Since she was a child, the beautiful Carol Lynley graced television and movie screens from 1956 until 2002. She successfully progressed from child model, to teenage idol, to ingénue in such hit films as
The Light in the Forest, Blue Denim, Return to Peyton Place, and Under the Yum Yum Tree. Then her cool beauty was put to perfect use as the bewildered blank-faced mother search- ing for a missing daughter who may or may not exist in the cult mystery thriller Bunny Lake Is Missing. This propelled Lynley to adult leads where she excelled playing the lady in peril culmi- nating with her most famous role as terrified pop singer Nonnie in The Poseidon Adventure.
Carol Lynley: Her Film & TV Career in Thrillers, Fantasy and Suspense highlights Carol's appearances in the titled genres. She has been terrorized on screen by everything from psychotic relatives to werewolves and the Blob, from murderous convicts to rampaging beasts and sinking upside down ocean liners. Most fans of these genres do not realize how prolific Carol was, going from theatrical features (The Shuttered Room, The Cat and the Canary, Blackout), to made-for-TV movies (The Immortal, The Night Stalker, Death Stalk), to television guest appear- ances (Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Invaders, Night Gallery, Fantasy Island, Tales of the Unexpected) and back again for over thirty years. Peppered with comments from Carol Lynley specifically for this book and past published sources, it also features fascinat- ing behind-the-scenes tales from her co-workers including Arledge Armenaki, Stephan Chase, Matt Dotson, John Goff, Howard Kazanjian, Harry Langdon, Jr., Alan J. Levi, and Tina Sinatra. Tom Lisanti goes beyond The Poseidon Adventure to shine a light on Carol Lynley's underrated work in the thriller/fantasy/suspense/horror genres with this meticulously researched and well-illustrated tribute book.
Tom Lisanti is an award-winning author whose books include Talking Sixties Drive-In Movies and eight others about sixties Hollywood. He resides in New York City.