# So what is it about Angie Dickinson? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 12, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098 "2004-09-12T02:23:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/1 "2004-09-12T02:23:30Z")
It seems like straight men of my dad’s generation almost uniformly have/had a thing for Angie Dickinson. What’s up with that? Of course she was and is attractive and seems nice enough when I see her on talk shows or interviews or whatever, but I’m missing what it is about her that landed her on so many “celebrities it’s OK to cheat with” lists. Enlighten me. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/2 "2004-09-12T02:30:56Z")
[Angie Dickenson in “Policewoman”](http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/71/039_34367.jpg) Next question. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/3 "2004-09-12T02:49:49Z")
I always thought she looked kinda hard and slightly skanky myself. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/4 "2004-09-12T02:50:59Z")
The question is why _her_ and not some other woman of relatively equal attractiveness from the same era? ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/5 "2004-09-12T03:04:11Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > I always thought she looked kinda hard and slightly skanky myself. That’s why! She’s got that slightly skanky thing going on. She’s like, the sexy older woman. She has the aura of dirty about her. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/6 "2004-09-12T03:16:53Z")
I think she exuded a brassy, ball-busting toughness that set her apart from a lot of actresses. She wasn’t known for romantic roles as much as the woman who was able to fit in with “the boys”. I think a more contemporary example would be Ellen Barkin. Plus, she was [hot](http://64.211.46.141/nm/D/ANGIE_DICKINSON008.JPG). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/7 "2004-09-12T06:36:04Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > The question is why _her_ and not some other woman of relatively equal attractiveness from the same era? There weren’t that many beautiful tough women characters back then. This was right on the cusp of the Women’s Liberation movement, and she probably represented a side of feminism that was a big plus to men, as opposed to the battleaxe diesel dyke side that tended to be more visible on the News as they waved placards and burned underwear. I can only vaguely recall her, and must admit that as a 5 year old I didn’t really find her all that appealing (and then, as I grew older, along came Charlie’s Angels instead). ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/8 "2004-09-12T09:33:05Z")
Eminent film critic David Thomson, in his _A Biographical Dictionary of Film_: > [@](#): > > The author is torn between his duty to everyone from Thorold Dickinson to Zinnemann and the plain fact that Angie is his favourite actress. Not that 1,000 words of analysis would carry more weight than a well-chosen still. Many people think of her as TV’s _Police Woman_, rather than as an actress. Her career has never gathered proper momentum, and nor has she seemed too distressed by having to make dull movies. Her virtues are probably not those of a leading actress, and it is significant that in her best film, _Rio Bravo_ (59), she appeared very happy with Hawks’ masculine code and ensemble playing. But equally, her Feathers in that film could be defended as a portrait of an intelligent, nervous, attractive woman that perfectly embodies the director’s philosophy. For all that the role seems restricted to _genre_, Feathers is one of the truest female characters in modern cinema. And it characterised Angie’s ability to inhabit a man’s world without asking for concessions and without needing to rock the conventions. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/9 "2004-09-12T09:45:30Z")
Her debut,\* Rio Bravo\*, is one of my alltime favorite films. And the life she brought to _Point Blank_, another alltimer, is a huge part of what makes that movie. Plus, she was a member of the Rat Pack; men who wanted to sleep with Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra could think of her as a proxy. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/10 "2004-09-12T09:51:33Z")
Her “debut” in _Rio Bravo_? She had eleven credits before that, including as the half-caste girl in Samuel Fuller’s _China Gate_, and as Rod Steiger’s girlfriend in _Cry Terror_. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/11 "2004-09-12T10:16:43Z")
sorry; meant to say breakthrough. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/12 "2004-09-12T10:21:04Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Men who wanted to sleep with Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra could think of her as a proxy. Dean Martin? Well, if you’re into popping cocktail cherries, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/13 "2004-09-12T10:58:01Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > Dean Martin? Well, if you’re into popping cocktail cherries, I guess. Dude, Dean Martin was one of the biggest sex symbols of his day. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/14 "2004-09-12T15:52:36Z")
IIRC she ws also the only one to walk away from a typical surprise “This is Your Life” segment. She freaked out and walked away (literally). All the guests and relatives they had lined up from her past and the show were caught flat footed. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/15 "2004-09-13T01:41:09Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Dude, Dean Martin was one of the biggest sex symbols of his day. I can believe it when Sammy Davis was the main competition. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/16 "2004-09-13T02:39:33Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > … she was a member of the Rat Pack; men who wanted to sleep with Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra could think of her as a proxy. So waitaminute. You’re saying that red blooded heterosexual guys of a certain age like **Otto** ’s Dad who have the hots for Angie Dickinson secretly want to boff Dino and/or the Chairman of the Board? ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/17 "2004-09-13T02:58:25Z")
Angie Dickinson’s gone through several stages in her career. For the peak of her tough, sexy older woman (okay, with a wee bit o’ the skank) period, rent _Big Bad Mama_. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lodoen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b3f665/32.png) [@Jeff\_Lodoen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lodoen)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/18 "2004-09-13T07:51:24Z")
> [@Laughing Lagomorph](#): > > So waitaminute. You’re saying that red blooded heterosexual guys of a certain age like **Otto** ’s Dad who have the hots for Angie Dickinson secretly want to boff Dino and/or the Chairman of the Board? That was a plot on The King Of Queens. Jerry Stiller meets an old woman who claimed to once yadda yadda yadda with Frank. Take a pass on Rome Adventure. She has a cameo trying to steal Troy Donahue from Suzanne Pleshette. Thanks Mom for making me watch dreck. I opened this thread hoping beyond hope for info on Overboard, a better movie Mom liked. Made for TV movie starring Angie Dickinson and Cliff Robertson from 1978. Not available in the US, but tedious eBaying showed me it was released on VHS in Australia (PAL of course). I say tedious 'cause I have to wade (!) through dozens of tapes of Overboard with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. I don’t know what keeps it unmarketed. Music licensing problems like Heavy Metal and Lathe Of Heaven? Something to do with the reported black-balling of Cliff Robertson? It was a staple of local TV afternoon movies… ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/19 "2004-09-13T08:31:08Z")
Good Og, I got to the third reply before finally getting Angie Dickenson and Angela Landsbury straightened out in my mind. This was starting to get weird. Oh yes, Miss Fletcher, I’ve been a baaaad sleeper agent! ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098/20 "2004-09-13T11:59:06Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > Good Og, I got to the third reply before finally getting Angie Dickenson and Angela Landsbury straightened out in my mind. This was starting to get weird. > > Oh yes, Miss Fletcher, I’ve been a baaaad sleeper agent! Angela Lansbury was actually pretty hot in her prime, although that was a very long time ago now. She’s been Jessica Fletcher to me since I was a kid, and I was pretty darn surprised to see her playing Sibyl in the old **Picture of Dorian Gray** movie! A quick Google didn’t turn up many old photos of her, but [Art.com](http://Art.com) has [this](http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/Aff--CONF/CTID--58928113/RFID--329533/TKID--15032711/pd--10104356/posters.htm) and [this](http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/PD--10045437/AngelaLansbury.asp?ui=4D000438EFA84EFDB538CA522FCFF61D). I think she looks a lot like Nicole Kidman in the second one. . .and that is a compliment, although I realize not everyone shares my high opinion of Ms. Kidman’s appearance. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-it-about-angie-dickinson/264098.md?page=2)