Jocelyn Lane: Recap 1964 - 1966

The period of 1964 - 1966 was the busiest stretch in Jocelyn's career.  By the summer of 1964, Jocelyn had signed a contract with Universal (some reports stated that it was for seven years) and taken up residence in California.  The publicity machine kicked in, putting out stories about Jocelyn's dating life, and generating photographs that would appear in magazines around the world over the next couple of years.  After a false start at changing her stage name from Jackie Lane to Laura Lane (or Land), her stage name in the U.S. settled in as Jocelyn Lane by 1965.  Outside of the U.S, she continued to mostly be known as Jackie Lane.  I'm guessing that it was to Jocelyn's regret that the work ended up being more as guest appearances on U.S. television shows than it was in movies.  It's a mystery to me why her movie career did not take off during this stretch.  As the contract system fell apart with the U.S. studios, it appears that Jocelyn's contract was likely terminated by Universal, probably after two years, in the summer of 1966.  Jocelyn worked in Europe that summer on a film, Bel Ami 2000, and then did a couple of guest appearances on U.S. television shows in the fall of 1966, perhaps on a free-lance basis rather than as final work on her Universal contract, before going quiet on the acting front for about a year-and-a-half.

1964

In May of 1964 Jocelyn was reportedly seen out in Los Angeles at the Watusi Room at P.J.'s night club with a man named Dan Ellis.

After a quiet 1963, Jocelyn landed her big break in Hollywood in the summer of 1964, signing a contract with Universal.  Initially, as evidenced by the early notices in Variety concerning The Sword of Ali Baba, Jocelyn's new stage name was to be "Laura Lane."  However, the entire idea appears to have gone haywire.  Jocelyn's photo was circulated to newspapers around the U.S., who reported her as being 22 years old (instead of 27!) and that her stage name would be "Laura Land" (instead of Laura Lane!).  As you can see from other items below, this picture appears to be from a session with photographer James R. Silke.

Here is a Universal publicity photo that appears to have been taken while Jocelyn was working on Sword of Ali Baba and circulated in September.  Notice that the snipe on the back calls her Laura Lane:

Here are some other Universal publicity photo from 1964:

Some more photos that appear to be from the same 1964 session:

At some point by the end of the year, the Laura Lane/Laura Land idea was scrapped in favor of using her birth name of Jocelyn.  Press reports continued to refer to her as "Jackie Lane" for a while, but in 1965 "Jocelyn Lane" began to take hold in the U.S.

Jocelyn graced the cover of a 1964 edition of the Turkish magazine Ses:

Jocelyn on the cover of the May 2, 1964 edition of a publication called Today:

Jocelyn also graced the cover of the May 16, 1964 edition of the Italian publication Tempo:

At some point, probably after signing with Universal, Jocelyn did photo sessions with American photographers James R. Silke and Don Ornitz, pictures from which would appear in various magazines over the coming months.

Here are some early publicity photos from Universal in 1964 (I'm not sure if they were taken by Silke or Ornitz):

Some color shots in the same black dress (note they list Bez as the photographer and one calls her Jackie while the other calls her Jocelyn):

On July 3, 1964, Jocelyn commenced work on The Sword of Ali Baba on the Universal back lot. Filming likely took several weeks.

Jocelyn didn't waste any time getting her dating life into the press, beginning with future television mogul Aaron Spelling, though that fizzled quickly.

• The August 20, 1964 Variety reported in Army Archerd's column:  "Jackie Lane accompanied Aaron Spelling to the Valley Music Theatre bow of Jane Powell in 'My Fair Lady.'"

• Earl Wilson's August 22, 1964 column reported:  "Aaron Spelling, Carolyn Jones' off-and-on-again husband, is dating shapely British actress Jackie Lane."

• The August 31, 1964 Variety reported in Army Archerd's column:  "Aaron Spelling and Julie Michaels at La Scala - he and Jackie Lane called it off."

Here is a link to a photo of Jocelyn out with Aaron Spelling:

Jocelyn with Aaron Spelling 1964

In September, Jocelyn was cast as Elvis Presley's next leading lady.  The September 18, 1964 Variety reported:  "Jackie Lane will be in Tickle Me."

In September of 1964, Jocelyn also did a screen test for a Charlton Heston film, War Lord, but the part ultimately went to Rosemary Forsyth.

• The September 28, 1964 Variety reported in Army Archard's column:  "Jackie (Jocelyn) Lane tests as Charlton Heston's 'War Lord' lady - she's the one due for two (count'em two) nude scenes."

In the October 2, 1964 edition of Life, this picture of Jocelyn was included with other actresses in a feature called "End of Great Girl Drought - Hollywood's starlet machine gets cranked up again."  The caption with the picture says:  "Universal noticed Jocelyn hurrying by in a bit part in an Italian film.  She is 24, was born in Vienna and raised in London.  'I like to play light, sophisticated parts,' she says.  But her studio sees her in a different light and she will make her American film debut in the famous old Maria Montez exotic role in a remake of Ali Baba."  The photograph was from the Don Ornitz session.

Jocelyn was featured on the cover and in an article called "Beauty - A Modern Vamp" in the October-November edition of a publication called Cinema.  The photos in the article are credited to James R. Silke, but I think that the cover shot was from the Don Ornitz session. Unfortunately, these images are not good enough to read the content of the article.

Between October 12, 1964 and November 11, 1964, Jocelyn was shooting Tickle Me at Paramount Studios.  Press reports talked about her "dating" Elvis, but it is not clear whether or not that was just publicity for the film.  

After filming of Tickle Me concluded, however, Jocelyn was being linked with actor Glenn Ford.

• Dorothy Kilgallen's November 20, 1964 column:  "Glenn Ford's favorite date of the moment is Jackie Lane, a young actress who is appearing opposite Elvis Presley."

Here are some press photos of Jocelyn with Glenn Ford:

Whatever romance may have occurred between Jocelyn and Glenn, she appears to have moved on by December.

• Louella Parsons' December 28, 1964 column:  "Whatever happened between Harve Presnell and Tammy Grimes?  He's been getting around with Jackie Lane.  Says, "Jackie's marvelous talent and a fun girl" - whatever category that puts her in." 

A couple of photos from the Don Ornitz session (including the one that had been run in Life) were featured in the December 1964 edition of the French publication Lui (Raquel Welch cover):

Here are some other images that I found, which appear to be from the 1964 Don Ornitz session:

I am not sure of the date or location on this press/publicity photo, but I'm guessing that it is from 1964:

1964 Publications in which Jocelyn appeared, but for which I do not yet have images available:

Quick - October 25, 1964
Screen News - November 6, 1964


1965

Based on reports in Variety, in mid-to-late January 1965, Jocelyn was in California shooting Season 1, Episode 28 of The Rogues (Grave Doubts).

Based on reports in Variety, around the latter part of January 1965, Jocelyn was in California shooting Season 2, Episode 23 of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (Escape Into Jeopardy).

At some point in that same period (January - February), Jocelyn was working on Season 3, Episode 11 of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (The Photographer and the Undertaker).

Although The Sword of Ali Baba had not yet been released in the U.S., apparently Universal was considering a follow-up film (which never occurred).

• The February 16, 1965 Variety reported that there was some desire to re-team Peter Mann and Jackie Lane in "Arabian Nights."

Between March 1, 1965 and the summer, Jocelyn was working on filming of Incident at Phantom Hill.

On March 15, 1965, Jocelyn's episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (The Photographer and the Undertaker) aired on NBC TV in the U.S.

In the March 24, 1965 issue of New Idea:

On March 28, 1965, Jocelyn's episode of The Rogues (Grave Doubts) aired on NBC TV in the U.S.

Universal had Jocelyn pose for some Easter 1965 publicity shots:

A photo from that session was used on the cover of the April 16, 1965 edition of the Dutch publication De Lach:

In April of 1965, The Sword of Ali Baba was released in the U.S.  By the summer, it was playing on double-bills.

On May 28, 1965, Jocelyn's first episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (Escape Into Jeopardy) aired on NBC TV in the U.S.

On June 30, 1965, Tickle Me premiered in the U.S.

On July 5, 1965, Tickle Me premiered in the U.K.

Here is an Ivan Nagy photo (probably taken in 1964) that was circulated as press for Jocelyn around the time that Tickle Me was released:

Here is a magazine feature on star hairdos from around the time that Tickle Me was released:

The cover of an Italian TV Magazine from July 1965:

Based on notices in Variety, in mid-to-late August of 1965, Jocelyn was in California working on Season 2, Episode 6 of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (The Re-Collector's Affair).

A photo of Jocelyn appeared in the September 1965 edition of the U.S. publication Cavalier (this photo is from 1964 publicity photos done by Universal):

Jocelyn adorned the cover of the September 19, 1965 edition of the Italian publication L'Europeo (the photo appears to be from shots taken in the bathing suit worn while shooting her episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour):

Based on notices in Variety, it appears that, around the first week of October 1965, Jocelyn was in Europe shooting her brief scenes in Poppies Are Also Flowers.

Based on notices in Variety, in mid-October 1965, Jocelyn was probably in California working on Season 3, Episode 11 of Amos Burke, Secret Agent (Whatever Happened to Adriana, and Why Won't She Stay Dead?).

On October 22, 1965, Jocelyn's episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (The Re-Collector's Affair) aired on NBC TV in the U.S.

Based on notices in Variety, in the latter part of November 1965, Jocelyn was in California working on Season 1, Episode 22 of Run For Your Life (Who's Watching the Fleshpot?).

On December 1, 1965, Jocelyn's episode of Amos Burke, Secret Agent (Whatever Happened to Adriana, and Why Won't She Stay Dead?) aired on ABC TV in the U.S.

In December of 1965, based on reports in Variety, Jocelyn was probably in California working on an episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, called One Embezzlement and Two Margaritas.

Jocelyn graced the cover and an inside pin-up in the December 1965 issue of Photoplay (the cover picture is from the 1964 Universal publicity photos).  The pin-up picture appears to be from the 1964 Don Ornitz session:

Jocelyn was featured in an article in the December 17, 1965 edition of the Spanish publication Fotogramas:

Here is a photo from Girl Illustrated, No. 8, in 1965, but I'm not sure of the exact date.  I believe that it is from a photo session with photographer Ivan Nagy, probably in the latter part of 1965.  Photos from that session would appear in various publications into 1966:

Here are some other image that I found, which appear to be from the Ivan Nagy session in late 1965:

Here are some photos from a shoot in 1965:

At some point in 1965, Jocelyn was featured in edition No. 46 of a publication called Stop:

I'm guessing that these unidentified photos are from around 1965:

1965 Publications in which Jocelyn appeared, but for which I do not yet have images:

Pageant - October 1965
Twen - February 1965

1966

Jocely can be seen on the cover of the January 12, 1966 edition of a German publication called Revue:

Some more photos that appear to be from the same session as that magazine cover:

In the first quarter of 1966, Incident at Phantom Hill was rolled out to theaters in France, West Germany, and the Netherlands.

In the winter of 1966, Jocelyn was working on an ABC-TV pilot, Yankee Stay Here (per reports in the January 27, 1966 edition of Variety).

Jocelyn's work on Yankee Stay Here may have preempted a scheduled appearance in an episode of Man From U.N.C.L.E.:

• Variety, on February 7, 1966, reported:  "Jack Weston and Jocelyn Lane have been cast in Deephole Affair episode of MGM-TV's Man From U.N.C.L.E."  [Note: Jocelyn appears to have been replaced by Barbara Bouchet in that episode, which originally aired on March 18, 1966.]

Jocelyn was featured on the cover and inside of the February 1966 edition of the French publication Lui.  The pictorial is credited to Ivan Nagy and Don Ornitz.  My guess is that the cover and the last six pictures are from the 1965 Ivan Nagy sessions, and that the first six pictures are from the 1964 Don Ornitz session.  Over time, hopefully I will sort this issue out and revise this post accordingly.

"Cuddly, Mischievous Jocelyn

In general, when a photographer comes in our office, claiming enthusiastically that he has wonderful pictures of an amazing girl, we remain rather skeptical.  And often we are even more skeptical when he opens the box.  But this time, you will be the judges. The miracle that took place is called Jocelyn. She has the perfect charms of which you dream."

I have no information on these photos, but it looks like they could have been from the same sessions as some of the above photos:

On March 7, 1966, Jocelyn's episode of Run For Your Life (Who's Watching the Fleshpot?) aired on NBC TV in the U.S.

In March of 1966, Jocelyn was probably at CBS studios in California working on Episode 31 of The Smothers Brothers Show (A Wolf in Sheik's Clothing).

Jocelyn was featured on the cover of the March 1966 edition of a U.S. publication called Pageant:

Jocelyn on the cover of the April 13, 1966 edition of a publication called Queen:

On April 15, 1966, Jocelyn's episode of The Smothers Brothers Show aired on CBS in the U.S.

On April 22, 1966, Poppies Are Also Flowers premiered with a broadcast on ABC-TV in the U.S.

Jocelyn was featured in the May 6, 1966 edition of the Dutch publication De Lach, with photos from the 1965 Ivan Nagy session:

Jocelyn's second episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (Season 3, Episode 20:  One Embezzlement and Two Margaritas) aired on NBC TV in the U.S. on May 18, 1966.

In May, Jocelyn spent some time in England:

• Variety, May 24, 1966:  "Jocelyn Lane due back from her native England."

Jocelyn graced the cover of the June 24, 1966 edition of the Spanish publication Fotoramas (in a picture that appears to be from the 1965 Ivan Nagy session:

On July 1, 1966, Incident at Phantom Hill was released theatrically in the U.S.

In July of 1966, it appears that Jocelyn was in Austria working on Bel Ami 2000.

Jocelyn was featured on the cover of the July 13, 1966 edition of the Italian publication Tempo.  The photo appears to be from the 1965 Ivan Nagy session:

Jocelyn was featured on the cover of the July 17, 1966 edition of the West German publication Stern, with a picture from the 1964 Don Ornitz session (There is nothing about her on the inside of the magazine):

Sexy photos of Jocelyn (from the James R. Silke session, probably in the summer of 1964) appeared on the cover and inside the July-August-September 1966 edition of a U.S. publication called Movies International:

I am not sure about the date of this photo, but based on the hairstyle, it appears that it may have been from the same session as the above two photos:

In August of 1966, Jocelyn was in California working on her episode of The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.

Jocelyn was featured in the September 1966 edition of the bunny magazine in the U.S.  It appears that the bikini shots on the first page are probably from the 1964 Don Ornitz session and that the remainder of the pictures are from the 1965 Ivan Nagy session (one of the shots already appeared in Lui earlier in the year), but I have not yet been able to confirm that:

"Jocelyn Lane:  heiress apparent

this fiscally and physically blessed english beauty is building a castle in spain and a career in hollywood

JOCELYN LANE, as she walks barefoot in the soft grass of her hilltop estate in Hollywood, is heading serenely toward stardom.  She inherited both beauty and wealth, and from those fortunate beginnings is fashioning a solid film career - to date, a baker's dozen roles capped by one opposite Elvis Presley in Tickle Me.  Born in Vienna and brought up in a New York exurb, Jocelyn is an English citizen and the happy mistress of a French poodle, a Hungarian puli, a Russian borzoi, a fur-strewn glass house in Beverly Hills, a London flat, and is building a Spanish villa.  At 18, traveling with her widowed mother in Europe, Jocelyn found a beautiful village on the Costa del Sol, unspoiled by tourists, and promptly bought three acres overlooking the sea.  Now her castle in Spain is almost finished, and her next door neighbors are the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.  Meanwhile, her investment holdings have sextupled in six years, and so has her career, as witness a string of English, Italian and American films and Stateside TV appearances (highlighted by a starring role on The Bob Hope Theatre).  Jocelyn now thinks she's earned the right to choose, and has turned down four film offers now, waiting for the right one.  The tanned, lithe international actress is also waiting for the right man.  'I trust men, completely.  I've never had problems with men, mostly because I don't believe in problems.  I do believe in the stars.'  And we - it goes without saying - believe in Jocelyn."

"Alone on her Hollywood hilltop, Jocelyn wanders through nature to the luxury of a glass house carpeted in fur and offering a hazy shower-stall view of the world below."

"Jocelyn distinguishes between movie and still photography:  'Acting in a film, I'm not aware of the camera, but I enjoy posing at home.  I'm narcissistic, but a beautiful picture of yourself is like a mirror held at the right angle, on a day when you feel wonderful.  I had never posed nude, but I changed my mind for [the bunny mag].  It all depends on the photographer.'  And the girl."

In mid-to-late September of 1966 Jocelyn was in California working on her episode of The Wild Wild West.

Jocelyn appeared on the cover of the Italian publication L'Europeo for its September 22, 1966 edition:

In October of 1966, an extended version of Poppies Are Also Flowers was released to U.S. theaters under the title The Poppy is Also a Flower.

Jocelyn's episode of The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., The Mata Hari Affair was broadcast on the NBC network on October 4, 1966.

Jocelyn was again featured on the cover of the West German publication Stern for its October 30, 1966 edition, with a picture that appears to be from the 1964 James R. Silke session (It is credited to PIP Photos Inc.).  There is nothing about Jocelyn on the inside of the magazine:

Jocelyn's episode of The Wild Wild West, The Night of the Water Death, aired on the CBS network on November 11, 1966.

On November 23, 1966, Bel Ami 2000 premiered in West Germany.

Jocelyn graced the cover of the Italian publication L'Europeo in December of 1966 (with a photo from the 1964 Don Ornitz session):

Jocelyn was featured in the Turkish publication Hayat at some point in 1966 (exact date not yet determined), with pictures from the 1965 Ivan Nagy session:

At some point in 1966, Jocelyn did a session with well-known photographer Peter Basch.  Here is one black and white image from that session:

This image looks like it may have come from that Basch session, but I am not sure about that:

Here are photos that I have not yet been able to identify, but my guess for now is that they could be from around 1966:

Jocelyn on the cover of a 1966 Jazz LP:

Publications in which Jocelyn appeared in 1966, but for which I do not yet have any images:

Midi-Minuit Fantastique - Issue 10-11
Movie Play - August 1966
Quick - October 9, 1966
Nat - September 1966
Revue - January 12, 1966
Stop - No. 58

The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.: The Mata Hari Affair (1966)

The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., produced by MGM Television, was an American spy TV series that aired on NBC for one season from September 16, 1966 to April 11, 1967.  It was a spinoff of the hit series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.  Stefanie Powers starred as April Dancer, female American U.N.C.L.E. agent, and Noel Harrison starred as Mark Slate, her British partner.  April wore mod styles and used her charms on the bad guys, but the rough stuff was left to Slate.  MGM tried to cash in with paperback book tie-ins, comic books, etc., but the series never found an audience.  Considered too camp and silly by many, it was canceled after 29 episodes.  Apparently, Powers was not happy with the series, which did not help matters.

Jocelyn guest-starred in episode 4, The Mata Hari Affair, which originally aired on October 4, 1966.  Based on reports in Variety, work on the series started in July 1966, so this episode was probably shot in August before Powers took a hiatus at the end of the month to marry actor Gary Lockwood on August 27.  

In The Mata Hari Affair, for reasons that are not exactly clear, April is sent to drop onto a train in the south of France to rescue a belly dancer, who is in danger.  After April gets to the dancer, the train blows up, killing the dancer, but leaving April with only minor injuries.  The dancer was on her way to London to star in a stage production of Mata Hari and bore some resemblance to April, so April decides to go on to London, pretending to be the dancer.  The remainder of the episode follows April as she rehearses with the production in London, serving as bait to capture the killer.  Powers does one dance number in a leotard, which I would think was considered very sexy for American television in 1966.  I enjoyed this episode more than I did Jocelyn's episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., but that is not saying too much.  At least it has Stefanie Powers and some mod fashions to keep things reasonably interesting.  I can see why the series never took off.

Jocelyn plays Mandy-Dean Tanner, one of the performers in the production.  She really has little to do, mostly standing around and looking irritated.  She delivers a few lines in the heaviest British accent that I have heard from her, which is appropriate for her Londoner character, and we get to see her dance briefly.  She also gets to let out a blood-curdling scream.  For some reason, she looks a little heavier in the face than I have ever noticed before, and her hairstyle seems to give her a bit of a harsh appearance.  As for her performance, there really isn't much to say.  She was certainly adequate, but I doubt this role did anything in particular to further her career.  It was work, though, that kept her in front of U.S. audiences.  As a Jocelyn fan, if you don't get around to watching this one, you haven't missed much.

The series is available in two parts on burn-to-order DVD (with no extras) from the Warner Archive Collection.

Bel Ami 2000 oder Wie verfuhrt man einen Playboy? (1966)

German Poster

Bel Ami 2000 oder Wie verfuhrt man einen Playboy? (aka How to Seduce a Playboy) is an Austrian/Italian co-production comedy in German, directed by Michael Pfleghar. 

Here is the synopsis of the film from the U.S. pressbook:

Editor Sokker (Joachim Fuchsberger) of the internationally famous men's magazine, "Bel Ami," summons senior reporter Boy Schock (Renato Salvator) into his office, where a giant computer is spitting out row after row of statistics.  Every year, "Bel Ami," selects the perfect playboy of the year, an announcement which is awaited with great excitement.  The magazine's Lothario's picture is tacked upon the bedroom walls of millions of young girls, and he becomes the romantic target of countless women from sixteen to sixty.  Backed by a  highly organized and efficient advertising and publicity campaign, the magazine's playboy stunt has the circulation of the sexy magazine high into the millions.

The computer finally spits out the name of this year's winner:  Peter Keller (Peter Alexander), an unassuming, bespectacled young accountant employed by the Globus Company.  Emissaries from the magazine immediately grab the young man from his desk and transport him to the "Bel Ami" offices.  Keller looks like anything but a sexy playboy and editor Sokker blows his top.  The computer must have made a mistake.

But there is no getting out of it now; press photographs and releases already have been mailed out.  Boy Schock has an idea:  take the mild accountant to Paris and transform him into the public's No. 1 heartbreaker.  Schock and Keller leave for Paris immediately when Sokker learns that Vera (Antonella Lualdi), star reporter for the women's magazine, "Bettina," has received a photo of their hero and is determined to expose him as a fraud.

On the night train to Paris, a beautiful young teenager, Lucy (Helga Anders), and her mother (Linda Christian) occupy the same sleeping car as Peter.  The harried bookkeeper quickly learns something of the power of feminine wiles as mother and daughter compete for his attention.

Arriving in Paris, Boy Schock shoots a series of pictures and every issue of "Bel Ami" abounds with romantic and sensational stories on the magazine's new super-lover.  While the curvacious Vera is attempting to track Peter down, convinced that he is anything but a Casanova, the "Bel Ami" Barrymore falls into the clutches  of Ginette (Jocelyn Lane), the Watusi-swinging star of the Paris "Bel Ami" Club.

Fleeing from Vera and Ginette's father, Boy takes Peter to Tokyo where they are overwhelmed by crowds and an official welcoming committee.  Peter has been mistaken for the famous U.S. Navy aquanaut, Frank Peppiat, who is scheduled to test a new underwater rocket moored in Tokyo bay. 

After a series of hair-raising escapades, Peter, still posing as aquanaut Frank Peppiat, is forced to try out the underwater rocket.  The unlikely underwater explorer careens deep into the briny sea and after a wild, super-sonic tour, finally manages to bring the rocket safely to shore at Ostia, near Rome - right in front of the summer villa belonging to a famous film star, Anita Biondo (Scilla Gabel.)  Anita, standing invitingly in the romantic moonlight, is too much for the harried Peter.  The nymph casts a spell over the helpless Peter and banishes his shyness so completely that he turns into the great lover that "Bel Ami" claimed he was.

In the meantime, Vera has arrived in Rome and learns of sultry Anita's passion for Peter.  Any man who can satisfy a woman such as Anita might be a great Cassanova after all, and Vera is determined to find out for herself.

Between the pursuit of Vera and the wiles of Anita, Peter somehow manages to uncover a case of embezzlement.  Vera finally gets her man, but loses her story.  Boy wires his boss:  "The computer was not wrong.  Peter Keller is a real "Bel Ami."  Vera will verify that statement.

With the above synopsis in mind, I was able to reasonably understand and enjoy the 2010 German DVD release, which has no English options.

The film seems to have a humorous premise and a promising start, but it quickly falls apart.  The humor and gags seem to be mostly silly and absurd, at times seeming Jerry-Lewis-like.  It has a feel of something that is a cross between a 1960's Jerry Lewis movie and an early 1970's Lando Buzzanca Italian sex comedy.  The problem is that it does not resemble the better work of either actor, but instead more resembles their lesser efforts.  On a positive note, the location shooting in Vienna, Paris, Tokyo, and Rome makes for nice scenery. 

There is some brief, mild nudity at times, but the film might get a PG-13 rating in the U.S. today.  None of the skin flashing is courtesy of Jocelyn, though she is sexy enough in bikini-style underwear. She only appears in a roughly 15-minute segment in the middle part of the movie, while Peter is in Paris.  Her physical appearance is typical for her in the mid-1960's at first, but then she transitions to a hair style (had to be a wig) in which massive amounts of hair are bunched on the back of her head, with a large, long horse-like tail hanging down.  Perhaps that was stylish at that time in Germany, but it looks odd now, even for the groovy 60's.  I have no idea whether or not she spoke her own German lines, or whether she was dubbed by someone else, but the voice sounds reasonably close to hers.  We get to see Jocelyn do a bit of groovy dancing in a club, but unlike the other females in the scene, we never see full shots of her dancing.  That seemed odd.

I don't know why Jocelyn did this film.  It's hard to glean much from her performance, other than she looked good, as usual.  Unlike most of her other films, however, this film was loaded with females who could almost (almost) rival her in the looks department.   It's hard to see how this role could have done anything to further her acting career.  If you're a Jocelyn completist, track this one down, otherwise it's probably not worth the effort.

Apparently, while working on the film, Jocelyn posed for some modeling shots for German photographer Lothar Winkler while wearing one of her costumes.  Here is a screenshot of Jocelyn in the costume, followed by some of Winkler's shots:

   

Variety noted in its June 28, 1966 edition that Jocelyn has been cast in "'No Time,' Intercontinental Films." It appears that may have been an early working title of this film.  No mention is made of the production until it premiered later in the year, so my best guess is that Jocelyn worked on this film in July, maybe August, of 1966.

Bel Ami 2000  is shown by IMDB as having a West German premiere on November 23, 1966, and Jocelyn was not listed as a participant in a Variety report on the premiere. It was reviewed in the December 7, 1966 edition of Variety based on a November 24 viewing at Zoo Palast in West Berlin (with a running time of 95 minutes). 

"Obviously, an abundance (at least by German-Austrian standards) of money and energy went into this production.  Director (mostly tv) Michael Pfleghar traveled with his players to such places as Paris, Rome, and Tokyo to create something like a bigscale parody on sex.  What he achieved is a thin-plotted gag, which lacks heart.

The plot, in brief, centers on a shy bookkeeper, singled out as 'dream man of the year,' due to the failure of a computer.  A sex mag cashes in on that.  The question is now who can seduce this involuntary playboy.  A lineup of pretty faces aspire; naturally one emerges as the winner.

A presumed highlight occurs when principal player Peter Alexander, has to show himself naked (or nearly so), and is chased through the streets of Rome.  Alexander, incidentally, is a multi-sided talent.  A comedian-actor-singer-dancer-imitator he might go places if given the right material.  He seems to be one of the most underestimated and perhaps neglected talents of the German-language film.

Film has a nice production dress.  Colors and settings play a substantial role.  Yet with the plot frivolous and the banal humor, it does not promise much in general playoff."

How to Seduce a Playboy had its American premiere in New York on May 14, 1968. 

Here is a German program and another German poster, along with some German lobby cards and stills:

Here is the U.S. pressbook:

Here are the U.S. One sheet, 30x40, and half sheet posters (I have not seen the three sheet, window card, or insert):

I have not seen any of the U.S. lobby cards or B&W stills, but here are a couple of color stills:

An Italian poster:

Here's another b&w still that I came across:

My Brother the Angel (aka The Smothers Brothers Show) : A Wolf in Sheik's Clothing (1966)

The Smothers Brothers Show (also known as My Brother the Angel) was an American half-hour sitcom that ran for one season (32 episodes) between September 17, 1965 and April 22, 1966.  Dick Smothers played himself as a rising young executive at Pandora Publications.  Tom played his brother, who had been lost at sea two years earlier but now shows up as an apprentice angel assigned to do good deeds on Earth in order to become a full-fledged angel.  He receives his orders from an unseen and unheard boss named Ralph.  As was typical for their careers, Dick was the straight man to Tom's antics.  Tom's efforts to help people never seems to work as planned, so Dick has to help clean up the mess.

Co-created by Aaron Spelling, the show suffered from creative differences between the brothers and the producers.  The Smothers Brothers would, however, go on to have a successful TV show in 1967 called The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

The Smothers Brothers Show aired on CBS, Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET.  It was the last CBS situation comedy to be filmed in black-and-white.  Jocelyn appeared in episode 31, A Wolf in Sheik's Clothing, which originally aired on April 15, 1966.

Based on notices in Variety, it appears that this episode was shot in March of 1966.  Below is the only image that I have found for this appearance by Jocelyn, a publicity photo with a snipe on the back that says:

"Wolf in Sheik's Clothing - Tom Smothers masquerades as a special adviser to a sheik in order to prevent the sheik's daughter, Jocelyn Lane, from marrying his brother, on "The Smother's Brothers Show" Friday, April 15 (9:30 - 10:00 PM, EST) on the CBS Television Network. - picture stamped April 13, 1966."

I have read that the show was rerun on US cable TV in the 1990's, but it has not been released on home video in any format.  There are a few episodes floating around that I presume were recorded from those TV showings in the 1990's, but Jocelyn's episode, sadly, is not among them.