Connie Stevens

Lovely, indefatigable 'Connie Stevens' (qv) added sparkle to a number of films and TV shows in the late 50s and 60s Hollywood. Brooklyn born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia is of Italian/Sicilian and Irish descent, the daughter of Eleanor McGinley and Teddy Stevens (born Pietro Ingoglia). She was subsequently raised by her grandparents when her mother and father (a band singer and jazz musician, respectively) filed for divorce. Connie attended Catholic boarding schools in her formative years. Inheriting her parents' love and talent for music, she formed a vocal quartet called "The Foremost" which was comprised of Connie and three men. Those men later became part of 'The Lettermen' (qv).In Hollywood from 1953, Connie formed yet another vocal group "The Three Debs" while trying to break into films doing extra work. Moving up to the co-star ranks in a few mediocre teen dramas such as _Young and Dangerous (1957)_ (qv), _Eighteen and Anxious (1957)_ (qv), _The Party Crashers (1958)_ (qv), and _Dragstrip Riot (1958)_ (qv), it was comedian 'Jerry Lewis' (qv) who set things in motion by casting her in his comedy _Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958)_ (qv). As such, Warner Bros. signed her up for their hot detective series _Hawaiian Eye (1959)_ (qv) and she was off. As pert and pretty "Cricket Blake", a slightly flaky and tomboyish singer/photographer, Connie became an instant teen idol -- trendy and undeniably appealing. A couple of record offers (and hits) came her way as a result including "Sixteen Reasons" and the novelty song "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb" (in tribute to 'Edd Byrnes' (qv)' hip, teen idol character on the popular detective series _77 Sunset Strip (1958)_ (qv)).Adored for her sexy effervescence, Connie tried to broaden her "sex kitten" image in the 60's with serious attempts at adult film drama, including the title role in _Susan Slade (1961)_ (qv), as well as co-leads in _Parrish (1961)_ (qv), _Palm Springs Weekend (1963)_ (qv), and _Two on a Guillotine (1965)_ (qv), but they were modestly received. For the most part, she remained a comfy TV presence in musical variety shows ("The Red Skelton Show," "Kraft Music Hall"), westerns ("Cheyenne," "Maverick") and game shows ("Hollywood Squares"). She also appeared opposite 'George Burns' (qv) in a second series, the sitcom _Wendy and Me (1964)_ (qv), and co-starred in a couple of lightweight films, _Never Too Late (1965)_ (qv) and _Way... Way Out (1966)_ (qv), again with 'Jerry Lewis' (qv).In the 1970s, she refocused on her voice and started lining up singing commercials (Ace Hardware) while subsisting in nightclubs and hotels. Connie eventually built herself up as a Las Vegas headlining act. She also starred on Broadway with "The Star-Spangled Girl" and won a Theatre World Award for her performance in 1967. Comedian 'Bob Hope' (qv)'s made her one of his regular entertainers on his USO tours. Sporadic films came her way every now and then. A TV-movie _The Sex Symbol (1974)_ (qv) had her playing a tragic 'Marilyn Monroe' (qv) type goddess. There was also innocuous fun in such sporadic films as _Grease 2 (1982)_ (qv) and _Back to the Beach (1987)_ (qv) with 'Frankie Avalon' (qv) and 'Annette Funicello' (qv). TV episodic work on "Murder, She Wrote," "The Love Boat," "Baywatch," "Ellen," the revamped "Burke's Law," "It's Garry Shandling Show," "Baywatch" and "8 Simple Rules," plus a regular role on the short-lived series _Starting from Scratch (1988)_ (qv) also kept her afloat.Once wed to actor 'James Stacy' (qv), Connie later married and divorced singer 'Eddie Fisher' (qv). From her union with Fisher came two daughters, 'Joely Fisher' (qv) and 'Tricia Leigh Fisher' (qv), both of whom became actors. Single with two daughters, and completely out of sync with Hollywood, Connie started experiencing severe financial woes. In the 1990s, the never-say-die personality began a new lucrative career in the infomercial game with skin-care and make-up products, and turned her financial woes around. Now a self-made tycoon with her own successful beauty line to boot, Connie is living proof that anything can happen in that wild and wacky world called show biz.She resurged briefly in films with featured roles in _Love Is All There Is (1996)_ (qv), _James Dean: Race with Destiny (1997)_ (qv), _Returning Mickey Stern (2002)_ (qv), _Double Duty (2009)_ (qv), _Just Before I Go (2014)_ (qv) and _Search Engines (2016)_ (qv) which starred daughter Joely. She also was seen on TV with episodic work on "s, The recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Connie was elected secretary-treasurer of the Screen Actors Guild in 2005. Since suffering a stroke in 2016, she has remained out of the limelight for the most part. In 2019, she made a brief return to films with _By the Rivers of Babylon (2019)_ (qv), again with Joely.::Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]