Gloria Pall, the sultry hostess of a 1950s Los Angeles TV show that was canceled because her character's sexy poses and flirtatious comments were deemed too hot for television, has died.
Pall died Dec. 30 of heart failure at a Burbank hospital, her son Jefferson Kane told the Los Angeles Times in a story published online Saturday. She was 85.
Pall was a former model and showgirl when she was cast by KABC-TV in 1954 to introduce each week's romantic movie. Appearing as "Voluptua," the statuesque Pall welcomed viewers with a breathy coo to her boudoir and tell them to "Relax, take off your shoes, loosen your ties."
During the show, she caressed a bearskin rug and made costume changes behind a translucent screen.
As she signed off, clad only in a men's pajama top, she kissed the camera goodbye.
The station canceled the show after seven weeks amid pressure from religious and parent groups, and lackluster commercial sponsorship. The protests attracted national media attention.
Pall said her character was simply being suggestive. She described her over-the-top character as "corny not porny."
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She also had a brief acting career and had memorable roles. In an image from the 1957 film "Jailhouse Rock," her legs frame Elvis Presley's face at a burlesque show; she clutches Kirk Douglas' arm in a scene from 1954's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"; and in "Crimson Kimono," a classic 1959 film noir, Pall played a stripper named Sugar Torch, who gets shot in the opening scene.
She later became a Los Angeles real estate agent.
