Kitten with a Whip is a 1964 American crime drama film directed by Douglas Heyes, who co-wrote the screenplay with Whit Masterson, a pseudonym for writers Robert Allison “Bob” Wade and H. Bill Miller, who also wrote the novel on which the film is based under the name Wade Miller. The film stars John Forsythe, Ann-Margret, Peter Brown, Patricia Barry and Richard Anderson.
The film was made to publicize Ann-Margret as a serious actress. Her previous films, Viva Las Vegas and Bye Bye Birdie, were of the musical genre and did little to highlight her dramatic skills. Her management signed her to several different films at this time, each with a top Hollywood studio, and she was not consulted on the projects they had chosen for her. In interviews, Ann-Margret made the best of the situation, claiming she was hoping to distance herself from her “new Marilyn Monroe” image.
Decades later, the film would be selected for riffing in a 1994 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Kevin Killian’s 2008 book of poetry Action Kylie features “Kitten with a Whipe”, a poem inspired by the film and featuring its two main characters.
These vintage photos captured portraits of Ann-Margret during the filming of Kitten with a Whip in 1964.
Where's the whip?
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