tip of the hat to Paula Prentiss, the tall, gawky, brilliantly talented actor who lept to fame in her first movie "Where the Boys Are" but who never became a star despite being the best thing about pretty much every film she made in the early 60s...
There were a few reasons for this, including the fact that the films were often not that good (The Horizontal Lieutenant, Follow the Boys), or considered disappointments (Man's Favourite Sport - though Howard Hawks loved her).
She had brilliant bits in The World of Henry Orient and What's Up Pussycat? but during the making of the latter had a nervous breakdown that saw her retire from acting for a while.
She went back to it but never regained her former career momentum (the late 60s and 70s weren't a great time for female stars in Hollywood) but always could be counted on to turn in great work, whether in The Parallax View or the Stepford Wives. She also had a family and is still married to Richard Benjamin after 50 years. If you like screwball comedies and aren't familiar with her work she is worth checking out.
A top five
1) Where the Boys Are (1960) - great debut
2) The Honeymoon Machine (1961) - a rare Steve McQueen comedy, quite fun, and Prentiss steals the show
3) The World of Henry Orient (1964) - Prentiss hilarious as a nutter
4) What's New Pussycat? (1965) - see above
5) The Parallax View (1974) - only a small role but very effective
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