# Pia Zadora thread, 80s would be starlet **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 5, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812 "2026-05-05T18:14:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/41 "2026-05-09T21:03:30Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > She used her husband’s parts to get wealth. You totally win the thread. Naughty naughty! > [@Tamerlane](#): > > Hard to say how much of a predatory gold digger Zadora was if she even was at all. My take is akin to yours. Zadora was a mostly harmless pawn in Riklis’ games. Yeah, she liked being a minor celebrity and having a life of great wealth. But she wasn’t a ruthless self-promotor out hunting a sugar daddy or out hunting a career. She sorta bumbled into it, liked it, but wasn’t maniacal about pushing her career. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/42 "2026-05-09T22:05:07Z")
The way I heard it, the audience yelled “SHE’S IN THE **FUCKING** ATTIC!” 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/43 "2026-05-10T18:44:17Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Yeah, Pia Zadora was surely less talented and less established before her relationship than Marion Davies was at a similar point. But both Meshulam Riklis and William Randolph Hearst give an impression of definitely pushing the careers of their respective sweethearts out of their own fascination. Marion Davies was actually an accomplished and successful comedienne, but WRH kept trying to push her into dramatic roles that were her forte. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/44 "2026-05-10T23:35:07Z")
Zadora was not only a would be starlet but also a would be pop star with seven albums to date, the most recent in 2020. Here is the fantastically terrible, 80s poptrash song _When the Rain Begins to Fall_ with Jermaine Jackson: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aahViYznVTQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Jermaine Jackson, Pia Zadora - When the Rain Begins to Fall (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aahViYznVTQ) ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/45 "2026-05-12T11:53:57Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Zadora was not only a would be starlet but also a would be pop star with seven albums to date, the most recent in 2020. Here is the fantastically terrible, 80s poptrash song _When the Rain Begins to Fall_ with Jermaine Jackson: > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aahViYznVTQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aahViYznVTQ) 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/46 "2026-05-12T12:37:08Z")
What I thought odd about that vid was how little the camera lingered on her. Most music vids are softcore porn; lots of long looks at the mostly unclad gyrating wimmin, with an occasional cut to the male lead singer if there is one. Each shot of Zadora’s face was so brief you (me) had to really work to recognize if that was her or somebody else. And she was the only woman in the vid; everyone else, from Jermaine Jackson to the lowliest Extra Dancer #23 was male. For sure, this was a Jermaine Jackson song, with her as a “guest star”. So you’d expect the camera emphasis to be on him. But not to that degree. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/47 "2026-05-12T12:54:21Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > What I thought odd about that vid was how little the camera lingered on her. Most music vids are softcore porn; lots of long looks at the mostly unclad gyrating wimmin, with an occasional cut to the male lead singer if there is one. > > Each shot of Zadora’s face was so brief you (me) had to really work to recognize if that was her or somebody else. I dunno, with the exception of the first verse, which was sung by Jermaine, I think after her voice sets in, they both have similar screen time. But anyway, what a wonderfully cheesy 80s video! During this thread, I read the wiki page for the song, and what I hadn’t known is that this was on the soundtrack of a movie flick in which Jermaine and Pia had the leading roles. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/48 "2026-05-12T16:41:21Z")
Oh, that was great! Those costumes! The choreographed fight scene! The white gang vs the black gang? So typical of the “subtle” symbolism in those vids. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/49 "2026-05-12T16:55:31Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > The white gang vs the black gang? So typical of the “subtle” symbolism in those vids. I wonder why the white bike gangsters wear nun’s veils. I thought they were meant to be menacing. (though from what I gather from former students at Catholic schools, maybe that’s the point 😉) ETA: and now I saw that the white gang’s bikes were BMWs. Already the most uncool granddaddy bikes in the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/50 "2026-05-12T17:04:39Z")
I always thought that The Last Dragon’s Angela Viracco character was a mashup of Pia Zadora and Cyndi Lauper. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/51 "2026-05-12T17:16:08Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I wonder why the white bike gangsters wear nun’s veils. I thought they looked more like Egyption pharaoh headware. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/52 "2026-05-12T17:21:16Z")
Granted, also that. A cross between an Egyptian pharaoh and a white nun. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/53 "2026-05-12T17:52:37Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I only know two thing she’s done I didn’t even know her name - I always thought it was Piaza Dora. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/54 "2026-05-12T17:56:51Z")
For a very long time I had conflated her with E.G. Daily. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/55 "2026-05-12T18:07:51Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > I didn’t even know her name - I always thought it was Piaza Dora. I had a similar misconception re: Sarah Jessa Kaparker. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/56 "2026-05-12T18:21:39Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > During this thread, I read the wiki page for the song, and what I hadn’t known is that this was on the soundtrack of a movie flick in which Jermaine and Pia had the leading roles. **Voyage of the Rock Aliens**! And you can watch the full movie, free on [youtube!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csgGEZzhojA) ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/57 "2026-05-12T18:38:22Z")
I’ll always remember her for something really shitty she did in the late 80s. Her and her husband purchased [Pickfair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickfair), one of the most famous residences in Hollywood history, claimed she was going to renovate it, then promptly tore it down and replaced it with a gaudy “Venetian style palazzo”. She first claimed she did this because the old mansion was infested with termites. Later, she changed her story and said it was because the original house was haunted. Regardless, she showed complete disregard for the historical significance of Pickfair, angering many people. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/58 "2026-05-12T18:52:10Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > **Voyage of the Rock Aliens**! And you can watch the full movie, free on [youtube!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csgGEZzhojA) OMG! Will I ever have 2 hours to spend when life feels so useless that I’ll waste them with watching this movie? 😄 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/59 "2026-05-12T19:27:38Z")
Movies like that you sample. 30 seconds here, a minute there, and 15 minutes later, at most, you’ve had your fill and can move on replete. Nobody eats a whole buffet. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812/60 "2026-05-12T20:00:18Z")
I have more frightening news. There is a K-pop version of _When the Rain Begins to Fall_ by PSY (feat. Hwa Sa.) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2saWSGoWmrU/maxresdefault.jpg "PSY - '이제는 (Now)' feat. 화사 (Hwa Sa) Performance Video") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2saWSGoWmrU) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pia-zadora-thread-80s-would-be-starlet/1029812.md?page=4)