Okay, after thousands of posts, well over three million page views and 80,000 Facebook followers, it is finally time to discuss Virginia Bell. I usually don’t go for the easy ones, (not that Ms. Bell was easy) but the obscurities attract me more. It’s the hard stories which grab me, but how long can I ignore a woman whose middle name was “Ding-Dong” with a 48 inch bust? So the challenge here will be to find something new about the lovely gorilla in the room.
Virginia Bell the Amazonic!
Star of “Gertie the Grapefruit Girls and Friends” in 1969 and “Lullaby of Bareland” in 1964. I hesitate to call Ms. Bell an actress, as her real talent was swaying them slowly in unison, but she did find work in the business. I pride myself on a family-friendly website here, and I can assure you it took a considerable amount of work to find a picture of Miss Bell, AKA “Ding Dong” without her full talents on display.
However, once you scroll to the cover of Fling Magazine here (shot by Russ Meyer)you will go find your own anyway. Have fun! Virginia, with the help of Russ, pretty much owned Fling Magazine, but her most famous cover is probably the 1959 issue of Sir Knight in which she flaunts in front of what must be the first graffiti covered wall in history.
Virginia Bell the Amazonic!
Star of “Gertie the Grapefruit Girls and Friends” in 1969 and “Lullaby of Bareland” in 1964. I hesitate to call Ms. Bell an actress, as her real talent was swaying them slowly in unison, but she did find work in the business. I pride myself on a family-friendly website here, and I can assure you it took a considerable amount of work to find a picture of Miss Bell, AKA “Ding Dong” without her full talents on display.
However, once you scroll to the cover of Fling Magazine here (shot by Russ Meyer)you will go find your own anyway. Have fun! Virginia, with the help of Russ, pretty much owned Fling Magazine, but her most famous cover is probably the 1959 issue of Sir Knight in which she flaunts in front of what must be the first graffiti covered wall in history.
Standing a mere 5 foot 2 inches, Virginia was a 44 at one time, a 48 the next, but who is counting. Virginia Bell, which is where the “Ding-Dong” moniker came from, was born in 1932. Unlike most big-busted talents with aspiration, she was born in California and didn’t have to hitch hike out to get discovered. She was apparently pushed into stags by her husband, and was soon playing volleyball in nudies.
Her big dough came in dancing. She is reported playing in Pittsburg as early as 1957 dancing on a bill along with “Domay, The Gorgeous Cherokee Half Breed” who was apparently “the only indian exotic dancer in burlesque.” Okay… In 1957, Virginia was using the fairly common “Treasure Chest Girl” label. She was also doing a 15-minute dance between movies such as “Geisha Girls” and “Some Like it Cool” at the time, and reportedly also danced “wherever girlie-girlie carnivals are still in ascendancy…”
After a 20 week tour of Europe in 1961, which included bouncing the stages In London, Paris and Rome, she returned directly to Youngstown, Ohio to dance for the commoners! She was then known as “The Little Girl with the Big Dimensions” though the reporter in the Youngstown Vindicator was kind enough to report “Despite the impressive statistics, she is not at all unwieldy.” How would HE know? By the way, on that gig, there was also a woman named “Tina Turner” What?
The Miami News reported her stripper salary at $1500 a week in 1963.
Her passing is reported in July 2010 in Westlake Village, California.
Her big dough came in dancing. She is reported playing in Pittsburg as early as 1957 dancing on a bill along with “Domay, The Gorgeous Cherokee Half Breed” who was apparently “the only indian exotic dancer in burlesque.” Okay… In 1957, Virginia was using the fairly common “Treasure Chest Girl” label. She was also doing a 15-minute dance between movies such as “Geisha Girls” and “Some Like it Cool” at the time, and reportedly also danced “wherever girlie-girlie carnivals are still in ascendancy…”
After a 20 week tour of Europe in 1961, which included bouncing the stages In London, Paris and Rome, she returned directly to Youngstown, Ohio to dance for the commoners! She was then known as “The Little Girl with the Big Dimensions” though the reporter in the Youngstown Vindicator was kind enough to report “Despite the impressive statistics, she is not at all unwieldy.” How would HE know? By the way, on that gig, there was also a woman named “Tina Turner” What?
The Miami News reported her stripper salary at $1500 a week in 1963.
Her passing is reported in July 2010 in Westlake Village, California.
THE STORY OF VIRGINIA BELL IS FROM THE DAILY ART BLOG
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