Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

   Bunny Yeager was a photographer, model, swimsuit designer, and author whose vision directed the pin-up aesthetic, and changed the way America approached sensuality during the explosive cultural shift of the 1950s and 1960s. Yeager is best known for controversial images of Bettie Page she created that caused a national stir.

   Born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, Yeager became one of the most photographed models in Miami. After retiring from modeling, she began her career behind the camera. When Page retired, Bunny remained a successful photographer. In the 1950s, Mrs. Yeager appeared on What’s My Line, stumping the panel. She took well-known images of Ursula Andress –> on the beach in the 1962 James Bond film, Dr. No, and discovered many other notable models. In 1968, she played the role of a Swedish masseuse opposite Frank Sinatra in Lady in Cement.

   But, her photos of Bettie Page in a leopard-print bathing suit standing next to a real cheetah are still well-known today. Her iconic images of Page were published in Playboy Magazine at the beginning of 1955 and brought overnight fame to both photographer and model. The publication of Yeager’s centerfold photo of Page in Playboy launched her still photographic career, and began a lifelong friendship with Hugh Hefner.

   Yeager was played by Sarah Paulson in the 2005 film The Notorious Bettie Page. Her career returned to the spotlight in 2010 when the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh held an exhibition of her work. There was also an exhibition in Miami in 2013. She was also featured on a CNN story about the 60th anniversary of the bikini. In her studio, Yeager kept a stash of photos no one had seen in cabinets. They will be included in a new book she was finishing, scheduled for publication in September, celebrating the 60th anniversary of her first photo shoots with Page.

   Bunny Yeager was 85.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2014 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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