Warner Bros. once issued a press release that concluded: "At 115 pounds she is potentially as valuable as an
acre of land in downtown Los Angeles -- and at least several times more desirable."
The "she" they were referring to was, of course, Virginia Mayo.
The Sultan of Morocco who once penned a fan letter to Virginia describing her as "tangible proof
of the existence of God."
Now while the Sultan may have made this comment after watching any movie featuring Virginia, my guess
is he thought it up right after watching the scene in 1946's The Kid from Brooklyn where Virginia
visits Danny Kaye's room.
She looked sensational to say the least.
And I know that scene made my blood pressure shoot up a couple of notches.
Virginia's two most famous roles were playing Dana Andrew's money-hungry wife in The Best Years of
our Lives and as James Cagney's wise-cracking girlfriend in White Heat.
But her beauty, charm and smile made every film she appeared in a little more special.