I was extremely saddened to learn that Sandra Giles, one of the brightest bombshells to grace the silver screen passed away on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of 84. I have been a fan of Sandra’s since reading about her in Richard Koper’s fantastic book, Fifties Blondes: Sexbombs, Sirens, Bad Girls and Teen Queens. The photos Richard included had a real magical and glamorous quality to them, so I decided to start collecting Sandra’s films and have been a fan ever since! Last year I started The Sandra Giles Picture Page on facebook as a place where fans could share photos and learn more about Sandra. Sandra was a true star of the golden age of Hollywood and I hope you enjoy reading my tribute to this wonderful actress.
Early Life
Born Leila Bernice Giles on July 24th 1932 in Hooker, Oklahoma, Bernice decided she was going to be a movie star at a young age. She dressed like a film star and was exceptionally photogenic. Bernice grew up in Texas and early in her career she won a number of coveted beauty contests and became Miss Tiger, Miss Corpus Christi and Miss San Antonio, to name but a few. After moving to Hollywood to be with her mother, who had recently divorced Bernice worked at the famous Canters Delicatessen and it was here where she was discovered by Press Agent Shelley Davis.
Under the direction of her new press agent, Bernice changed her name to Sandra (the name of her young daughter) and Davis set about making Sandra a star. In May 1956 fellow blonde bombshell Juli Reding suggested that press agent Shelley hire the newly named Sandra Giles for a publicity stunt to promote the opening of the new 15 storey Fremont Hotel in Las Vegas.
What followed was an ingenious publicity stunt that certainly put Sandra on the map and made the front page of the LA Times. The article began:
Las Vegas, May 21 – A celebrated artist and a lady’s honor became embroiled in some two fisted press agentry last night on behalf of a new hotel opening in downtown Las Vegas. The lady, embarrassed to tears with the realization that a life sized painting of her, in suggestive undress, was to decorate the hotel’s casino, indignantly slapped the artist across the mouth. Not hard though. Her press agent, dutifully outraged, thereupon joined in a fistic duel with the hotel’s press agent and threatened to sue everybody who had a part in the proceedings.
Sandra insisted she posed in a swimsuit, which was confirmed by the artist, Paval, who quipped “Certainly she posed in a bathing suit. But I used my imagination”. (The full transcript of the article as it appeared in the LA Times can be read in the Appendix at the bottom of the page).
After the debacle it was reported that an out of court settlement was reached which saw Sandra awarded $25,000 in compensation.
Cover Girl
The publicity stunt resulted in Sandra becoming one of the most photographed women of the late 1950’s. Her image began to grace the covers of many magazines including: Glamour Parade, Escapade and Adam. In 1958 she was given a 3 page spread in the well respected American magazine Life entitled The Blonde From Hooker – How To Become A Movie Star.
By 1957 Sandra’s profile in Hollywood had gained celebrity status and she was named Miss 8 Ball by the Los Angeles Press Association.
As Miss 8-Ball Sandra promoted the film Teacher’s Pet starring Doris Day and Clark Gable and in March 1958 she attended the premier, arriving in her famous pink, fur covered Thunderbird, which certainly got her noticed. She was greeted a with a star’s welcome, despite the fact she was not actually featured in the film.
Such savvy publicity gimmicks soon lead to a movie career. The Producer A. C Lyles once commented: “She had that wonderful appeal for all the guys, but she didn’t intimidate the women. She had the same innocence as Marilyn [Monroe]. She didn’t look like she would go after someone’s husband. And she had this great gift for publicity, hardly without even trying. It just seemed to come to her.”
Movie Career
1958 was a great year for Sandra. She had a small role in the western Lust to Kill and was featured heavily in the promotional material, despite not actually having any lines in the film. The studio wanted to capitalize on Sandra’s recent feature in Life Magazine.
Sandra was also given a sizable role as Darlene in teen flick Lost Lonely and Viscous. Darlene is naive, but focused on her career. She is not interested in getting married or settling down, reflecting the way women’s roles were beginning to change in American society.
However it was the cult beat movie Daddy-O in which Sandra had a staring role that cemented her place as one of the blonde bombshells of the 1950s.
Sandra starred opposite Dick Contino in a tale of hot rod racing, drug trafficking and rock and roll.
Controversial for it’s day, Daddy-O was aimed at the new generation of ‘teenagers’ and like other films of the time, such as High School Confidential, it sent a shudder through middle America. Whilst Doris Day was giving her home “A Woman’s Touch” in Calamity Jane it must have been extremely refreshing for young female cinema goers to see a character like Jana Ryan, played by Sandra Giles in Daddy-O. She is from a middle class background (“her old man must have more dough than Jack Benny”), yet she plays the boys at their own game – finishing first in a hot rod race. She later tells Dick Contino’s character “I go where I want and I do what I want and it’s none of your damn business!”. This must have been a revelation for women at the time – you can be glamorous and independent.
Daddy-O had a resurgence in popularity in 1991 when it was lampooned by Mystery Science Theatre. Whilst it is easy to sneer at such films now, at the time of release they were cutting edge and dealing with issues that were not the usual cinema fodder. Quentin Tarantino gave a nod to Daddy-O as a movie poster can be seen in Jack Rabbit Slim’s club in Pulp Fiction.
1960’s and Beyond
As the era of the blonde bombshell drew to a close, Sandra went brunette and starred alongside Elvis in It Happened At The World’s Fair (1963).
Sandra continued to be a huge crowd drawer at events such as the Motion Picture Tennis Association Tournament. She also turned her talents to the stage starred alongside Mickey Rooney and Tony Randall in The Odd Couple at Caesar’s Palace.
As television became more popular Sandra starred in several of America’s best loved shows including Rawhide, Burkes Law, Quincey M.E and Columbo, to name but a few. By the 1990’s Sandra had became a successful business woman, selling real estate in L.A and also owned her own restaurant.
In 2009, Sandra was interviewed by Hollywood Exclusive Entertainment News and and reflected on a career spanning over 50 years, concluding that “the business has been very good to me”. The full interview can be seen here.
On 26th December, 2016 it was reported by Highlight Hollywood that Sandra had passed away on Christmas Day, aged 84. The article celebrated Sandra as “a true lady”. She will be greatly missed by all her fans, and will be forever remembered, not only as a pin up, actress and Hollywood star, but also as the girl who gave the boys a run for their money in Daddy-O.
Appendix
Full Article regarding the Las Vegas publicity stunt as it appeared in the LA Times in 1956 :
Las Vegas – May 21 – It all took place at a press banquet ballyhooing the new 15 storey Fremont Hotel, an establishment which hopes to appeal to the convention trade. Several months ago, it developed the hotel management had commissioned artist Philip Paval, before whom had sat the King of Denmark and other notables to paint a “Lady of Chance” portrait to hang in the main gambling casino. An aspiring actress, Sandra Giles, 22 agreed to model, and Paval began laying on the oil.
Last night came the unveiling. Miss Giles a blonde of imposing proportions claimed she had not viewed the finished portrait. In front of 65 banquet guests, mostly newsmen, Paval proudly took the wraps off his masterpiece – a shameless nude in repose.
Miss Giles shrieked and promptly rapped Paval on the chops. “I don’t want to be Marilyn Monroe!” she wailed. “I want to be an actress. I didn’t pose that way! I had a bathing suit on!”The audience, fully awake now, applauded as her press agent, Shelley Davis grappled with the hotel’s publicist, Don Simmons. “This is a terrible, lewd thing”, Davis panted. “We’re going to sue the hotel. And you too, Paval”. Paval weathered the reception with remarkable calm, considering. He said the hotel paid him $2500 to paint Miss Giles. “Certainly she posed in a bathing suit” the artist admitted. “But I used my imagination”.
Other Bombshell Connections
Mamie Van Doren
Sandra was twice photographed with Mamie, firstly in October 1956 at the Ballyhoo Ball and again some 50 years later.
Joi Lansing
Sandra and Joi were friends, so much so that in 1966 Sandra threw a birthday party for Joi. Unfortunately I have never seen any photos of this event, however the two were both photographed (albeit separately) at the tenth anniversary party for Ray Anthony at Capital Records.
Juli Reding
Sandra and Juli Reding were roommates in the mid fifties, after meeting at a trade show at which they were both working. It was Juli who recommended Sandra for the opening of the Las Vegas Fremont Hotel, after she was unable to attend. The two were photographed together on several occasions.
Sources:
Koper, Richard: Fifties Blondes: Sexbombs, Sirens, Bad Girls and Teen Queens (Bear Manor Media). Available on Amazon
The Sandra Giles Picture Page (Facebook)
http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com
Vintage Powderpuff (Facebook)
B Movie Bombshell 
She reminds me of Mansfield.
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