Old School Erotica

As a bleach blonde “California girl”, Playboy’s Miss May 1979 Michele Drake described her life prior to modelling as “basic”. Like many Playmates however, the sunny beauty’s future following her appearance in the iconic magazine would be anything but average. Michele’s birth at a sea-side hospital in La Jolla under the sign of Aquarius predetermined her affinity for the water. As a child, Miss Drake spent her summer days at the jumping waves or rolling skating around the surrounding board walks. In high school the spring centerfold delighted in the local board surfing scene, and on weekends would get up in the early hours of the morning to watch her boyfriend tackle optimal waves. Sometimes Michele even stuffed seven to eight girlfriends into her large Dodge Coronet to bring along for some beach-side fun, “the girls would sit around and watch the guys surf”, she described. As an adult, Drake found the coastline the best place to gather her thoughts, but would often fall victim to nostalgia. Her successful Playboy appearance however, forced the talented beauty to look towards the future and pursue her non-oceanside passions of singing, dancing, and acting professionally. The years following her gatefold pictorial saw Michele busy with her contractual obligations with Hugh Hefner’s brand, as she modelled in calendar and advert shoots and even appeared in a solo pictorial for the magazine’s Japan edition. A gifted vocalist, Miss Drake contributed to “The Singing Playmates” with whom she performed with in front of a nationwide crowd on The Johnny Carson Show for his 1982 New Years Eve Special. Staying close to So-Cal made it easy for the bright blonde to dabble in acting, and starred in five bit roles by her retirement from the busy in 1985 including as a beach-goer in American Gigolo (1980) and as a vestal virgin in History of the World Part I (1981). Most of Michele’s motivation for leaving her professional aspirations on hold was at the fault of her first husband, who unsupportively, treated her accomplishments “as a hobby” and encouraged his wife to quit. Luckily, the former Playmate later found a kindred spirit in her second partner, who shared her passion for the musical arts. The pair later had two children together, the second of whom Michele gave birth to “at the ripe old age of 38!”. When Playboy caught up with Miss Drake in 1996, she was on her way to recieving a degree in holistic medicine. Today, Michele continues to utilize her vocal chords by participating in an all-girl Karaoke singing group and stays in touch with her fans through glamour conventions. Most recently Miss Drake returned to film in behind the screen roles, and her short film “Shifty Business” which she co-wrote and directed, was released in June 2018. 

While posing for Playboy is often a “once in a lifetime” event for many women, for the magazine’s Miss September 1967 Angela Dorian, it provided one of many significant stages in her professional legacy. Born in Los Angeles to Italian immigrant parents as “Victoria Vetri”, the brunette bombshell enjoyed performing for a crowd at an early age. Throughout her childhood Angela delighted in honing her craft through dancing lessons and modelling classes where she spent time with other future celebrities such as Jane Fonda and Sharon Tate. Miss Dorian eventually formed a close friendship with the latter actress; a relationship which later brought her face to face with death. While attending Hollywood High School the aspiring performer landed her first movie role in The Pigeon That Took Rome (1962), but declined the leading part in Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita explaining that she, “didn’t want to capitalise on being a nymphet.” An accomplished singer, Victoria was also the first in line to dub for Natalie Wood’s character in Westside Story, but turned that down as well due to her refusal to be known as a “stand-by”. Despite these early career set-backs, a brief marriage to her high school sweetheart, and a having baby boy to care for the versatile talent found balance in her life by late 1963. Throughout the following year onward until 1970 the dark-eyed beauty averaged four guest TV roles a year, appearing in hit series such as Bonanza, Perry Mason, Batman, and Star Trek. Somehow in between her busy work and home schedule, Miss Vetri found the time to dabble in poetry, ink sketching, and learned how to play the guitar. An avid car enthusiast, Angela spent her extra cash on her beloved Porsche and Austin-Healey Sprite which were also used in recreational racing. Rounding out her professional dalliances, the Hollywood Renaissance woman posed for Playboy in 1967 much to the delight with troops over seas. Due to her growing popularity as a military pin-up, Miss Dorian was awarded the magazine’s Playmate of the year prize the following June. Also in 1968, Angela made an appearance in her friend Roman Polanski’s Hollywood hit Rosemary’s Baby. A common fixture in the director’s household, Miss Dorian often attended and helped Sharon Tate host parties there. On 8 August 1969 Angela received an invitation for a get-together at her girlfriend’s pad, but in this instance declined due to feeling “ill”. The subsequent senseless murder of Sharon Tate and her guests greatly effected Miss Dorian. Due to her belief that Manson overheard her calling him a “weirdo”, Angela’s paranoia towards becoming the cult group’s next victim grew so much police stood watch outside her home for the ensuring months. Friend and now-widow Roman Polanski gifted the buxom actress his walther pistol to help her feel safe. By the end of 1969, Miss Dorian returned to acting and landed a lead role in the Hammer cult classic When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970); she also received top billing for the sex comedy Group Marriage starred in the female ensemble Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973). Angela’s star unfortunately faded out towards the end of the decade, but she continued to stay in close contact with Playboy, appearing in their “Playmates Forever Part II!” pictorial in 1984. With finally enough time on her hands for love, the former Summer centerfold married long-time partner Bruce Ragtheb in 1986. However, tragedy continued to follow Angela as she never got over Sharon’s death nor her fear of Manson. In 2010 during a heated argument with Ragtheb, Dorian shot her husband in the chest at point blank range as he was attempting to flee in an elevator. Miraculously her husband, who was injured with Polanski’s gifted pistol survived and made a full recovery. Charged with one count of attempted involuntary manslaughter, Angela is currently serving a 9-year sentence in state prison. Ragtheb, who knew his wife during the Manson trial remains sympathetic, and claims that her chronic paranoia fuelled the disaster.