June 9, 1964 - Constance Towers, one of Hollywood’s classic beauties, wants no more roles as strip teasers or prostitutes. She played the former in last year’s “Shock Corridor,” and the latter in this year’s “The Naked Kiss.” Both films were directed by Samuel Fuller.
“I was advised to do it as an acting challenge,” she says. “I met the challenge — and I’ve had it.
“I don’t think it did me or my career any good. Now, I live in dread that the pictures will wind up on the late, late show in years to come — and I’ll have to explain them to my children.”
The statuesque Miss Towers, who came to Hollywood as a singer, is touring the country this summer with Howard Keel in “Kiss Me, Kate” and “Camelot.”
“I think musicals are coming back in Hollywood,” she says. “And family pictures too. I think I’ll concentrate my career from now on playing nice girls. Actually, from an acting challenge, it’s much harder to play a nice girl than a bad girl. Bad girls are very easy to portray.”
She said she took the roles of stripper and prostitute because she had had her fill of parts where she stood on the porch and waved goodbye as the male stars rode off — either to fight Indians or cattle rustlers.
That long has been the lot of nice girls in Hollywood. Even Princess Grace of Monaco in “High Noon” did little more than stand on the porch and wring her hankie as Gary Cooper walked up the street to shoot it out with the gunslingers.
Then came “Country Girl” and an Oscar.
“When I was playing the strip teaser in ‘Shock Corridor,’ I thought it was fun. And it was done in good taste,” says Constance.
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