Teen icon Sandra Dee, top star of the late 50’s and early 60’s, faded into obscurity with the advent of a new permissive Hollywood.
Well known for “A Summer Place”, “Gidget” and “Imitation of Life”, all released in 1959.
What most people aren’t aware of is that Dee attempted to break out of her image with “The Dunwich Horror” (1970.) Briefly, it is an evil horror film co-starring Dean Stockwell as the last member of a dying sect of devil worshippers. He is in search of a book containing incantations meant to conjure up Satan himself. He also uses Dee to gain access to this book – and has plans for her to carry on his family lineage.
Sandra Dee in “The Dunwich Horror”
For me, the most memorable thing about the movie is Miss Dee, who is never more beautiful. It’s unbearably sad that Hollywood would pretty much ignore her after this last role in a major release.
Following this, Dee would guest star in television roles, notably in “Love American Style”. (Episode titled “Love and the Sensuous Twin” 1972.) Again, she is gorgeous beyond words as a split-personality who is half conservative, half a wild and sexy thing.
Sandra Dee opposite Roddy McDowell in “Love American Style” (1972)
Eventually, she would stop acting altogether, becoming an anorexic recluse. No one knows what demons she had to overcome – being molested by her stepfather and the death of her ex-husband singer-actor Bobby Darin (1973), something she never got over.
Her last acting role was with friend and frequent costar John Saxon in “Love Letters”, a stage play. (1991)
Death came in 2005 from kidney disease, age 62.
Sandra Dee belongs to an era of actresses from a more innocent time, the kind we’ll never see again.
Text (C) 2021 – EricReports
