Currently a substance abuse counsellor in New York City, Melody Anderson was once a premier fox of the 1980's.She began her career as a model for Ridgid Tools. This plumbing tool manufacturer has been putting out provocative calendars since the 1930's. Their slogan is a cheeky little double entendre: "I love a RIDGID tool". Sadly, I cannot find a picture of her from an old calendar, but I shall persist. Perhaps, she's in this one...
During the 1980's, Melody was everywhere you looked. She had a leading role in Flash Gordon (1980) and played opposite Chuck Norris in Firewalker (1986). She was basically omnipresent on the boob tube - looking at her resume on IMDb, one wonders what 1980's show wasn't she on? St. Elsewhere, The A-Team, T.J. Hooker, C.H.i.P.S., Jake and the Fat Man, Dallas, Archie Bunker's Place, etc., etc.My personal favorite of her TV work is Manimal. Anyone remember this show? It was about a guy that could transform into an animal to solve crime. He basically had the same power as Jayna of the Wonder Twins. It was a beautiful thing to behold.
Although she is best known for Flash Gordon, my favorite movie on Melody Anderson's resume would have to be Dead & Buried (1981). An underrated horror film about reanimated corpses in a small New England town, with some truly frightening scenes.
She stars alongside James Farentino, the guy who played Peter in Jesus of Nazareth (1977). He's a great actor.... too bad he was arrested for stalking Frank Sinatra's daughter, Tina, (he pled guilty) and then busted again for cocaine possession.
In stark contrast to Farentino, Anderson retired from acting in the mid 90's and began an impressive career in susbstance abuse treatment. She has has lectured locally and internationally on her treatment methods. In 1998, she spoke at the International Council on Alcoholism and Addictions in Malta, sharing with doctors and other health care professionals her epidemiological views of addiction. Her point of view holds that addiction stems from biochemical imbalances rather than conscious choice.I'm impressed. Not too shabby for a former plumbing tools poster girl!
Wow. Very cool to hear of a Hollywood girl who didn't wind up with a sad post-celebrity existence!
ReplyDeleteShe was a major reason I watched "Flash Gordon" over and over again. She was just so pretty. I have a feeling she still is.
As a side note, the woman who plays Rose on "Two and a Half Men", Melanie Lynskey, reminds me a lot of a young Melody Anderson.
:)
She could flash my gordon.
ReplyDeleteYeah I watched that movie a dozen times, and she really nailed the pulp damsel role well. Better than Flash did at the hero.
And yes, it's nice to know she's doing some good out there.
I always liked Melody... she turned up in an episode of Battlestar Galactica, too, "Experiment in Terra," with her hair blond instead of dark like in Flash. Took me a long time to realize it was the same woman.
ReplyDeleteLaw of attraction in action...I was just thinking about Manimal the other day. Never saw the lead actor in anything ever again, I believe.
ReplyDelete"I love a rigid tool"... haha
ReplyDeleteI always loved her. She was so beautiful. Thanks for reminding me of her. She was amazing. Glad to see that things turned out well for her. We always hear sad celebrity stories.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of sad turnouts for celebrities, Keith, I recently saw pictures of Carmine "The Big Ragu" from Laverne and Shirley after his bust for DUI.... he looks freaking horrible!
ReplyDeleteSame goes for Joyce DeWitt - her recent DUI mug shot is pretty scary as well.
I loved Manimal!
ReplyDeleteDo you remember the show where the main guy was a doctor but he could control every part of his body?
He used it like a super power.
He would get sot and the direct al the cells to repair the damage quickly.
I meant shot.
ReplyDeleteHow come I never catch my typo until after I hit post?
Then it glares at me.
Dead and Buried is a movie I saw as a kid on VHS in one of those huge top-loading VCRs, and haunted me for years. I watched it on DVD a few years back and the final sequence is so well-done, especially when Anderson turns up. Glad you mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteI was always a big fan of her as well.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a piece a few months back on her career.
http://talkingmoviezzz.blogspot.com/2008/12/what-ever-happened-to-melody-anderson.html
she did a Victoria's Secret catalog in the early 80's that shows up on various sites like this one.
ReplyDeleteI remember 'Manimal' (but I didn't watch it)! The commercial for the show in the U.S. was very brief: an announcer said "Half-Man, Half-Animal, they call him Manimal."
ReplyDeleteI think about the same TV season there was a TV show about a chimpanzee that became President of the United States.
Does anyone remember a show called 'Cliffhangers'?
Also, there was a TV Show (comedy, I think) about a couple who owned a Laughing Buddha statue that had switched their minds into the body of their opposite sex partner, so the mind of the man was in a woman's body and the woman in the man's body. Anyone remember the name of this show? I think this program was broadcast right before a show called 'Struck By Lightning'.
I don't think any of these programs mentioned lasted more than 1-2 TV seasons or a few weeks.
Anonymous: Hell yeah, I remember Cliffhangers! I remember the vampire story, mostly.
ReplyDeleteI love you Mrs. Anderson, but we only have fourteen hours to save the Earth!
ReplyDelete