Mara Corday
Encyclopedia
Mara Corday is a showgirl
, model
, actress, Playboy
Playmate and a 1950s cult figure.
Wanting a career in films, Mara Corday came to Hollywood while still in her teens and found work as a showgirl
at the Earl Carroll Theatre
on Sunset Boulevard
. Her physical beauty brought jobs as a photographer's model
that led to a bit part as a showgirl in the 1951 film Two Tickets to Broadway
. She signed on as a Universal International Pictures (UI) contract player where she met actor Clint Eastwood
with whom she would remain lifelong friends. With UI, Corday was given small roles in various B-movie
s and television series. In 1954 on the set of Playgirl she met actor Richard Long
. Following the death of Long's wife, the two began dating and married in 1957.
Her roles were small until 1955 when she was cast opposite John Agar
in Tarantula
, a Sci-Fi B-movie that proved a modest success. She had another successful co-starring role in that genre (The Black Scorpion
) as well as in a number of Western films. Respected film critic Leonard Maltin
said that Mara Corday had "more acting ability than she was permitted to exhibit."
Mara Corday appeared as a pinup girl in numerous men's magazines during the 1950s and was the Playmate of the October 1958 issue of Playboy
, together with famous model and showgirl Pat Sheehan
. In 1956, she had a recurring role in the ABC
television series Combat Sergeant
. From 1959 to early 1961, Corday worked exclusively doing guest spots on various television series. She then gave up her career to devote her time to raising a family. During her seventeen-year marriage to Richard Long she had three children.
A few years after her husband's passing in 1974, Corday's friend Clint Eastwood offered her a chance to return to filmmaking with a role in his 1977 film The Gauntlet. She acted with him again in Sudden Impact
(1983), Pink Cadillac (1989), and in her last film, 1990s The Rookie
.
Showgirl
A showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show. Showgirl is also often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
, model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, actress, Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
Playmate and a 1950s cult figure.
Wanting a career in films, Mara Corday came to Hollywood while still in her teens and found work as a showgirl
Showgirl
A showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show. Showgirl is also often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
at the Earl Carroll Theatre
Earl Carroll Theatre
Earl Carroll Theatre was the name of two important theaters owned by Broadway impresario and showman Earl Carroll. One was located on Broadway in New York City and the other on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, California.-Broadway:...
on Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
. Her physical beauty brought jobs as a photographer's model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
that led to a bit part as a showgirl in the 1951 film Two Tickets to Broadway
Two Tickets to Broadway
Two Tickets to Broadway is a 1951 musical film directed by James V. Kern. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording .-Cast:* Tony Martin as Dan Carter* Janet Leigh as Nancy Peterson* Gloria DeHaven as Hannah Holbrook...
. She signed on as a Universal International Pictures (UI) contract player where she met actor Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
with whom she would remain lifelong friends. With UI, Corday was given small roles in various B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s and television series. In 1954 on the set of Playgirl she met actor Richard Long
Richard Long (actor)
Richard Long was an American actor better known for his leading roles in several ABC television series, including The Big Valley, Nanny and the Professor and Bourbon Street Beat.-Early life:...
. Following the death of Long's wife, the two began dating and married in 1957.
Her roles were small until 1955 when she was cast opposite John Agar
John Agar
John George Agar was an American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death...
in Tarantula
Tarantula (film)
Tarantula is a 1955 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Leo G. Carroll, John Agar, and Mara Corday. Among other things, the film is notable for the appearance of a 25-year-old Clint Eastwood in an uncredited role as a jet pilot at the end of the film.-Plot summary:The plot...
, a Sci-Fi B-movie that proved a modest success. She had another successful co-starring role in that genre (The Black Scorpion
The Black Scorpion (film)
The Black Scorpion is a 1957 American horror film released by Warner Brothers, with stop motion special effects done by Willis O'Brien.-Plot:...
) as well as in a number of Western films. Respected film critic Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
said that Mara Corday had "more acting ability than she was permitted to exhibit."
Mara Corday appeared as a pinup girl in numerous men's magazines during the 1950s and was the Playmate of the October 1958 issue of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, together with famous model and showgirl Pat Sheehan
Pat Sheehan
Patricia Ann Sheehan, also known as Patricia Sheehan Crosby was an American actress and model...
. In 1956, she had a recurring role in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television series Combat Sergeant
Combat Sergeant
Combat Sergeant is an American television program that originally aired on ABC from June to September 1956. Starring Michael Thomas as Sergeant Nelson, the series was set in Africa during World War II. Actual footage of the war was spliced into episodes...
. From 1959 to early 1961, Corday worked exclusively doing guest spots on various television series. She then gave up her career to devote her time to raising a family. During her seventeen-year marriage to Richard Long she had three children.
A few years after her husband's passing in 1974, Corday's friend Clint Eastwood offered her a chance to return to filmmaking with a role in his 1977 film The Gauntlet. She acted with him again in Sudden Impact
Sudden Impact
Sudden Impact is a 1983 American crime thriller and the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood...
(1983), Pink Cadillac (1989), and in her last film, 1990s The Rookie
The Rookie (1990 film)
The Rookie is a 1990 American action film directed by Clint Eastwood and produced by Howard G. Kazanjian, Steven Siebert and David Valdes. It was written from a screenplay conceived by Boaz Yakin and Scott Spiegel. The film stars Charlie Sheen, Clint Eastwood, Raúl Juliá, Sônia Braga, Lara Flynn...
.
Partial filmography
- Two Tickets to BroadwayTwo Tickets to BroadwayTwo Tickets to Broadway is a 1951 musical film directed by James V. Kern. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording .-Cast:* Tony Martin as Dan Carter* Janet Leigh as Nancy Peterson* Gloria DeHaven as Hannah Holbrook...
(1951) - Drums Across the River (1954)
- Dawn at Socorro (1954)
- So This Is ParisSo This Is ParisSo This Is Paris is a 1955 film directed by Richard Quine. It stars Tony Curtis and Gloria DeHaven. There is a 1926 film of the same name.-Cast:*Tony Curtis as Joe Maxwell*Gloria DeHaven as Colette d'Avril / Jane Mitchell*Gene Nelson as Al Howard...
(1955) - TarantulaTarantula (film)Tarantula is a 1955 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Leo G. Carroll, John Agar, and Mara Corday. Among other things, the film is notable for the appearance of a 25-year-old Clint Eastwood in an uncredited role as a jet pilot at the end of the film.-Plot summary:The plot...
(1955) - Man Without a StarMan Without a StarMan Without a Star is a 1955 western film starring Kirk Douglas as a wanderer who gets dragged into a range war. It was based on the novel of the same name by Dee Linford.-Plot:...
(1955) - A Day of Fury (1956)
- Naked Gun (1956)
- The Giant ClawThe Giant ClawThe Giant Claw is a 1957 science fiction film about a giant bird that terrorizes the world. Produced by Clover Productions under the working title "Mark of the Claw" and released through Columbia Pictures, it starred Jeff Morrow and Mara Corday and was directed by Fred F. Sears...
(1957) - The Black ScorpionThe Black Scorpion (film)The Black Scorpion is a 1957 American horror film released by Warner Brothers, with stop motion special effects done by Willis O'Brien.-Plot:...
(1957) - The Quiet Gun (1957)
- Girls on the Loose (1958)
- The Gauntlet (1977)
- Sudden ImpactSudden ImpactSudden Impact is a 1983 American crime thriller and the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood...
(1983) - Pink Cadillac (1989)
- The RookieThe Rookie (1990 film)The Rookie is a 1990 American action film directed by Clint Eastwood and produced by Howard G. Kazanjian, Steven Siebert and David Valdes. It was written from a screenplay conceived by Boaz Yakin and Scott Spiegel. The film stars Charlie Sheen, Clint Eastwood, Raúl Juliá, Sônia Braga, Lara Flynn...
(1990)