R.I.P. II

Her death never made any of the papers, but I am sad to report that beach party regular Mary Hughes passed away from Cancer two weeks ago. A sexy statuesque blonde in the tradition of Brigitte Bardot, Mary was the perpetual Sixties beach bunny and stood out from all the other girls on the sand due to her eye-popping proportions—standing 5-foot-9 and measuring 36-22-36. Her beauty was breathtaking.

Never having more than a line or two, Mary was a regular in all the Frankie and Annette fun-in-the-sun beach movies beginning with Muscle Beach Party (1964) through Pajama Party (1964) and Beach Blanket Bingo (1965) and right up to The Ghost in the Invisibile Bikini (1966). After the beach movies had run their course, Mary became a Slaymate in the Dean Martin spy spoof Murderers' Row (1966) and then an anonymous Elvis chick in the London-set Double Trouble (1967). There she met rock star Jeff Beck who wrote the song "Psycho Daisies" about his beloved blonde. Long retired from show business, Mary resided in Malibu where she told Vanity Fair magazine last year she still turned heads on the sand.

Farewell Mary Hughes. The beach party will be less fun without you.