Cynthia Myers profile: A Tribute to the Shy Starlet of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Today, dear readers, I want to pay tribute to a star who shone as brightly as she did briefly in the wild Hollywood of the late 1960s: the beautiful, unforgettable Cynthia Myers (1950–2011). A Cynthia Myers profile for fans of cult cinema, she is forever immortalized as the sensitive bassist Casey Anderson in Russ Meyer’s psychedelic masterpiece, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. But her story is so much more than that one film; it’s the tale of a shy girl from Toledo, Ohio, who became a pin-up sensation, an icon of an era, and an actress who experienced the madness of Hollywood from the inside out.
Biography: From “Wholly Toledo!” to Hollywood
Early Life and Discovery Cynthia Jeanette Myers was born in Toledo, Ohio, and attended Woodward High School. By the tender age of fourteen, this dark-haired girl with her striking figure (39-24-36) was already getting modeling offers. Many people suggested she should pose for Playboy, an idea she eventually considered herself. At fifteen, she submitted some photographs to the magazine. The definitive breakthrough came during a school semester break in Miami Beach, where a photographer snapped her picture coming out of a swimming pool. The next day, she was on the front page of the Miami Herald. Shortly after, Playboy called.
Playboy Playmate and Pin-Up Icon Her photoshoot took place in June 1968, when she was still 17. Following Playboy’s policy of waiting until a Playmate turned 18, her pictorial was published as Miss December 1968. This made her the first Playmate born in the 1950s. The centerfold, photographed by Pompeo Posar and titled “Wholly Toledo!”, became iconic. She immediately became a favorite of American GIs in Vietnam, receiving the second-largest amount of fan mail ever for a centerfold. Despite her popularity, she was not selected as Playmate of the Year. However, in a 2000 poll, she was voted the #10 “Playmate of the Century”.
Later Life and Death After her film career, Myers largely withdrew from the public eye, partly because she grew tired of the constant requests for nude scenes. She regretted putting her career on the “back burner” for a relationship with an actor. In 1981, she married an Air Force pilot and had a son, Robert. For a time, she lived in the desert as a homemaker, raising her son and caring for her horse. In 2009, she became a spokeswoman for a retro-themed Schlitz beer marketing campaign.
Cynthia Myers passed away on November 4, 2011, at the age of 61 in Los Angeles from lung cancer.
Defining Role: Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
In 1969, she was brought to the attention of director Russ Meyer, who cast her in the leading role of Casey Anderson in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Meyer, known as “the bosom master,” was floored by her 39DD cup size. The film, written by the famed film critic Roger Ebert, was a satire of Hollywood and followed an all-girl rock band that gets entangled in a world of “sex, drugs, rock ‘n roll, suspense, violence, comedy and more sex!”.
Myers played Casey, the “lost soul” of the band, a bisexual bassist and a senator’s daughter. She delivered a sympathetic performance, likened to Sharon Tate in the original Valley of the Dolls, and did not shy away from exposing herself in love scenes with both a man and a woman. To feel comfortable, she insisted that her love scene with co-star Erica Gavin be filmed on a closed set. The film, which initially received an X-rating, became a massive cult classic that endures to this day.
Personality: The Shy Starlet
Despite her sexy image, Cynthia Myers repeatedly described herself as shy, nervous, and scared. During her Playboy shoot, she was so nervous she could see the fright in her own eyes in the photos. She was not a party animal and felt uncomfortable with the “free love” atmosphere of the Playboy Mansion, where she avoided one-night stands.
In Hollywood, she was frequently confronted with the “casting couch,” always turning down men who promised roles in exchange for sex. On set, however, she was a true professional. Russ Meyer nicknamed her “One Take Annie” because she always came prepared and often nailed her scenes in a single take.
Connections in Hollywood
- Russ Meyer: The director who gave her her most famous role. She described him as a “no nonsense” guy who took pride in delivering films on time and under budget.
- Hugh Hefner: She was friends with Hefner and a regular on his TV show Playboy After Dark. However, she was never one of “Hef’s babes,” feeling too shy for the extravagant Mansion lifestyle.
- Roger Ebert: The renowned film critic who co-wrote the script for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
- Burt Lancaster: He introduced her to director Sydney Pollack, which led to her first film role.
- Erica Gavin: Her co-star in Dolls, whom she called a “darling lady”. Their work was complicated by Gavin’s jealous girlfriend, who was an extra on set and would “throw daggers” at them with her stare.
- Linda Lovelace: Myers met the Deep Throat star at the Playboy Mansion and was impressed with how well she handled her sudden, worldwide fame.
Trivia and Anecdotes
- The Manson Connection: Myers lived in Benedict Canyon, just below the house where Sharon Tate was murdered. She recalled the neighborhood dogs barking incessantly that night, sensing “something weird was happening”. The film was later accused of cashing in on the murders, to which Russ Meyer characteristically responded, “Oh so what”.
- Playmates in Space: A nude photo of Myers (along with three other Playmates) was scanned by the Apollo 12 backup crew and secretly inserted into the astronauts’ wrist checklists for their mission to the Moon.
- The Robin Costume: In Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, she wore Burt Ward’s original Boy Wonder costume from the Batman TV series. Years later, she met Ward, who joked, “I bet you looked a lot better in it than I did!”.
- Guinness Book of World Records: Myers laughingly shared that Beyond the Valley of the Dolls was listed in the Guinness Book as “one of the worst films ever made,” with her name and John LaZar’s mentioned.
- Bill Cosby: In interviews published after her death, Myers claimed she personally witnessed Bill Cosby “use drugs to have sex with women” at the Playboy Mansion, stating his actions disgusted her so much she couldn’t “shed a tear” when his son was murdered in 1997.
Quotes
- On her Playboy status: “Every woman in Playboy has been a beautiful woman. Whenever I am singled out for a project, I am humbled.”
- To feminists who criticized her for being in a Russ Meyer film: “It was a lot of fun, and if that’s being exploited? Exploit me some more! It was just a lot of fun and the movie is something that I’ll have memories to treasure.”
- On Hollywood: “These people in Hollywood are really insane!”
- On the enduring popularity of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls: “It’s something you can’t explain… You’ve just got to go with the flow.”
- Her mother’s reaction to the film: “Oh, honey I felt so bad when you got killed.”
Career Overview
Filmography
- They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969): A small, uncredited role as one of the marathon dancers in this acclaimed drama. She had only one line but called it a “wonderful experience”.
- Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970): Her starring role as Casey Anderson, the bisexual bassist for the rock band “The Carrie Nations”.
- Molly and Lawless John (1972): A supporting role in this Western.
- After this film, she appeared in two other Westerns alongside actors like Bob Fuller, Vera Miles, and Sam Elliot before retiring.
Magazines
- Playboy: Miss December 1968 (cover and centerfold).
- Playboy pictorial: “The Dolls of Beyond the Valley” (to promote the film).
- Playboy Playmate Calendars: Appeared in the 1970, 1971, and 1972 editions.
Other Work
- Playboy After Dark (1969): Regular guest on Hugh Hefner’s TV show.
- Bob Hope Special: Danced and performed a short skit with Bob Hope on a Bob Hope/Ann-Margret special in the 1980s.
- Modeling: Continued modeling after her film career.
- Schlitz Beer: Served as a spokeswoman for a retro-themed marketing campaign in 2009.
Cynthia Myers profile: Vital Statistics
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Cynthia Jeanette Myers |
| Date of Birth | September 12, 1950 |
| Place of Birth | Toledo, Ohio, USA |
| Date of Death | November 4, 2011 (age 61) |
| Place of Death | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Cause of Death | Lung Cancer |
| Occupation | Actress, model, Playboy Playmate |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) |
| Measurements | 39-24-36; cup size 39DD |
Russ Meyer’s Women
