Pamela Duncan

Pert and pretty Brooklyn-born actress 'Pamela Duncan' (qv) made brief movie news in the 1950s as a "B" level performer and would be best remembered for her damsel-in-distress participation in two of 'Roger Corman' (qv)'s cult turkeys -- _Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)_ (qv) and _The Undead (1957)_ (qv), both co-starring 'Richard Garland' (qv). She played a dual role in the latter. Known for her exceptional fresh-faced beauty, she won several local pageants as a bobbysoxer on her way up. Deciding to pursue a movie career, she made her debut in _Whistling Hills (1951)_ (qv) and appeared in small bits for the most part. In addition to her two prime sci-fi roles, she also enacted the role of Mike Hammer's secretary in the low-budget film whodunit _My Gun Is Quick (1957)_ (qv).Pamela was also a decorative presence on many major TV programs, especially westerns, such as _Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951)_ (qv), _The Roy Rogers Show (1951)_ (qv), _The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1954)_ (qv), _Colt .45 (1957)_ (qv), _Laramie (1959)_ (qv), _Im wilden Westen (1952)_ (qv) and _Maverick (1957)_ (qv). She also provided pleasant distraction on crime-solving dramas including _Perry Mason (1957)_ (qv), _Peter Gunn (1958)_ (qv), _Mr. Lucky (1959)_ (qv) and _The Detectives (1959)_ (qv). Following her brief "15 minutes" of fame, her career quickly phased out in the early 60s. Out of touch for decades, she appeared out of nowhere in the Oscar-nominated documentary _Curtain Call (2000)_ (qv), a documentary that focused on the lives and careers of the residents of the Lillian Booth Actors' Fund of America Home in Englewood, New Jersey. She lived there for the last ten years of her life. The 80-year-old Pamela suffered a stroke and died at the home on November 11, 2005. She left no survivors.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net