Vicky Dugan is an American model and actress. The Playboy star was the inspiration for the famous Jessica Rabbit, the cartoon character from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
During the rather conservative fifties, no tabloid went without the name Vicky Dugan. For her love of open-back outfits, the née Edith Tucker was nicknamed "The Back" or "Back". Her pictures adorned the pages of magazines, she starred in films, but in the history of Hollywood, the star remained as a sex symbol of her time.
The beginning of a career takeoff
The biography of the future celebrity began in 1929 in Brooklyn, New York. In the mid-forties, Vicky became the winner of several beauty contests. In 1948, all the media spoke loudly about the new star. Dugan won the Miss New York title. She went on a promotional tour dedicated to the event.
From that moment on, Vicky's pictures have regularly graced the pages of popular publications. The girl took part in modeling and advertising shows. She was invited to promote the current brand of nail products "Cutex".
By the early fifties, Dugan was filming mainly for catalogs, participated in advertising campaigns. But, despite invitations from famous brands, for example, "Camel", the bright girl was perceived as an amateur, not a professional.
The model made her first attempt at arranging her personal life at 16. She met her future husband, William Simons, in Brooklyn. The chosen one owned a photo studio. The family had a child, daughter Debbie. As the popularity of his wife soared, the husband felt less and less uncomfortable. As a result, the union fell apart.
Vicky's career took off. Soon she was offered her first film role. She starred in the film "From Eternity" with the stars of the fifties as a dancer. The interest of the press in the successful debutante grew. After moving to Florida, Dugan began working as a permanent model in Miami Beach for Ciro's magazine. She signed a contract with Louis Sher, who became famous as the discoverer of actress Kim Novak.
New image
Very soon, a photo of Vicky graced the cover of Life magazine. Pictures have become a pass to big show business. Now Dugan was called a woman of many talents, taking part in photo shoots, acting in films, creating clothes and raising a child. As evidence of the correctness of the press, the articles were accompanied by pictures of the star herself drinking tea on a perfectly trimmed lawn.
Extremely expensive outfits were created especially for the model. The elegant long dresses with an open back were presented to the celebrity by agent Milton Weiss. He offered Vicky the supersensual image that glorified her and then organized an appearance for the ward at movie premieres and parties, told the media, allegedly in secret, that Vicky is called "Spinka" behind her back.
The plan was successful. All the tabloids wrote about Vicky, her personal life was discussed by the most successful publications. Against the background of the spectacular model, other actresses were lost. The result was a ban on her appearance on film premieres. Very soon, the notorious Hugh Hefner showed interest in the bright celebrity. Vicky's photographs graced Playboy in the summer of 1957. After that, Dugan instantly became one of the most sought-after models in the advertising world.
In the sixties, there were many Hollywood stars among the star's novels, including Frank Sinatra. But Dugan herself much later admitted in an interview that there were only two meetings, she herself refused to continue the novel.
To the great chagrin of the actress, the role of a superficial and narrow-minded film beauty was firmly attached to her. Although by the end of the fifties she was offered roles in films, but these were only minor characters, and fame gradually faded away. In place of "Back" came a new type, Twiggy.
New peaks
Despite the dark streak, Vicki was not going to give up. In 1957 she attended the annual ball of the Publicists' Association as Lady Godiva. However, instead of a real horse, she used a horse stuffed animal.
After the party, there were reports in the press about an engagement between Vicky and actor Lance Fuller. However, the relationship did not last longer than two years. They never got to the wedding. Once again, the celebrity found family happiness with actor James Swinney, but it turned out to be short-lived.
In 1960, the name Dugan was almost forgotten. But Vicky reminded herself of herself. She took part in a rather candid photo shoot for Cavalier magazine. Later it turned out that the photos were taken in the fifties for "Playboy", but the model itself did not dare to publish them. The actress sued Cavalier for publishing without her consent.
A new round of interest arose in the late eighties. While working on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the filmmakers decided to use Dugan's character for the sensual cartoonish Jessica Rabbit. She received more than just the appearance of a star. The beauty moved and talked in the same way as her prototype. Subsequently, it was this character that was named among the most attractive cartoon heroines.
Time present
For 10 years, Vicky has starred in a dozen projects, but she never got a chance to make a real film career. She was never offered leading roles, although she played herself in The Joey Bishop Show and The Steve Allen Show.
The lack of fame of the film star did not upset the model itself. Although the limits of the one-dimensional brand of Wicca could not be left, but the philosophy of Dugan herself was summed up in her own words by her heroine Rabbit: “I'm not bad. They just painted me like that."
The star is firmly convinced that it makes no sense to dwell on shortcomings. It is much wiser to find the virtues, and focus all attention exclusively on them.
Wicca illustrates this truth throughout his life. Despite his very advanced age, the celebrity looks, as before, a superstar.
