Chris Noel

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Chris Noel
Born (1941-07-02) July 2, 1941 (age 80)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActress, radio show host
Years active1963–2010
Known forGirl Happy, Wild Wild Winter and The Tormentors
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Spouse(s)
Ty Herrington
(m. 1969, died)

Chris Noel (born July 2, 1941) is a retired American actress and entertainer.[1] Noel is best known for her appearances in a dozen beach party movies in the 1960s,[1] and for her work on the Armed Forces Radio And Television Service as the "Voice of Vietnam".[2] A popular pin-up girl of the era,[3] Noel made frequent visits to troops, risking the shooting down of the helicopters she was riding twice.[4] She hosted the radio program A Date With Chris, one of Armed Forces Radio's most popular shows.[5]

Model[]

Noel's picture appeared on the cover of Good Housekeeping magazine when she was 16 years old, and she was painted as a pin-up model by Gil Elvgren. Posters that showed her holding a Kodak Brownie camera were displayed in camera stores. She also had her own modeling school in Lake Park, Florida.[6]

Vietnam[]

In addition to her work on radio during the Vietnam War, she toured the country eight times, including twice with Bob Hope. Her interest in that war's military personnel began with her visit to a San Francisco VA hospital in 1965. She said, "That was the moment. I prayed to God to help me help young men in war."[7][8]

Singer[]

In the early '70's, Noel was in New York and was working with Paul Colby, impresario and owner of the famous Greenwich Village club, The Bitter End. Noel was performing cover songs by John Prine and needed a backup band. Paul asked Dennis Lepri, who had worked with Kenny Rogers and Gunhill Road, to form a band for her and produce her sound. After auditioning many New York area musicians, the band "Quilt" was formed. After extensive rehearsals at the Bitter End, the band showcased for selected industry executives to mixed reviews. Some time after, the band was dissolved and Noel pursued other interests.

Personal life[]

Following his proposal in a helicopter, Noel wed soldier Ty Herrington, whom she later found out was diagnosed as a "paranoid schizophrenic manic-depressive".[7][9][6] He killed himself after they had been married for 11 months. She went on to marry three more times, once to a Texan independent oil producer, another to a guy she met in church, and last to a lawyer.[6]

In 1993, she opened a shelter in Boynton Beach, Florida, providing space for 10–12 drug-free veterans at a time.[6]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
1963 Soldier in the Rain Frances McCoy
1964 Honeymoon Hotel Nancy Penrose
Looking for Love Actress Uncredited
Diary of a Bachelor Bachelorette
Get Yourself a College Girl Sue Ann Mobley
1965 Girl Happy Betsy
Joy in the Morning Mary Ellen Kincaid
Beach Ball Susan
1966 Wild Wild Winter Susan
Pantha
1967 The Glory Stompers Chris
1968 For Singles Only Lily
1971 Eve
1980 Peggy Cameron TV movie
1981 Special Thanks (radio broadcasts in Vietnam)
1985 Cease Fire Wendy
1986 Wedding Guest #5 TV movie

Television[]

Year Title Role Episode(s)
1963 The Eleventh Hour Evelyn "Try to Keep Alive Until Next Tuesday"
1964 The Lieutenant Ginny "Between Music and Laughter"
Bewitched Susan "Love Is Blind"
1965 Burke's Law Miss Larchmont / Patience Stevens 2 episodes
The Smothers Brothers Show Claudia "I Wouldn't Miss My Own Funeral for Anything"
Perry Mason Susan Wolfe "The Case of the Silent Six"
My Three Sons Margie "Marriage and Stuff"
My Mother the Car Helen "Many Happy No-Returns"
1966 Occasional Wife Marilyn "Pilot"
1967 Password Herself March 1967 with Roger Smith
1968 Herself Episode dated 31 January 1968
1980 Wild Times Dolly "Episode #1.1"
1981 CHiPs Karen "11–99: Officer Needs Help"
1989 B.L. Stryker Unknown "Blues for Buder"
China Beach Herself "Vets"

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Eyman, Scott. "The surprising life of Palm Beach's pin-up girl". The Palm Beach Post.
  2. ^ Tucker, Spencer C. (May 20, 2011). The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History, 2nd Edition [4 volumes]: A Political, Social, and Military History. ISBN 9781851099610.
  3. ^ Hamilton, E. M. (2006). My Vietnam Journal: In the Rear with the Gear. ISBN 9781412093170.
  4. ^ Leon, Harmon. "54 Rare Historical Photos That Took It Way Too Far". History Daily.
  5. ^ Noel, Chris (January 1987). Matter of Survival: The "war" Jane Never Saw. ISBN 9780828319034.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Visit to a VA hospital led to 8 tours of Vietnam". The Palm Beach Post. July 29, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Vietnam Interview: A Date with Chris Noel". historynet.com.
  8. ^ "Keeping a Date with Chris Noel". historynet.com.
  9. ^ Gary, Claudia; Zabecki, David T. (June 12, 2008). "The Vietnam Interview: A Date with Chris Noel". HistoryNet. Retrieved March 23, 2021.

External links[]

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