Oh, My God, Girls!!!!!!!!!!! Did Shirley Stoler Actually Play "The Astounding She Monster?????????????"

                                 You know how I just love my Fifties female monsters, darlings.  Allison Hayes as the Fifty Foot Woman, Collen Gray as "The Leech Woman," Susan Cabot as "The Wasp Woman," not to mention minxy Marla English in both "Voodoo Woman" and "The She-Creature."

                                  One of the more forgotten ones is The Astounding She Monster.  I mean, that is her name; there is no other.  On the basis of appearance, she looks like a precursor to Sheila in Michael Bennett's "A Chorus Line," as she has a figure that is svelte like an dancer, and a leotard that gives her a somewhat naked and vulnerable appearance, like Sheila in the musical.

                                     The actress billed in the role is "Shirley Kirkpatrick."  Who the hell was she?  Imagine my surprise, when I read that, according to legend, it was actually a slimmer Shirley Stoler, better known for her roles in "The Honeymoon Killers," Lina Wertmuller's "Seven Beauties," and, of course, the unforgettable "Frankenhooker," where she played a bartender who was almost a stand in for Edith Massey as Aunt Ida, only Shirley was not as friendly and warm as Edith/Ida.

                                       But take a look at the face, darlings!  You have to admit it does bear more than a passing resemblance to Stoler.   If she was so willing to take credit for "Frankenhooker," why not admit this?  She is one of the most neglected female monster icons of the Fifties, and I think it is time to acknowledge Miss Stoler for her achievement!  As Penny Marshall said to Cindy Williams--"Sing, it, Shirl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

                                        And perhaps this is where Michael Bennett, consciously or not, got the inspiration for the Sheila costume!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!