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The Rialto Report recently acquired a collection of behind-the-scenes photographs and stills from the Stephen C. Apostolof/Edward D. Wood Jr. film Orgy of the Dead (1965) which we are sharing below.
Many of them feature Pat Barrington, which gives us the chance to revisit our podcast about her remarkable life
If you’ve never heard of her, Pat was big in the 1960s, when she was a popular actress, model and stripper. She was a stunning and statuesque woman, a mess of high cheekbones, flashing dark eyes, and long limbs. And somehow she managed to look different every time you saw her. She could be dark haired, a redhead, or a bleach blonde. She could look seductive or matronly, playfully sexual, or innocent. Actually not so much innocent. Pat Barrington looked like sin on fire. And she had a great screen presence too without even being a great actor.
So who was Pat Barrington? About the only thing anyone knew for certain was that Pat had a short film career in the 1960s. Over a five-year period, she made memorable appearances in films by cult filmmakers like Russ Meyer, Ed Wood, Bill Rotsler, Harry Novak and others. She also appeared on television in the series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and got a part in a big budget film Marlowe (1969) starring James Garner.
And then in 1969, after her last appearance in front of a movie camera, she disappeared from public view, and became this mysterious and elusive figure. I tried tracking her down for over 20 years but had no success. No one seemed to even know much about her. Old movie friends remembered her beauty and professionalism, but they all drew a blank when I asked them the big, burning questions: where did Pat Barrington come from, and where did she go? Sure, I found a few details about her, but much of it seemed contradictory. For example, I stopped counting the number of different names she used, not to mention the conflicting birth dates she claimed.
And that was about it. I could never find out much more than that.
And then, in 2013, I made a breakthrough, and I was able to write a profile of her entire life for The Rialto Report website. It was a wild tale of sexploitation films, a serial killer, go-go dancing, sexual assault, Hollywood, nude modeling, Sam Fuller, Lenny Bruce, Robert Mitchum, and much more.
But a few weeks after I posted the story online, I withdrew it – amidst threats of violence, involving an aging mobster and a boyfriend who were both unhappy that Pat’s story had finally been told.
This podcast tells the fascinating life of Pat Barrington, but also the story behind the search for her.
This podcast is 71 miniutes.
The music playlist for this episode can be found on Spotify.
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Pat Barrington in Orgy of the Dead
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Other Orgy of the Dead pictures
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Nice thanks!! Are the any shots of cameraman Bob caramico or gaffer Ted Mike’s? Caramico went on to shoot like all the huge TV shows in 70s and 80s like Dallas, falcon crest etc. Ted Mikels went to….uh….make Ted mikels movies
Woah what a find!!! Thanks for this collection, making the film look fresh and recent (even though the shoot was 60 years ago this year!!!!)
Great job – and the podcast is still one of your finest. And indeed one of the finest of any film podcasts.
Stunning photos. What a set that was to have been on.
The Rise Of Sexploitation From The 70s 80s And Early 90s Awesome Article And Podcast Keep Up Good Work Happy Easter
Really enjoyed..thank you
Nice looking, yum yum!
I’m losing my mind here, RR!
“Kitties were born to be wupped!”. This film is so insane it’s actually, somehow, brilliant. 🙂
Thank you for bringing us the remarkable story of Ms. Barrington’s life. You don’t sugar coat any of it but neither is there the slightest bit of judgement in your telling. You wrote about her with genuine care and compassion. Of course there we will never know for sure but suspect she would feel her life story ended up good hands with you.
I wept openly at the end.
Absolutely amazing pictures of Pat! I remember listening to Ash’s podcast about her life many times while cleaning in a gay sauna! Delivering great stuff as always. Couldn’t expect less from April and Ashley. Cheers guy and thank you so much for remembering these great folks!
I saw this film about a year ago. This is one of those cases where the story and the pictures up above are far more interesting than the movie itself, which I found quite boring and dull. I usually get a good laugh from anything Ed Wood puts out, but not this time.
Nonetheless, I really appreciated the back story behind this, thanks!
No offense meant, Eddie, but you found it boring?
True, it puts most well people in a coma, but that’s it’s peculiar charm.
Along the same lines is ‘Kiss Me Quick!’ (1964). Insanity.
The gold scene must not have been fun, Pat kinda shows it in one of the photos. Gorgeous woman. Thanks RR.
Great photos! I’ve always wondered what happened to Lorali Hart, who was in this movie also. I know she was in the Naked Gun series and did some mature themed photo shoots, but she disappeared after that and I was a big fan.
Extremely well done! Bravo! You gave a fantastic honest tribute of what would be a long forgotten actress in the underbelly of B mondo movies. Great job Ashley! This was the best podcast ever. Interesting to learn that there was plastic surgery THEN! Pat/Camille was a beauty. Sad she had a penchant for self-destruction at some level.