There are some side benefits to being a reporter for a newspaper. One was meeting and having dinner with June Wilkinson, the most photographed model in Playboy Magazine.
The stunningly attractive British model and actress was appearing in a comedy, 'A Bed Full Of Foreigners' at the Windmill Dinner Theater in Scottsdale, AZ. I had done half a dozen reviews of shows at the Windmill and the owner and I had become friends.
He called me up one day at the Phoenix American where I wrote a nightlife column called 'Sand In My Shoes' and said, 'How would you like to interview a model-actress who has appeared in Playboy Magazine seven times?'
I was scheduled to play poker that evening at the American Legion Post No. One, but I figured that could wait. June and I agreed to meet for dinner and drinks at Hiram Fong's Chinese Restaurant that evening at 6 p.m.
First, though, I did some research on her. She was born in England, became a performer at 12, and at 15 became the youngest topless dancer at a theater in England.
She had appeared in several movies and was sought after by many photographers who shot for the men's magazines because of her 40-25-37 figure. She had also been married to NFL quarterback Dan Pastorini and had a daughter who was an accomplished tennis player.
I arrived at Hiram Fong's restaurant a few minutes before 6. Fong, the Chinese owner, greeted me with a big smile. He said a beautiful blond lady was waiting for me in the dining room.
June was wearing a red dress and high heels. She was a knockout and Fong was obviously smitten by her. He dismissed the waiter and insisted on serving us wine himself.
The actress-model had a delightful sense of humor. She gave me a great interview, talked about her marriage to Pastorini -- it ended in a divorce when she caught him romancing a groupie -- and said she was a serious actress who was being typecast by producers and directors who were only interested in the way she looked, not in her acting ability.
'It's very frustrating, but it pays the bills,' she added.
The wine made both of us very talkative. I told her about my planned poker game for later that evening. She talked about the play she was appearing in and invited me to come and watch her performance on a night when there wasn't a poker game.
'Do you play poker?' I said.
She told me she loved to gamble and that Las Vegas was one of her favorite places to perform because of the slot machines and dice tables.
Somehow the subject of sex came up and I asked her to give me her definition of sex.
Sipping her wine, she smiled.
'Sex is just a big tickle,' she said. Fong, who was standing nearby with a bottle of chardonnay wine, heard her and burst into laughter.
Our dinner and drinks lasted two hours. She glanced at her watch and said, 'Goodness, I'm going to be late for the play. It's been delightful. Good luck in your poker game. I hope all the wine you drank won't cause you to lose.''
I clicked glasses with her and said, 'I hope all the wine you drank won't cause you to forget your lines.'
Fong grinned and refilled our wine glasses.
'One for the road,' he said, winking.
Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.
(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).
