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| Only in the wacky world of exploitation films could a kindhearted, Las Vegas based comedy actress and sketch comedienne attract a worldwide cult following for playing a demented Nazi dominatrix with a preference for pain and a passion for power. To Dyanne Thorne--an ordained minister and co-founder of the International Science of Mind Prayer Circle--her brief reign as the inimitable Ilsa in a quartet of raunchy atrocity romps during the 1970s, unleashed a torrent of controversy and condemnation that persists after more than a quarter of a century. Indeed, so convincing were her uninhibited performances in "She Wolf of the S.S.", "Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks", "The Wicked Warden" and "The Tigress of Siberia", that Thorne was branded a Hollywood outlaw, and has been virtually banned from the commercial movie mainstream career since. Thorne made her acting debut in a church play at age three. A natural redhead, whose voluptuous physical attributes blossomed early, she had a 19-inch waist, 35-inch hips and a 37-inch bust by the time she was 15. Determined since adolescence to become a working actress, she studied with famed acting teachers Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler, A struggling New York actress in he early 60s, Thorne alternated bit parts in such TV series as "Naked City" and "Car 54, Where Are You?" with appearances in Broadway musical comedies. Her one scene, as a musician, was cut from the 1963 drama "Love with the Proper Stranger" and she was never paid for her first lead, as a murderess, in the 1965 thriller "Encounter", directed by award winner, Norman Chaipin, and "Little Bobby DeNiro" played her step-son. Moving to Los Angeles in 1966, Thorne made the rounds of TV guest shots, with small roles in "The Wackiest Ship in the Army", "Felony Squad", "T.H.E. Cat" and the "A Piece of the Action" episode of "Star Trek". Most of her footage, as a blue-skinned cocktail waitress, was cut from the 1967 satire "The President's Analyst". Frustrated by her lack of progress in mainstream Hollywood, Thorne found more promising opportunities elsewhere. Beginning in 1970, she alternated comedy stage work in Las Vegas and Broadway road tours with prominent roles in low budget, independent exploitation features: as an abused wife in "Love Me Like I Do"; a homicidally unfaithful spouse in "Point of Terror;" an inept--and frequently nude--Fairy Godmother in "The Erotic Adventures of Pinocchio;" a tourist in the Swedish travelogue "Castles Under the Noonday Moon;" a witch in "Blood Sabbath;" a hooker in "Wham Bam Thank You, Spaceman" (opposite her husband, actor/musician Howard Maurer); and a call girl in "Alias: Big Cherry." Finally, in 1974, Thorne scored her most challenging assignment yet, in the title role of "Ilsa: She Wolf of the S.S.". Cruel and arrogant in complete contrast to her warm and gracious personality--Thorne as frighteningly believable as the imperious Ilsa. The result was a box office bonanza for distributor Cambist Films, and a professional debacle for the guileless actress. Ostracized by her friends and colleagues, she played a murder victim in the 1975 mystery "The Swinging Barmaids" before returning to bondage as "Ilsa: Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks". After five small roles in the 1976 comedy "Chesty Anderson, U.S. Navy" Thorne went to Switzerland and Portugal to portray South American torturess "Greta Del Pino" in "No Man's Land"--which eventually surfaced theatrically as "Wanda: The Wicked Warden" and on video as "Ilsa: The Wicked Warden". By then, she had completed her final, Candian made Ilsa installment, "Ilsa: The Tigress of Siberia". Banished from the cinema spotlight, Thorne retreated to the safety of Las Vegas, where her reputation as a versatile stage performer has never been tarnished by her sinister screen image. She has continued to appear on stage as a comedienne in one show after another for the past 20 years in popular shows at several major hotels, including working as a foil for Tim Conway Show at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada. Devoting her energies to self-improvement. As a professor of comparative religions, she utilizes her Doctorate in Divinity to conduct outdoor "scenic weddings" and lectures on "success motivation" at seminars. She often performs mental magic as psychic "Mademoiselle Le Normand" at business conventions and special parties. Thus occupied wth her varied entreprenurial activities, Thorne has infrequently returned to the screen in a handful of small roles. In the 1984 women's prison shocker "Hellhole" as a mother in the 1985 Mexican drama "La Nieve Del Sur" as James Belushi's transsexual father in the 1987 comedy "Real Men" and as a bride (with her husband as the groom) in the "Tristan und Isolde" segment of the 1988 musical anthology "Aria". Surprised and delighted that her indelible Ilsa exploits have inspired a loyal fan following, Dyanne Thorne wears her show business scars like badges of honor. Although she would like to resume full-time film acting, she is too pragmatic to hope she can recapture the glory days of her "Ilsa" infamy. Nevertheless, she believes she still has a contribution to make as a well rounded character actress--if only a perceptive director will recognize her talent. Meanwhile, there is always another audience of Las Vegas tourists to entertain. Text © by Steve Swires |
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