Growing Wonder 

a well-constructed high-rise beauty makes an exceptional october playmate 

The California propensity for beauty on an epic scale was never more admirably illustrated than by our October Playmate, a six-foot (in bare feet) stunner from Altadena named Christine Williams. Today a thoroughly cheerful 18-year-old with ash-blonde hair and an instant smile, queen-sized Christine once viewed the world and her stature in it with considerable misgivings: "I was always the tallest and gawkiest girl in my class," she says, "and it really embarrassed me, especially during my first two years of high school in Pasadena, where some of the other girls got their kicks by taunting me openly. Then one day I realized that they were making all the noise -- the boys didn't seem to mind my height at all. From that moment on, I've loved being tall. I really prefer dating shorter men, which is a good thing, because when my hair is piled up and I've got my high heels on not many men are taller than I. I absolutely insist on wearing heels, by the way -- I'm told they make my legs look even longer and I'd feel self-conscious going out on a date without them." 
As the daughter of a now-retired Army captain, Christine was shuttled about a good deal in her youth, along with kid brother Roy and younger sister Carolyn ("The real beauty in the family -- only 16, with the face and natural coloring of Sophia Loren"). Her circuitous route to the Golden State included stays in England (she was born in Basingstoke), Germany, and Red Bank, New Jersey. After graduating from high school, she sagely decided that her natural resources (37-26-37) might be put to profitable use in some phase of show business -- but has discovered that it takes as much luck as grit to gain entree to the world of entertainment: "The rule seems to be that you have to have experience to get experience." 

Christine takes advantage of the time on her hands between job-hunting expeditions to enjoy long rides on her horse, Flash, a spirited russet-and-white stallion which she boards at the ranch of a friend in Altadena. "Flash is a charming horse and a veteran movie actor," she says proudly. "His greatest role was in 'Sand' with Rory Calhoun a few years back, and he has a long list of other credits. I wish I could say the same."