Leopard Legend: Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret, born Ann-Margret Olsson in Valsjoben, Sweden on April 28, 1941, became an American film star instantly when she played a teenager in the 1963 film Bye Bye Birdie. When she appeared with Elvis Presley in 1964’s Viva Las Vegas a year later, several of her duets with Elvis were cut from the film because his manager was reportedly concerned that her vivid on-screen persona would overshadow him. She was touted as a “sex kitten,” though known offscreen for being rather shy. She appeared in the 1964 film “Kitten with a Whip” as a juvenile delinquent on a crime spree, out to wreck the lives of decent men. In The Swinger, 1966, she portrays an erotic writer who stages an orgy. Her high-energy sexiness and abandon is expressed in unforgettably wild dance scenes.
In reality, Ann-Margret has not led a dissolute life, and has had a long healthy career on stage and screen for over half a century. She was a sex kitten in the 60s, and made her mark as an actress and variety entertainer in Vegas and beyond. She won an Emmy in 2010 for a role on Law and Order, and she’s still making appearances!
In my book I talk about Nora, the role she played in the movie version of the Who’s Tommy. As much as I love the movie, her character was portrayed as a bad mother, and in movie after movie, strong-willed mothers are portrayed in leopard print, as if their natures are animalistic and out of control. I debunk this stereotype and celebrate the mother with a will of her own, and her right to look as fierce as she pleases.
You can preorder my book now and read all the details when you finally get your paws on it!
Photos:
Ann-Margret by the fire, 1967, as she appears in my book.
Ann-Margret poses with a pet ocelot in 1964, in a promo shot for Kitten with a Whip.
Ann-Margret modeling a leopard suit.
Ann-Margret voiced Ann-Margrock on the Flintstones
Ann-Margaret in Made in Paris, 1966.
Ann-Margret playing Nora in Tommy, 1975.
Ann-Margret, always beautiful.
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http://www.historyofleopardprint.com
