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n y Yeager’

ETTIE AGE

The Queen ofCurves was bom Bettie Mae i
Page on April 22, 1923, in Nashville,
Tennessee. Herfnther was an auto median- I
ic, and the family movedseveral times during I
he*- early childhood. Her parents separated f
shortly after the Great Depression arrived, I
and Bettie’s mother was forced to put her |
dime:daughters into an orphanage. It was >
there that Bettie discovered that she loved to I
entertain and would spend hours with the j
other girls, improvising dramatic scenes,
singing songs, and dancing. Bettie remem¬
bers that the girls all liked the way she did the 1
hula, and everybody always requested it
Eventually, the girls moved back in with
their mother and brother Jimmie.

BETTIE AGE

Bettie was a star student at Nashville's
Hume-Fogg High School and very active in
student activities. Everybody knew who
Bettie Page was and all the boys longed to
dap her. They tried every imaginable
abroach but none ever seemed to work. It
didn’t matter hpw charming, how hand-
some, lam athletic, oifhow smart the boy
was: .Bettie wouldn't say yes. To begin with,
Sweet Bettie didn't have time for them. Her
days were filled with studies, ROTC activi¬
ties, work on the school yearbook, The Echo ,
editing duties Qnujie school newspaper, dra¬
matic productions, and the debate; club.
Even if she could fit a romance somewhere
on that agenda, one overriding factor would
still hava' prevented it Bettie recalls, “My
mother refused to let me date boys!"’

EH PHOTOGRAPHY

As busy as she was during her senior
year, Bettie managed i> stay at the top of
her class. She fully expected to be the
senior valedictorian, ap win a much-need¬
ed scholarship to Vassar College. To her
shock and horror, Bettie missed both by a
grade point average of pne-quarter point!
She'd received a B+ ir. art class, and it
ruined her straight-Apeport card. She was
heartbroken, but a scholarship to the
GeorgePeabody College took the sting out
of the situation. While at Peabody, Bettie
was involved with the Peabody Players
Radio Guild, and performed in the class
production df Ah, Wilderness! She was a
student teacher during her senior year and_
hated the experience, she claimed, because
of die rowdy students. The teen-aged boys
just couldn’t settle down when Bettie was
at the head of the class.

t YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Bunny Yeager’s

P T T T U A P P

20tli Century Fox imported Bettie from
San Francisco and advised her of the time
and location of her first screen test Bettie
had always wanted to be an actress and an
offer to test was life i dream come true.
The studio make-up men assigned to the
test decided that Bettie needed a new
in»ij|, my began to monkey with
nature's masterpiece and Bettie ended up
looking like Joan Cranford. Her hair was
bunchedout at the sides and her lips were
over-painted to make her mouth appear
wider. Bettie didn’t recognize herself when
she saw' the test. .The studio executive! did¬
n’t like her Southern accent, and were
bothered that her agent, Art Grayson, was- -
n’t present to negotiate. They decided
against signing her to a contract, and she
returned to San Francisco, rudely awak¬
ened from her dream of stardom.

BETTIE PAGE

After the summer stock season ended,
Bettie returned to New York Cits- and
began to plan her futiie. What she could
not have predicted was the turn of events in
store for her on a heach at Coney Island. It
was early fall, and most of the sunbathers
had retired for the season. A few holdout |
could be seen enjoying the brisk conditions.
Bettie Page was not one of them. Fully-
clothed, she strolled the shoreline until she
came across a muscular man in the middle
of his workout When it was over, he intro- |
duced himself. His name was Jerry Tibbs
and he was one of the city’s first black
policemen. He was also an amateur pho¬
tographer who was constantly looking for
new models. Bettie agreed to try some tes
photographs with him and, though she did¬
n't know it at the time, the decision changed
the course of her life.

01994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOaRAPHY

y 1

Jerry Tibbs may have been an amateur
photographer, but he certainly knew what
he was doing. Bcttie P^ge had done a series
of test photos widi him, and she was
improving with each shoot. Still, something
wasn't quite right After some considera¬
tion. Tibbs decided to change Bettie's look.
After discussing the matter with her, Jem
cut Bettie's jet black hair so that thick black
handscovered her forehead. That style had
been popularduring 1948 and, by 1951, had
become outdated. It didn’t matter a bit
Bettie’s face aBd those bangs were a perfect
combination, The rest is popular culture
history.

'94 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Shortly after Tibbs convinced Bettie to
start wearing her hair in hangs, he began
selling his photos to Robert Harrison,
Harrison was the pubfisher of a group of
sew magazines with-titles that included
Wink , Flirt, and Titter. Harrison’s books
featured custom-made photo features that
dished up burlesque cuties opposite slap-
sticktSomedians. The gags were cheap and
the budget was low, but the work was reg¬
ular and lots of people read those maga¬
zines (whether they admitted it or not).
Bettie shot dozeus-of layouts with Harrison
during their four-year working relation¬
ship. He wbuld’usually shoot the sessions
himself, and occasionally posed with the.

01994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

III

Robert Harrison's magazines had a lot
of dedicated readers who loved the gags
and the girls. Irving Klaw studied the mag¬
azines with a more professional intent He
was scouting new mMels for his pinup
business. A fen' years earlier, Klaw had
expanded his movie star photograph mail¬
order business to include girlie shots: cus¬
tom-made shots that included cheesecake,
gaP-iyrestling, female models spanking
each other, and women in bondage. His
audience whs growing at a rapid clip, and
they demanded new faces. Irving saw
shots of Bettie and wanted her to woilc for
him. A photographer friend introduced
Bettie to Klaw, and a classic combination „
was born.

Bunny Yeager’s

BET TIE PAGE

Fans from all over the world contacted
„ Wk Movie Star News in New York City in
search of photographs that they wanted. In
V ® an effort to keep the masses up-to-date on
w m his products, Irving Klaw produced a series
W * of catalogs. The Hose Hounds had their
m own mailer called Cartoon and Model |

Parade. Irving was so pleased with his first ,

1 shoot with Bettie that he put her on the
IPjjl covwof his next issue, Cartoon and Model |
w iSb, Parade%3 . It was amazing for a ne
Wm comer to make the cover, and even me
HH unusual wastffie. fact that no photos of j
|1 Bettie were available inside! The'fans |
immediately demanded shots of the new
girl, and Bettie’s fame was growing by the

194 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

The cheesecake fans immediately recog¬
nized Bettie Page as their new Queen. The
bondage enthusiasts tied her to the throne
ana followed suit SHe was as believable
doing flirt sessions as site was doing rope
tricks, and the Movie Star News photos
sold hundreds of thousands. Paula Klaw
was the rope expert and, whenever a
bondage session was scheduled, she was on
hand to hog-tie the ladies. Having Paula
around "made the models comfortable, and
some wouldhltdo bondage photography for
anybody el%^-flBettie was fantastic,”
Paula Klaw remembers. “She was as con¬
vincing doing pinup as she was doing
spanking, wrestling, and bondage. Always...
cooperative, and always friendly. She wa£
the best!”

01994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Always on the lookout for anotlier way to
promote his business, Irving Klaw
Movie Star News produced more than
cial interest photos, mvie Star News
offered 50-foot film shorts featuring dozens
of Klaw’s models doing cooch dances and
strutting their stuff. The films were available
in both 8mm and 16mm formats. The fad of
the moment w'as 3-D entertainment, and
Irving made a cozy spot for himself on the
bandwagon by offering 3-D slide views of his
hottest models, Bettie included. Klaw even
hired writers f%,create fiction that starred
Bettie Page in the most outrageous situa¬
tions. While the majority of the Klaw Cuties
have been forgotten to time, Bettie Page
remains their most popular pinup model.
Klaw’s store still offers photos of Bettie,
though the 8mm films have been replaced by
video tape.

sf s.i

1
ill
H

While her work for Harrison and Irving
Klaw represented a large portion of her
income, Bettie regularly posed for camera
clubs in ‘the .New work City area.
Typically, a group of photographers would
ply a fee to a promoter who would, in turn,
provide the nude models and locations in
which to photograph them. The Concord
Camera Club in mid-town Manhattan was
her t, 4 third principle source of income.
Organized and run by Cass Carr, Concord
boasted Bettie Page as his star model. Page
lived on the gal block, and this made it
convenient forner to make it to work. If
she was lateTor a shoot (which she chroni¬
cally was), Carr would dispatch a trustwor¬
thy member to knock on her door until she
appeared.

PHOTOGRAPHY

During the week, the Concord Camera
Qub photographed in a studio. Warm
weather weekends found the shutterbugs
loading into busses and heading for parts
unknown. Though the locales varied by
Week, the group would frequently shoot
around Fire Island and the New Salem
Dairy. During one such outing, the entire
gang was arrested. On August 16,1952,
23 shutterbugs invaded the farm with
Bettie and two other models in tow. The
ladies disrobed and began to pose around
the dairy settings, The group arrived at a
stone wall a'short distance from Old
Waccabuc Road, and the shutters began
clicking. Suddenly, the police appeared
from their hiding places and arrested them'.
Each was fined five dollars and w arned not
to return. Gass was charged with conspir¬
acy, but eventually cleared things up.

By 1953, Bettie had appeared in dozens of

Irving Klaw short subjects, but feature
length films still seemed out of her reach.
Spring of that year foitnd producer Martin
lewis gathering acts for his new nudie film
review, Strip-O-Rama. While it wasn't the
kind of movie she would have preferred, it

was (feature length, and it was in full color.

Bette performed a scene in a bathtub that
was described in the press book as, “Most
Daring!” 1 'Once Klaw saw the grosses for
Strip-O-Rama, he began planning his own
production, ffe-ptiginally planned to call it
Musical Varietease, but later shortened it to
Varietease. 'The success of Varietease,
which included dancing by Bettie, ensured_
the creation of a follow-up burlesque
review. Klaw called it Teaset'ama, and in it
Bettie performed with noted stripper
Tempest Storm.

01994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

B E T T I E AG

Bettie Page loved Florida, and would
escape to there whenever possible. Rather
than quitting work altogether, Bettie occa¬
sionally posed for the Miami photographers.
Hans Hannau did a series of postcards that
featured Bettie, and some of these timeless
images are still being sold over the counter.
Thefflost famous cardj&tures an alligator
ready to bite Ms. Page’s rear end and the slo¬
gan, lf We Alligators do have fun in Florida!”
Her happiest working relationship material¬
ized in the summer of 1954 when Bunny
Yeager appeared on the scene. The modei-
tumed-photographer was looking for beauti-
ful girls and Bettie Page lit the bill. Yeager
borrowed her photographic instructor's stu-.
dio and their first session produced dozens
of striking images, including Bettie aaa devil

girl- ,

01994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

The first teaming of Bunny Yeager and
Bettie Page produced a series of moody and
atmospheric photos that were most impres¬
sive. Still, Bunny was® satisfied. She was
a model, and recognized how talented
Bettie really was. Instinctively, Yeager
knew that Bettie was like a caged cat when
theylworked in the studio. A beach shoot
was arranged, and the result was an entire¬
ly new look for Bettie. The Harrison and
Klaw shoots were almost entirely shot
indoors, and the impression was of drawn
shades and looked, doors: a world of eternal
night In contrast, the Bunny Yeager
shoots were 1 filll 'of light -and bursting with
energy. Not satisfied with the standard girl-
on-beach-blanket i approach, Yeaget
encourag&l Bettie to run, jump, and play in
surf and sand. The editors went mad for
the new Page a la Yeager.

Bunny Yeager would roar up in front of
Bettie Page’s place just before dawn. The
back seat of the red convertible was stuffed
with photographic bric-S-brac. The breath¬
taking salt-and-pepper'combination soon
arrived at dockside where the rented boat
was waiting; The sun was usually up by the
time they reached a deserted key or sand
dune in the area. Once there, the camera
equipment was lugged ashore and the ladies
started to make magic; Ironically, Bettie’s
homemade beach costumes were usually
skimpier than anything she’d posed in for
Klaw. There was more of Bettie to see, and
the added bonus Was her fabulous tan. She
radiated health and beaut)' never captured in
the Harrison or Klaw shoots. The men
introduced her to the public, but it w as the
Bunny who made her famous.

01994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

When Bunny Yeager's color transparen¬
cies arrived on Hugh Hefner's desk, he
instantly recognized one of his favorite mod¬
els! BetliePage. Hefner had been a fan since
her Harrison days, anti the chance to have
her appear as his filth centerfold was not to
be missed. Even better, one of the best shots
of tfces bunch featured'a nude Bettie in a
Santa hat attaching almall ornament to a
tiny Christmas tree. The photo was the
result of Me of their first shoots together, and
was a generic “Season’s Greetings” shot. It
was a naturahfpr.the issue on sale during
December. The instant Hugh Hefner saw
the photo he knew he had his latest centerfold
and he bought the shotforSlOO. Since then,
Bunny his shot eight centerfolds for Playboy
and has been the subject of several articles,
most recently in the May 1994 edition.

01994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

V Bettie returned to Florida in the summer

ft of 1955, and she and Sunny immediately
fc. WL. picked up where they hid left off. They cel-
■ WL ebrated die centerfold, and plotted their next

K shoot Bunny waS anxious to do another
7m Hjj outdoor shoot, this time at a wildlife park
Z ik -t ealletl Africa USA. The attraction was full
PjH 9 "flush vegetation, watpfftdls, and exotic ani¬
mals, fid offered endless photographic pos¬
sibilities. Bettie had.recognized that the
work they had done was special, and she
was anxious to support the project any way
she could. She agreed to construct a leop¬
ard-skin bathing suit to give the whole scene
a primitive nlood. The park agreed to let the
ladies shoot in the park jirior to its opening to
the general public.

194 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

fv,

Beftie had found the perfect material for
her leopard-skin bathing suit. With the help
of her sewing machine and a little thread, it
would be a snap to put together. Bunny had
given Bettie a sketch of the daring design:
now it was strictly a matter of cutting and
stitching. Just as she was .putting the finish¬
ing touches on the piece, she noticed a face at
her. window. Her scrlam scared away the
man, but Bettie was anervous wreck, and
spent the night on the screened-in porch of
her landlady's house. Bettie recalls, “1 was
so scared that I dklii’t sleep at all that night
1 didn’t look good, and felt horrible during
the shoot”

01994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Ip' Of all the shoots that Bunny and Bettie

^m a * one or t0 ^ et * ,er ’ ® e Africa ses-
KM. sion is one of the most memorable. Bettie is
■ S at the height of her beauty (fully rested or

W'wm n °t) > n a remarkable costume Bunny
9 .' 9 designed for her. The jungle setting adds
m jk 1 color and pattern to each shot, and the prim-
* *1 itive surroundings are convincing recre-
ja African locations. Beautiful flow-
ers abound and the wild animals almost
yBB steal the tone from Sweet Bettie. Almost.
|H More than just pretty photos, the Africa
USA session,|*oduced photos that told a
at 9 story- Each image suggests a scene’from
HR the story of the life of a Jungle Princess,
Bettie acts and reacts in this jungle setting,
and always manages to project a cat-like

a*l

94 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Bunny Yeager s

BETTIE PAG

■

During the photo shoot at Africa USA,
Bettie and Bunny were warned by the
park animal handler that the cheetahs
might be in a bad mood Bettie said, “I still
had a good feeling about the cats and was
willing to pose with them.” Both leopards
seemed to sense that the moment was spe¬
cial, and they acted likffpussycats until the
shutter clicked for me last time. Their
presence adds a sense of danger and seren¬
ity not found in any other photos of Bettie.
The result was a memorable series of pho¬
tographs that, represents some the team’s
best work. '"

PHOTOGRAPHY

Bunny Yeager’s

BETTIE PAG

Bunny arranged for an early arrival at the

tk park so that they wouldn't have to contend
with gawking tourists while they worked.
I X Tp manager met them as they arrived and
p TRjj dnwc them by jeep into the deepest part of
F ® the jungle landscape. Bunny recalls, “The
4fc 4 owner was. very kind, and drove us around
in his canvas-top jeep. It was scary because
V j the $raffes would stick their heads into the
~k | car anytime they felt like it! I’d never been
around wild animals like that. I’d been used
to dogs and cats. Later we found out that
Q|B ostriches are also, very dangerous because
of their feet and legs, the manager brought
F JP bags of fo<xf to feed the animals and, there
| Wm Bettie was, among the ostriches. They did-
■ n't bother her at all and everything was just
M fine.”

“It was like an adventure in Africa. Bettie
and I were very excited about shooting at
Africa USA,” Bonny Yeager remembers.
One of the most memorable aspects of the
shoots was the session with die cheetahs. In
an effort to made the shot look more authen¬
tically primitive, the chains were removed
fromground the cats’ necks. “We had to be
very careful,” recalls Bunny. “They were
the only animals at the park that were kept
behind bars for the safety of the other ani¬
mals and the tourists. If the cats had taken
off, it would have been very difficult to catch

tii

Bettie’s jungle-girl outfit was the result of
some teamwork with ptinny. Yeager was
concerned that the . park management
might be sensitive togas’ posing in skimpy
bfldnis and such. The leopard-skin cos¬
tume was designed for maximum coverage,
while managing to retain a sexy look. “I
drew a litde sketch of what I wanted,”
Bunny remembers, “and I gave that to
Bettie to sew together. I knew that if I
designMdt to look like, a one-piece bathing
suit, nobody would complain. Usually, I’d
sew the costmj^Jbr the models, but Bettie
was an excellent seamstress and shecould
fit herself better than I could, so I let her
construct it. The piece came out exactly as
I’d envisioned it.”

194 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

n y Yeager’

BETTIE AGE

Because most of the Africa USA shoot
features a very covered Bettie, Bunny decid- I
ed to spice up the series ivith some addition- |
al photos. “We came up with a smaller co;
tume that featured a leopard-skin loin-cloth.

We did another shoot a few days later on a
small island south of Miami. Wehiredaboat |
and rfjot around a small deserted island.
Ilia! session featured the shot of Bettie
hanging from the tree with a knife in her
mouth!”®’Bunny arid Bettie never pho¬
tographed at Africa USA again. Bunny
wanted to reUphwith another model, and ]
continue to explore the photographic possi¬
bilities of the location. For reasons lost-tp |
time, this never happened, and the result is a_
series of photos that nave: no rival. As I
Bunny observes, “It was perfect die first I
I couldn’t have done it better, so why [

try?”

61994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

111

The reasons why Bettie left modeling can't
be summed up on the back of a collector's
card. The Keafauver Investigations and the
government's continued hounding of Irving
Klaw had something to do with it. She was
at the tail end of her modeling days, and that
was also a factor. Her apartment building
w'as about to be tom down to make way for
some superstructure. Her acting career
hadn’t ignited, and hanging around
Broadway must have been depressing. All
of these things contributed to Bettie Page's
running away#pinever looking back. But
the main reason Bettie Page retired her
crown has,never been revealed, not even
guessed at So when people tell you that the.
mystery of Bettie Page’s disappearance hits
been solved, don't you believe diem.

194 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

BETTIE AC

Bunny Yeager is one of the top pinup
models of all time. Amazingly, she’s also
one of the top pinup photographers as well.
She’s Spent her life involved with glamour,
beauty, and sexuality, pnd she’s frequently
the subject of her photos. Bunny has also
photographed some of the world’s most
beautiful women, mg# notably, Bettie
Page. Phyboy thought so much of her work
that dies purchased center spreads from
her on a regular basis for fifteen years, and
she’s been the subject of more than one arti¬
cle in the m agazin e. The photos repro¬
duced in this set are some of the finest shots
Bunny Ytoager ever composed and haye
attained legendary status.

Bunny Yeager’s

BETTIE PAGE

F. . The pattern of Bunny Yeager’s life was l JH
etched early. She won her first award while
still in her baby buggy at six months of age.

She continued to collect awards and titles
the way some girls collect hair clips: by the
handful. Not satisfied to limit herself to con¬
tested the inventive 14-year-old designed a
hula skirt made from the long, thin leaves of j
some irises, a bra fashioned from a folded f
bandaftna, and engineered her first pi
photo, taken in the back yard of her home
with a box camera. It was the first in an
unending series of photographs that docu¬
ment her beauty'and imagination. Her fam¬
ily eventually moved to Miami and the sup-
shine made Bunny bloom. She continued to
compete.^, and usually win, the numerous
beauty contests held up and down the state.

94 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

'{I

Shortly alter her arrival in Miami, Yeager
enrolled in the Coronet modeling school
and took evening classes. The training
began to pay off and, shortly after gradua¬
tion, Bunny began getting professional
modeling assignments. When the photos
were finally printed, Bunny studied every
shot and continued tojolish her style. One
of her earliest triumphs was a lull-page
photo in the Miami Herald’s “Florida
Welcome" section, issued to promote the
city to tourists during the Orange Bowl.
Bunny was al&ojpppearing in dozens of cat¬
alogs and aT

Beauty contests were a common sight in
Florida during the 1950s. The great weath¬
er allowed endless parades of lovely ladies
showing off their stiff in the sunshine.
These contests offered terrific prizes as an
inducement to get the prettiest of the local
crop of women, and you pould make a lot of
riK«j|y poring pretty jrounny approached
this aspect of her career as she had the oth-
ersS#ith steely determination. As usual,
she was tops at tournaments, too. Her tides
included “Miss Brevity,” “Miss Legs,”
“Queen of the Sports Carnival,” “Queen of
Miami," “Miss Personality,” and many oth¬
ers. Her ntfost appropriate tide has to 4je
“Queen of Cheesecake"!

ER PHOTOGRAPHY

Some of the contests offered great prizes,
and it always brought opt the most beautiful
women in the area. As Bunny polished her
style, she began to win first place at these
bigger events, and'in him received some
wonderful prizes. In Qecember of 1947,
while still a teenager, she was crowned
“Queen of theTrailer Parks” at the Greater
Miami Trailcrcoach and Sportsman Show.
ThiS prizes included $500 and a trip to
Havana" the following .May. Two years
later, she was crowned “Sports Queen” by
Joe DiMagg%, spJMiami Beach,, and her
prizes included a trip to New York) City.
During her visit she met skater Sonja
Henie, and dined with band leader Guy
Lombaixlo.

01994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

BETTIE PAC

By 1950, many of the Miami-based pho¬
tographers had shot pinups of Bunny, and
had submittal them to some of the national
magazines. The photo editors liked what
they saw, and pretty soon Bunny was
appearing in print. Dozens of magazines
evemused her as their cpver girl and, in a
very short time, she became one of the coun¬
try’s top models. Partof her secret was her
wardrobe, and Bunny confirms this. “I shot
with the same group of photographers all the
time. I kneW that if I didn’t have some great
outfits, uniqucstyles, they wouldh’t continue
to use me. I made outfits out of uiiusual
material and, when I couldn’t, find the exact
pattern that I wanted, I'd get out a paint¬
brush and make it myself!”

194 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

U 1

Early in her career as a pinup model,
Bunny Yeager did a photographic shoot
with an area photographer. Certain that
she’d done a great job for him, she patient¬
ly waited for him to A her back. Some
time later, when no callback materialized,
Bunny goteuripus. She called the Coronet
modeling agency and asked them to find
out why he’d never? called her back. It
turns out that die problem was that she had
only ohe smile! “I was shocked,” Bunny
recounts. “I went straight to my mirror
and began kypctice as many smiles as I
could come tip with. The photographer
was right, of course, and I learned a tot
from the experience.”

ER PHOTOGRAPHY

tii

Bunny Yeager made die transition from
local to international personality when a
local photographer suggested a change in
her attire. Her homemade two-piece suit
was bare at the midriff, but would hardly
have been considered daring. The photog¬
rapher suggested that she tie it differendy, so
that much more of Bunny could lie seen. At
the time, the suit was'Considered quite dar¬
ing, arid the shot visualized the appeal of the
bikini. "'Bunny didn’t think much more
about it until the shutterbug tipped her off
that the wire services had picked up the
photo. Before the week was out, millions of

194 BUNNYYEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

III

If you think that Madonna is like a
chameleon when it comes to style, you
should see a stack of Bunny Yeager photos.
Miami was a big town in the Fifties and
Snities, but the number of photographers
who worked there was limited. In an effort
to work as much 5 as possible, Bunny changed
henlook on a regular basis. “I had dark red
hair, but I always thought deep down inside
that I was really a blonde. I waited until after
I was mabried to domyhair that color. “
Because the newsstands were never glutted
with shots of tsbatappeared to be the same
girl, Bunny worked regularly. Eventually,
she was all over the place, and Bunny offi¬
cially became one of the nation’s top pinup,
models, f

194 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Bunny Yeager’s

BETTIE AGE

In late 1952, pinup fains everywhere were
shocked to learn that,funny Yeager was
about to give up cheesecake modeling.
She’d been posing in beauty contests as far
hack as she could rtmemher, and had been
doing pinup photography for three years.
Haying mastered both, Bunny was looking
for anew challenge. Theonly thing left was
high =ifeshion photography, and that was
whefe she moved her sights. Bunny aban¬
doned the Coronet modeling agency and
signed with a more upscale organization.
They immediaJelyjihanged her style, cutting j
her hair short and plucking her eyebrows
thin. She wife miserable, “I always regret- I
ted that move,” Bunny reflects. She didn't !
have much to worry about, however, j
because her career was about to take a
drastic turn for the better.

194 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

B E T TIE PAGE

Roy Pinney had traveled the world taking !
photos of tilings that nobody had ever seen I
before. While visiting Miami he came up I
with another one. This: time it was a beauti- I
fid: girl who photographed other beautiful I
girls. Though Bunny was studying photog- I
raphy and not yet a professional, she was I
willing to pose as though she was one. A I
series of photos followed the fictional photog- I
rapher as she took snaps of a seaside sn
ie. U.S. Camera magazine was so imprei
with the series that they ran it as a cover
ture. The article was full of information |
about exposures, 'hstops, and filters, and
while it's attifbuted to her, Pinney actually I
supplied the technical data, .Bunny was sud- !
denly deluged with offers to photograph for |
magazines' and newspapers, and her nt
challenge presented itself: mastering photog- I

194 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Bunny Yeager’s

BETTIE AGE

Roy Pinney wrote in US. Camera,
“Model, Bathing Suit Designer, Beauty
Columnist, Photographer. Bunny Yeager
at 23 has made an enviable reputation for
herself in these fields. As one of Florida's
most photographed models ever since she
came from Pittsburgh at the age of 16, she
has accumulated over# dozen titles...She
found it impossible to buy any ready-made
sui& for her numerous modeling assign¬
ments. Now, all the ‘bikini’ suits appearing
in the endless publicity' shots sent out by the
publicity departments of Miami are of her
design and manufacture...She writes a
weekly beaufy column, and is now deter¬
mined to be an outstanding photographer.”
“Women make a study of pleasing men, of
they should,” says Bunny. “Therefore, a
woman photographer would be better qual¬
ified to make provocative photographs.”

94 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Even before Bunny saw Bettie Page pose,
she knew that she’d found a winner.
Yeager was a pro, and she knew what it
took to be a good pinup girl. Bettie had
what it takes, plus. In fact, both women
had a great deal in common. Both were
intelligent and well reatj, and both had a
clear view of what they wanted to do with
their lives. They were both struggling to
maintain their independence in a society'
that demanded conformity. Bunny and
Bettie both worked hard to keep their hair,
skin, and figures in top shape for an unfor¬
giving camera lens. Neither was wiffing to
rely on store-bought fashions, and they
were expert when it cable to designing and
constructing great costumes and clothes.
And, of course, both were veterans of
coundess photo shoots and were highly-
decorated for it

Bunny Yeager was a photographer without
a studio. Her U.S. Camera profile had
brought her to the attention of a large num¬
ber of editors, and sonff of them wanted to
see her photographs. The main problem was
that she didn’t have anything to sell. “The
W orld's Prettiest Photographer” feature had
been a stiintto sell the feature, but it resulted
in Bunny’s attaining a credibility with the
publications. Never ate to miss a chance,
Bunny steed shooting some of the other
models she had worked with when she was
modeling. All g£ Jig sessions were outdoors.
However, when Bettie came along, allof her
outfits were lingerie, so Bunny rented a pho¬
tographer's studio for their first session.

61994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

While Bettie Page might have been
Bunny's favorite model, there were plenty of
t, runhers-up. Miami seemed to be a magnet
f for?beautiful women,land Bunny was
| always on the lookout for a fresh face.
I Where a male photographer might have a
| problem with approaching a potential sub-
1 ject, Bunny had no trouble winning their
I trust and getting their phone numbers. For
I twenty years. Bunny photographed some of
I tlie most beautiful woriten in the world. Her
I lens focused on the likes of Lisa Winters,
I Jackie Walk^fCarol Jean Lauritzen,
I Maria Stinger, and Diane Webber.

\\\

One of Bunny’s best models was Bunny
herself. This really “catto die chase” when
it came to business for U number of reasons.
First, Bunny could shoot at just about any
time of the night or day, and she never had
fi) wait for the model toishow up. Her cos¬
tumes always fit perfectly, and the make-up
never needed to be adjusted. There was no
modeling fee or model release to worn
about Best of all, the. subject was a tireless
worker who knew exacdy what the photog¬
rapher wanted. Supported by a large mir¬
ror, camera gnd tripod with an automatic
timer or extended cable release, Bunny
managed to capture her best side every
time!

01994 BUNNY YEAOER PHOTOGRAPHY

Bunny Yeager’s

B E TTIE AG

By the late 1950s, Bunny’s photographs
were being published in dozens of magazines
across the country. Unfortunately, she
could seOto only so many of them at a time.
Her agent decided Bunny should do a book
and tell about her techniques for pho¬
tographing beautiful women. The first was a
paperback, Phiitographfftgthe Female Figure,
and was an immediate success, selling over
200,000 copies. Others followed. When she
produced her hardcover book, How 1
Photograph Myself, Johnny Carson asked
her to be his guest on The Tonight Show in
February 1966.

1 V 1 1 1 E/ VJ

Another outlet for Yeager’s talents was the
i wL series of paperback photography books
issued by Fawcett Publications, which later
■ * became Whitestone Publication. The hooks

W wA were smaller and thicker than a magazine,
j.- and had a square binding. The photo books
m |tfc4 were printed on a high-grade paper with a
premium print job. The issues were devoted
to a single theme or photographer, and
Bunny was always well represented. Her
titles included Bunny Yeager’s Photo Studies,
How To Take Figure Photos, and Camera In
The Caribbean. Each issue was stuffed with
some of Bunpy's’best work with some'of her
loveliest models. The Whitestone books were
a great place to study shots of hundreds of
beautiful women, and incredibly Pon-photog-
ipher types loved them, too!

r ML ti
1 #| i.

B1:

94 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Bunny Yeager’s

BETTIE AC

Bunny talked about her relationship with
Bettie Page in Bunny Yeager's Photo Studies
(Whitestone, l%fl>. “Having worked with
Bettie Page at the start of my photographic
career was a tremendous advantage to me.

1 consider her the best all-around model that
I’ve ever worked with. I learned much
aboafcposing from Bettie. She is not only the
most photogenic model in every way, but
also the easiest to shoot Besides a Petty Girl
figure and regular facial features that can be
photographed from any angle, Bettie has an
animation and expression in her face which
most models lack. As if that weren’t
enough, Bettie makes all of her posing cos¬
tumes herself. She is an example of a girl
who has devoted her whole life to being k
good glambur model."

III

194 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Bunny Yeager’s

B ETTIE PAG

it 1

Bumiy Yeager had conquered beauty con¬
tests, cheesecake modeling, pinup photogra¬
phy, and she StiB wasn’t satisfied. Her next
target was motion pictures, and she didn’t
miss that target either. Over the years, she’s
been involved in the production of dozens of
TV slams and movies. Her appearances
indued The Tonight fShow, Dogs of War,
\hsence of Malice, The Mean Season, Harry
and Son, and many others. She even got to
rub down Frank Sinatra in Lady In Cement.
“I’ve been a tiiovie fan afl of my life,” Bunny
observes, “an4{py.work in the motion pic¬
ture world has been vert' rewarding. I’m still
involved with movie mpking, and I guess,I
always will be.”

'94 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Ask anybody who knows Bunny Yeager
and they will tell you fltat she’s one of the
busiest people they know. Her energy is
undiminished by time, and she is still dedi¬
cated to her work. Her days are filled with
publishing and writing the bulk of her
newspaper, Florida Stage and Screen News,
a monthly guide to the television and movie
industry in Florida. She was president of
the Florida Motion Picture & Television
Association for three terms. Best of all,
Bunny is still photographing beautiful
ladies bouncpg .Qn the beach or sizzling
like Venus caught in the surf. The return
of cheesecake is due in .no small part to the
talents pf this fabulous woman, and the
industry continues to benefit from her pres¬

et 994 BUNNY YEAGER PHOTOGRAPHY

BETTIE PAGE

“Men mined to look at lie long legs, the
’ white; write skin, and the black, black,

* black hair cut in bangs straight across her
| forehead.' And, of course, the smile.
' It was rsmilelraPpould break your heart.”
j So wrote noted atifhor Buck Henry as he
yAcribed Bettie Page in Playboy magazine.

11 k most famous model of the Fifties was
■ p&jpphed by many, but none equal to
I Bunny Meager, whom Buck Henry called,
; great cheesecake-at^d-glamour
I model turned great cheesebata-and-
clamour photographer.”

1 Bunnf’s photographs of Bettie on the beach
i and -in pp: Wsk 1 ’ are some of most

* exotic. sima|e5 tn the prnup worlcl and
r represefttsomeofthelastphotos taken before

Bettie vanished during the Sixties.

riov*

BEACH BETTIE IN THE BUFF

JJettie Page had come to Florida on vacation
from New York City where she’d been doing
modeling that depended on costumes. Both
Robert Harrison and Irving Klaw were careful
to avoid any nudity in their shots, and Bettie
was usually found lounging around in layers of
lingerie. Short of a few photography maga¬
zines, the public had never seen her in the
nude. By 1954, men’s magazines were running
photos of bare-breasted women and semi¬
nude figures, and Bunny Yeager wanted to sell
to that market. Bunny requested that Bettie do
| some nude shots and was delighted when
Bettie immediately agreed. Once free of her
garments, and under the bright sunlight, Bettie

Bunny Yeager’s

BEACH BETTIE IN THE BUFF

Shots of Bettie Page bouncing along the beach
made photo editors’ heads spin. They’d seen
hundreds of studio shots of her, but the sessions
with Bunny had produced a new Bettie. They
bought the pix by the handful, and Beach
Bettie was seen in hundreds of 1950s’ men's
magazines. Bettie had done extensive nude
modeling for the New York City area camera
clubs, but these were the first nude pictures the
public had seen of Bettie. Bunny remembers,
“Some of the models I’d shoot with were inex¬
perienced, and nudity was uncomfortable to
I them. I’d usually have them undress slowly to
! any discomfort. Bettie wasn’t self-con-
I scious about it at all, and I always got great
I shots when she posed nude.”

BEACH BETTIeYn THE BUFF

Dunny loved shooting models around the
beach of Miami, and she wasn’t satisfied just
using the sand. The great Atlantic was also fre¬
quently the subject of her photos, and she was
is particular about it as she was about her
I models. “I like the ocean best when it’s full of |
I snap and sauciness, w hite-topped waves sneak-
1 ing up on my model and splashing her into
I playful and animated poses. When water is
I calm, as it is in the early morning, it is not
I nearly as interesting for picture taking. I pre-
I fer shooting later in the day,” said Bunny.

I Bunny is still a fan of that locale, and remarks,

I “It’s always been one of my favorite places to
I shoot. That's where I feel at home.”

Bunny Yeager’s

BEACH BETTIE IN THE BUFF

Whilc taking pictures of gorgeous women
romping on the beach may seem like an easy
job, it was far from it. Most shoots started
before daybreak, and you would find Bunny
and the models lugging around heavy bags of
camera equipment, props, and costumes.
Everywhere the ladies went during the session,
the gear followed. Just because you always see
the model smiling doesn’t mean the real
atmosphere wasn’t hot and humid.
Fortunately, once the shoot was over, they
could always take a refreshing swim. Before
the session officially ended, Bunny would have
the model splash around in the surf while she
shot her last roll of film. Once the model’s
makeup had started to run and her hairdo was
in shambles,

Bunny would stow her camera and join her
cool companion in the surf.

Bunny Yeager’s

BEACH BETTIE IN THE BUFF

Robert Harrison should probably get credit I
for bringing Bettie her initial fame, and Irving I
Klaw introduced her to the specialty collec- I
tors. But, it was the Yeager photos that most I
American men fell in love with. Together. I
Bunny Yeager and Bettie Page produced so
of the most memorable pinup photos ever ere- I
ated. Bettie Page went into retirement years I
ago, but Bunny stills shoots beautiful girls by I
the seaside, still on the lookout for a woman I
like Bettie. “Bettie Page was, without a doubt, I
the most talented model that I’ve worked I
with,” Bunny declares. “I’m always looking I
for another model as good as Bettie, but I’ve |
never found one.”

BUNNY & BETTIE
QUIZ CONTEST ANSWERS
Answer all 25 (Questions correctly as they appear on cards 5T2 throu^i
ST5 and you will be eligible to win one of 253 prizes!

3 Grand Prizes of Orignal BunnyYeager/Bettie fage Photos* 100
JO-card chase sets including die 5-ard SpectnoToue™ set fam Bunny
Yeager's fietde Poge in Stock Lace and the 5-card Bunny Yeager's ffiris
of the fifdes set from Sunny Yeager’s Settle Page! 100 Ifkard sets
including die 5-card Bettie in the Buff II set and die 5-card Bench
Bettie in the Buff. And 50 trial subscriptions to Tense!
magazine! Winners will be selected randomly and all correct entries
will be eligible. Entries must be postmarked by December 3), 1995.
(Look for quiz answers on the card tacks of 21st Centmy Ardjvts'
Sunny Yeager’s fiettie Page and Bunny Teqp's Bettie Page in Stick lone,

If you don’t want to hunt for the answers, they are printed an tfte five
card backs of Bettie in the Buff IL See enclosed font? to order d*
set). Send yt»r answers on a 3x5 card to Bunny & Bettie Quiz Contest
21st Century Archives., PQBox 1927, Royal Oalqtfl -48068.

QUIZ CONTEST ANSWERS

See card ST I of the special SpectraTone™
chase card set for details.

I. Jerry Tibbs. Bettie was fully clothed.

1 Mae.

3. Jerry Tibbs. Police officer.

4. George Peabody College.

5. Shelby Park. “Any more at home like you?”

QUIZ CONTEST ANSWERS'

See card ST I of the special SpectraTone™
chase card set for details.

7. Robert Harrison. Wink, Flirt, and Twitter.

Bunny rented her photography instructor’s studio.
Bunny/Bettie Playboy centerfold.

9. Strip-O-Rama (1953) and Varietease (1954).

10. Three Men on a Horse and Gentlemen Prefer

Blondes.

11. Africa USA. Bunny designed it Bettie sewed it.

. • njn t8S!^

J^TbUNNY&BETTIE

QUIZ CONTEST ANSWERS
See card ST I of the special SpectraTone™
chase card set for details.

12. 1950.

13. Strangers in the Night

14. Weekend at the Waldorf with Lana Turner.

15. 1954.

16. Fall of 1957.

17. Wilkinsburg, PA.

18. Theater where Bettie appeared in
Gendemen Prefer Blondes.

19. Roy Pinney.

v BptTifi. 5

>>ee card,ST l of the s pedal SpectraTone™
chase card set for details.

20. Linnea. Eleanor.

21. Three.

22. U S. Camera.

23. A heavy overcoat

!§$ Cohana.

2?ejanijary 1955_ .A 5anta CMushat . '

When you become a member of the 21st Century Archives Gallery Collection, you
ive all future limited edition prototype cards, receive the quarterly publication, The
ye, receive special discounts, and be the first to be able to purchase one of the
Collector’s Prints. And only members will be automatically entered into our quar-
jg great prizes. To join, send a check or money order for $20 for your annual dues.
! yc|’ll get more information on all the great products we make!

the limited edition uncut card print showcasing all 50 cards (approximately IB” x 28”) for
29.95 (plus $3 shipping.) We are also offering the special five-card nude set of Bettie Page
““‘Ijj^’eager, Beach Bettie in the Buff, for only $8.95! Please include a signed state-
ver 18 years of age. Send your check/money order for the above products to:
m, PO Box 1927, Royal Oak, MI 48068.

Bettie Page, the most famous model of
the Fifties, was photographed by many,
but none equal to Bunny Yeager, whom
noted author Buck Henry called, “The
great cheesecake-and-glamour model
turned great cheesecake-and-glamour
photographer.” Bunny’s classic pho¬
tographs of Bettie make up this exclusive
collection of 50 cards, many of which
have never before been published.

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