Woody Allen Walking With Tamara Dobson in New York, 1971

Woody Allen walking with Tamara Dobson on 57th Street Bridge, New York, 1971. Photographed by Bruce Laurance.

When the photo was taken in 1971, Woody Allen (5’5″) was 35 years old and had just released Bananas, his third film after What’s Up, Tiger Lily? (1966) and Take the Money and Run (1969). Tamara Dobson (6’2″) was 24 and had just began a modeling career a few years earlier. The following year, in 1972, she would start a new career in the movie industry and would quickly become known for her main role as a kung-fu agent in the Blaxploitation films Cleopatra Jones (1973) and Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975).

Bruce Laurance shot the photo for Harper’s Bazaar fashion magazine as part as a promotional assignment for Woody Allen’s upcoming film Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (released in August of 1972). The photo took an entire page of the magazine. The exact publication date is unsure, but is believed to be November 1971.

“At that time, Woody Allen always seemed to be chasing after a girl,” said Laurance. “I thought it would be a good idea to use one in the photos. I had worked with Tamara a couple of times previously and thought it would be hysterical to shoot her next to Woody Allen. I was sure something funny would happen.”

“When we showed up at the publicity agents apartment, they were totally surprised to see a 6’2” gorgeous black girl, as part of the photos. I told them I planned to shoot the pictures in the street, Woody said ‘NO!,’ he was concerned about crowds forming around us. I said I didn’t think we’d have a problem and he agreed to give it a try, but he was not a ‘happy camper.’

“We shot in Central Park for about half an hour and nothing great was happening. I don’t think he was really into it. We had couple of almost funny pictures, but nothing like I was hoping for. As we were walking back to the apartment, Woody was having a chat with Tamara (she’s gorgeous!) and I was walking behind them. I had my camera ready and I called: ‘Woody!.’ He turned around and gave me that look. I’m sure he knew what he was doing. That was it! The photo I was hoping for.

“Who was it who said?…‘I’d rather be lucky than good.’”

Here’s another photo showing Woody Allen and Tamara Dobson as they face Laurance’s camera during a promotional photo assignment for Harper’s Bazaar, in New York, in 1971:

(Photos by © Tamara Dobson, via Aphelis)