She starred in what "Los Angeles Times" writer Susan King described as "one of the best bad movies ever made, 'Attack of the 50-Foot Woman,' " as well as "Attack of the Giant Leeches," lauded by "Video Movie Guide" authors Mick Martin and Marsha Porter as "engagingly bad . . . cheesy fun." Those were far from the only films Yvette Vicker made, but, she notes with amusement, "those are the ones people remember me for." 

"There have been articles published about me in recent years calling me this undiscovered talent, never properly appreciated by Hollywood," Yvette notes. "Now I get fan letters from all over the world from people who want to see me in movies again. It's almost like the way it was when I was young. I used to love the old movie stars like Lana Turner, Joan Crawford and Carole Lombard, who seemed like glamorous persons from another era; now those of us from the Fifties are getting that same kind of attention. And the fans are really loyal. Once they like you, they're your fans for life." 

In addition to her movie roles, Yvette played onstage and in television and has enjoyed a varied musical career, singing and producing original songs. "My father was a jazz saxophone player and my mother was an accomplished classical pianist, so music has been a foundation for me." Not surprisingly, her musical tastes are eclectic, ranging from Pavarotti to Hootie and the Blowfish. (Playing on her answering machine: Beethoven's "Für Elise.") 

Although she hadn't kept touch with Playboy over the years, having been a Playmate is something of which Yvette is proud today. "At the time, some people kind of ridiculed me, but I had the attitude that women are equal to men. We can have a healthy [sexual] appetite and not be put down for it. There is no reason we should be judged for something that men do all the time. I don't believe in a double standard. 

"I didn't meet Mr. Hefner when I posed -- he was in Chicago and I was in Los Angeles at the time -- but I see him interviewed on television and he really makes a lot of sense. People who are judgmental about making love -- doing something that is joyful -- well, that seems like such an odd premise to me." 


PLAYBOY APPEARANCES: Centerfold, January 1960; "Playmate Review -- 1959," January 1960; "Playmates Revisited," July 1964; "20 Years of Playmates," January 1974.

PLAYBOY NEWSSTAND SPECIALS: "Playmates: The First 15 Years," January 1983.

PLAYBOY VIDEO CREDITS: "Playboy's Playmates: The Early Years" (1991).

PLAYBOY BOOK APPEARANCES: "The Playmate Book" (1996).

PLAYBOY CALENDARS: 1961.

MOVIE CREDITS: "Sunset Boulevard" (1950); "Reform School Girl" (1957); "Sad Sack" (1957); "Short-Cut to Hell" (1957); "Saga of Hemp Brown" (1958); "Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman" (1958); "I, Mobster" (1958); "Attack of the Giant Leeches" (1959); "Pressure Point" (1962); "Beach Party" (1963); "Hud" (1963); "Juvenile Jungle" (1968); "What's the Matter With Helen" (1971); "Vigilante Force" (1976); "Evil Spirits" (1991).

TELEVISION CREDITS: "Ben Blues Brothers" (unsold pilot, 1955); "Johnny Neptune" (1955); "Dead Won't Die" (1975); "Betty White Show" (1956); "Bob Cummings Show" (1957); "Emergency" (1957); "Mike Hammer" (1958); "Movin' On" (1959); "One Step Beyond" (1959); "Rebel" (1959); "Switch" (1959); "Bat Masterson" (1959).