Body double for Angie Dickinson - Dressed to Kill (1980) Discussion

[–] fiatlux-1 15 years ago

I heard that too. When I first saw the film, I hadn't heard that. I remember thinking Wow, what a stunning body! Then I realized her face was 'too old' to have a rock hard body like that. Sorry everyone, I know older women can have great bodies...no argument there...but there wasn't ONE wrinkle on that skin! So it gave it away that she used a double.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

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[–] jbelcast 14 years ago

Victoria Lynne, a penthouse model was the double

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[–] cengelm 14 years ago

The body of the older woman looked younger than the body of the younger woman.

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[–] HolyCloud 14 years ago

at 48, Angie's body still looked pretty good. they used a double because they were doing, to use Angie's wording, "beaver shots" during the opening shower scene.

the body double's breasts were too pendulous to match Angie's leaner physique all that well. but the embarrassing thing is that the studio told Angie to claim that body as her own during her promotional interviews -- and then someone from the studio outed the double, leaving Angie with egg on her vagina (not!) due to no fault of her own.

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http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,,1069122,00.html

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[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] HolyCloud 14 years ago

it came out in the tabloids after Angie had made all her TV talk show appearances. funny.

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http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,,1069122,00.html

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[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] momphone 14 years ago

In Pauline Kael's review, she said perhaps it was Kate's fantasy of how her body would look like. Not sure if believe that, but it's an interesting take.

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[–] brefane 14 years ago

Yes, Kael may be on to something, the scene is revealed to be a fantasy. Ralph Bode the cinematographer was filming complete full frontals for this scene. and Dickinson has acknowledged it was a body double.

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[–] SirFrancisBeaverhausen 14 years ago

I like her quote from back then. After it got out that a double was used she said, "Let them think it(her own body)is Tahiti even if it is just Burbank." It certainly looked like Tahiti a few years earlier in BIG BAD MAMA!

It'd make a good headline--"PLAYBOY KILLS WIFE WITH CHAMPAGNE CORK!"

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[–] duckofprey 14 years ago

In a vast majority of the films back then, a clear clue a body double was used is when you never see the entire naked body or upper body including the head. I mean, we had shots of Angies head and shows of breasts but never together. That pretty much seals it. TODAY it is not an end-all with the technology, but back then a splice of a head and lower body and having it not look fake was a tough job.

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[–] Druff 12 years ago

I appreciate Kael's attempt at justification but according to the making-of featurette, the original plan was that Dickinson would do all of the shots herself. She was very uncomfortable with it, talked it over with De Palma, and he said no problemo, we'll just use a body double.

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[–] Auntneice7 14 years ago

I may be a harsh and cruel person, but as a 50-ish woman myself, and having seen many very fit ladies in my age group, my initial response in the "Trivia" section where it tells us that Angie used a body double, was a huge "DUH!"

LOL! Please! Maybe nowadays, with improved plastic surgery techniques, a woman of nearly 50 could look that good, but in 1980? Not a chance. Angie was in great shape then, that's true. But that was the body of a much younger woman and there's no way in the world a lady her age, one who'd given birth, no yet, would look that youthful from the neck down. Especially when her neck up was appropriately aged. Nope. Even the first time I saw that movie, fairly soon after its initial release, I knew it wasn't her.

I do have to say, though, that AS a 50-ish woman, I really appreciate all the diplomacy shown here! LOL! Thanks, y'all! LOL!

Have a great day, everyone!

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[–] fiatlux-1 14 years ago

I did notice that she didn't appear to use a body double in one scene, in the scene where she is climbing out of bed after sleeping with the man.
You see her behind, and I tell ya...she had a mighty fine behind! Better than mine even, and I'm 35 lol!

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

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[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] GiricNS 12 years ago

Just watched this on Blu last night. I wondered about it which is why I came here looking for the info. To be honest I kinda figured it was a body double. Not because no 50-ish woman couldn't have a bangin' body like in the scene, but because when they first show Angie in the shower it's a long shot from the side. Her breasts were lower on her chest in that shot than what they looked like in all the close-up shots. Plus like as one person has said, the cutting back and forth between chest and face; never one close up of both together.

"Like German tourists…the stupid are everywhere!"

Arnold Judas Rimmer, Red Dwarf

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[–] SnoozeAlarm 12 years ago

I read that they Michael Caine was so good as the transsexual that they used him as Angie's body double for the shower scene.

Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!

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[–] racine84 12 years ago

Wasn't it "Blanche Devereux"?? It's on her resume'...lol

THOSE WHO MATTER DON'T MIND...THOSE WHO MIND DON'T MATTER!!!