and admiration. If there was a bad mojo that Bettie had over men, the powerful Hefner was immune to it.

The first photograph taken of Bettie Page since her infamous arrest photo decades before would occur at Hugh Hefner's pajama party honoring his 77th birthday: Bettie Page smiled for a small, informal photo along with Hef and artist Olivia: the bangs may have turned grey, but the thought of a new Bettie Page image in print sent the August, 2003 issue of Playboy into minor league history. Like so much of Bettie Page's life, what should have been a major event, what could have been planned as a major re-emergence didn't happen; it fizzled away like so much of her career.

At 80, the one-time almost legend can look back at a life of semi-accomplishments: she didn't last as a teacher (twice, by some accounts), didn't last as a missionary, didn't last as a secretary, didn't last as a transcriber of a professor's books, never quite made the "A" list of modeling for mass consumer publications, didn't last at staying married, almost hacked off a couple of landlords' appendages. she didn't last as an actress, and she didn't pay storage fees and thus, lost her lifetime of photos, props and memorabilia. The footloose femme didn't quite know how to hold on to anything solid, and ultimately lost it all: money, respect, and apparently, sanity. Living quietly in Southern California, Page lived a meager life without much except fans of fetish: fans remember, and discover, Bettie Page every day. Countless webpages are shrines to Bettie Page, but few want to see the darker side of the dark angel.

Any author willing to probe into her "hidden" years is subject to scorn, but ironically, any vendor who sells her image on ebay is a-ok, even when no royalties are paid to her. There's a lot of photos floating around of Bettie, but a lot without a dime going to her; everybody's a fan as long as its free.

Bettie Page coulda, shoulda, almost did accomplish many things in her life. But like the icons who overshadowed Page, she shares this: perpetual exploitation.

Perhaps the legend became the legend as she appeared one last time for scuba lessons with a young fellow named Ellington Boyd. It was Boyd's camera that captured the girl one last, great time: no make-up, no special lighting, just that smile and those curves. Ellington published the photos, and better, the story, in a scuba magazine and in doing so, closed the book for many years on the bombshell who vanished. Her last great photos had her swimming off somewhere mythical. Boyd knew that it was some kind of perfect moment, and he was right.

Enter CMG

The representatives of Marilyn Monroe's estate, the guys who keep James Dean a too-young-to-die icon, took on the task of representing Bettie Page, and the money began to finally reach her. At 80, Bettie Page began to earn what she was/is finally owed: lots of residuals and lots of respect. A live webcast on March 17, 2006 put Page in touch with fans by phone, and a shaken-not-stirred Mark Braun from Norridge, IL asked if she had the reprinted prayer that he'd sent her: her hometown paper's prayer that she'd carried for decades, lost, and had again thanks to a note from Scouts founder Steve Brewster.

"I don't think I ever thanked you for that, " she said.

"That's ok, Bettie, it is an honor," I replied.

"Well, I'm sending you a big kiss..." was enough to make this over-50 fanboy blush. The Queen of Curves lives on, and with CMG as her Court, it's a whole new day for a living legend who defies time.

And Finally, The Movie

somewhere between Martin Scorsese and Guin Turner, Bettie became movie material. Mary Herron's indie company KILLER FILMS brought her to a limited, but decent release. True, two other DVDs are out there and both had premieres as well, but KILLER and HBO FILMS put Bettie where she wanted to be all along: on the screen. Bettie herself said that she was pretty much born in a movie theater: in 2006, she was born again, this time as the subject and the star...

So, This I've Learned From Bettie Page

So, what really is the appeal of Bettie Page? What appeals to so many people in so many cultures? I finally think I've found it: That a long time ago, the freedom of one genuinely sweet spirit was not crushed by the happiness-robbing, mundane, expected routines that have ripped the happiness of living out of all of the rest of us. If she is anything, Bettie is the patron saint of freedom of soul. That even as life keeps throwing spaghetti at us at every turn, as health and circumstances slow us down moment by moment, and that some bitter little critic inevitably throws a screwdriver into the spokes of our bicycles as we fly down the avenue, while your feet are still planted in the muck of other people's bullshit, we really can't let it all keep our spirits down. If it's a jungle out there, enjoy the wildlife: hang from a branch and take off the costume: it's okay. Don't live to please your critics; they're cynics. If anything, stop to ask them what their fucking problem is, 'cause it sure isn't you leading your life, its them not leading theirs. The true fire of dignity, dear Bettie fan, burns from within. But you know that by now. Keep your pilot lights on, the glow is brilliant. Thanks, BP, for the life lesson; hopefully, we'll all be as awesome at 83 as you are.

The Bettie Buddies Community

> The bettie buddies>

The oldest online group of fans among which are many of the who's-who of fandom...

Bettie's Official Representatives

The link below is to her guys at CMG. love 'em or hate 'em, they put her back in the spotlight!

FILMFAX Magazine

Mike Stein used to work at the same magazine outfit that I worked in (same job, too). I used to hear about this "kook" who started his own magazine. Turns out he was the daddy of my two fav AWESOME fanboy publications: FILMFAX and OUTRE!!! FILMFAX has a few great Bettie items in each issue, and a few back issues are manditory for any true Bettiehead! Ask for OUTRE #3, FILMFAX #54 and ultra issue #65 with the Bettie cover by Harley Brown. http://www.filmfax.com/

Mitch O'Connell luv Bettie!

The undesputed King of Hipsville has two shows coming up in galleries that I can't get to. Poopies. He also has a few new sheets of 'ttoo designs available. Hip beyond comprehension! While Dave Stevens is credited for putting Bettie in comics, but Mitch was already peppering his retro too-hip-for-you artwork with the banged babe (TOR LOVE BETTIE). There are more chicks with Mitch's artwork on their asses than any other artist on Earth. Mitch is dah Honcho of Hip! Anyway, visit Mitch himself, and tell him Mark sez hi: http://www.mitchoconnell.com/

Wow! Bettie Magazines at maddogcurios.com

Bettie Music You Can Find on the Web!

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

Clippings:

Article: didja catch a Bettie at

Margie's Candies?

PHONEBOOTH or BLUE IGUANA?

Didja catch dirty old Mark Braun as a photo club photog on that one Bettie Page DVD (below)?

The Bettie Page page site is maintained by Mark Braun, an old Scout, bearin' the cross of fandom in the shadow of Dave Holle since the 1990s.

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