Exploitation’s Legendary Sex Kitten Uschi Digard! Her Camp Classic “Toy Box”!
Exploitation cinema has a long and entertaining history of crazy films – and a bevy of sexy Actresses who bring their unique “assets” to the filmmaking process:
Uschi Digard has a unique name, and an equally unique career – everything from nudie pinups to sex kitten in a number of Russ Meyer cult classics!
Legendary Director Russ Meyer made some of the most outrageous sexploitation films of the 60’s and 70’s, including what many consider to be the greatest exploitation film ever made:
I have posted about a number of the Director’s films – and stars – and there are links below, but I want to spend a bit of time talking about one of his most visually distinctive stars of all:
Celebrating the Career Of Uschi Digard!
If you don’t know the name, you might recognize the face – Digard was in a number of Russ Meyer films in the late 60’s and 70’s, plus has a cameo in one of the best comedies ever released!
Let’s begin in Europe, where so many of the early Starlets got their start. Here is how she once spoke of her childhood:
“I was born in Saltsjö-Duvnäs, a little town outside Stockholm, Sweden, and am of Swedish/Swiss heritage. I was sent to a boarding school with nuns at an early age because those were the best schools in the country and I was pretty promiscuous as a little one — not with men, but with books. I loved reading and at age 6 I decided I wanted to learn languages because I couldn’t stand reading books that had been translated — they lost the essence. By age 7 I had read every book in the little village library.”
Russ Meyer Discovers Uschi!
Tigard’s big break came in the late 60’s…here is what happened, according to Digard’s official website:
“Uschi Digard got her big adult sex film break in 1969 when a film lab lost some footage of Russ Meyer’s “Cherry, Harry, & Raquel”. Russ Meyer, who had discovered Uschi Digard in a nude Penthouse feature, shot some sex action footage of Uschi Digard to replace the missing footage. This led to the casting of Uschi Digard in two other Russ Meyer films: “Supervixens” (1975) and “Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens” (1979).”
Russ Meyers was known, of course, for his love of the female body, and his films celebrated women like Uschi, in a series of wild sexploitation classics that were profane and hilariously funny…
She worked with Meyers on a number of his movies, in big roles as well as cameo appearances, and was a co-producer on “Up!” and “Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens!”
Aside from the Russ Meyer films, Digard starred in a slew of low-budget camp classics like this one:
Uschi’s “Toy Box”!
“Squaws did it for their Braves…why not Ralph?”
This is one of the strangest movies I’ve ever seen, beginning with that hilarious line of dialogue as our star decides whether to “please” her man – “The Toy Box” is an obscure oddity, a pure sexploitation horror film without any regard for a coherent plot! It doesn’t matter though, since Uschi Digard shows up in the film for one reason: to perform a totally nude solo scene on a bed as she imagines a ghost groping her!
Most of the film’s running time has naked hippies dancing to bad music and rolling around on the dirty floor…and yes, it is as unappealing as it sounds…except for Uschi, of course! This film was produced by Harry Novak, the King of Exploitation! He passed away a few years ago, but not before leaving us films like “The Toy Box” and others like this!
You can read more about this master of Sexploitation by clicking here:
https://johnrieber.com/2014/04/03/weve-lost-the-king-of-mind-blowing-movies-rip-harry-novak/
Uschi Digard appeared in a wide array of films, with full frontal nudity and sexual situations a regular part of her cinematic routine. But she always exuded a aggressive female sexual persona – not a sex toy, but an empowered sexual being…
She had a number of other minor roles as well, including a small part as a prisoner in the bad taste cult classic “Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS” in 1975.
Digard Is A Bad Catholic Schoolgirl!
Of all of her roles, I will always remember this one!
In 1977, Digard had a cameo appearance in the hilarious fake movie trailer called “Catholic High School Girls in Trouble” from John Landis’s “Kentucky Fried Movie.”
If you haven’t seen this movie, you are missing one of the funniest films ever made, by the guys who went on to make “Airplane!”
Read all about “Kentucky Fried Movie” here:
https://johnrieber.com/2013/06/03/big-jim-slade-fistfuls-of-yen-its-the-kentucky-fried-movie/
In addition to acting, Uschi was one of the most popular “men’s magazine models” as well…
She was among the best known “big bust” models in the late-1960s and early-1970s, building up a cult fan base and unabashedly embracing her fame…
Retro-Seduction Cinema now has a great collection of her most offbeat and sensual movies in a special collection, and the Russ Meyer films are also widely available today…
Even though Uschi Digard is know for her physical appearance, she is also very intelligent – she speaks eight languages – German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, French and English!
This movie star still looks great today. Now married, she lives in Palm Springs and North Hollywood.
If you want to support this classic sex kitten, go to her website here:
Yes, it’s very NSFW once you enter, but it’s also a fascinating story of a time that is long gone in cinema…
If you want to know more about Russ Meyer, especially a closer look at this classic cult movies, click on my story here:
https://johnrieber.com/2012/03/16/sexploitation-classics-the-russ-meyer-edition/
Uschi is just one sex symbol that I have profiled, and it’s great to see she is living happily today. Another one who has prospered is the legendary Mamie Van Doren:
Mamie Van Doren
Screen Legend Mamie Van Doren launches Mamietage Wine
held at Eleven Restaurant – Arrivals
West Hollywood, California – 14.11.07
Credit: (Mandatory): Dimitri Halkidis / WENN
She starred in some of the most provocative films of the 50’s and 60’s, and she is still active on social media today! Read all about here here:
https://johnrieber.com/2015/07/07/mamie-van-doren-legendary-hollywood-sex-kitten-untamed-sex-symbol/
Another more mainstream sex kitten from the 60’s turned into one of Hollywood’s best Actresses of the 70’s:
Ann Margret starred with Jack Nicholson in “Carnal Knowledge”, as will always be remembered for her “baked bean scene” from the classic 70’s rock opera “Tommy”:
Read all about this fascinating movie star by clicking on my story here:
Let me know if you’ve seen any of Uschi Digard’s work!
Categories: 70's Cinema, Action Films, Art, Books / Media, Comedy Movies, Cult Movies, Exploitation films, Film Fight Club, Great Films, Grindhouse, Hollywood, Horror films, Independent Cinema, Los Angeles, Memoirs, Movies, Obscure Movies, Revenge Movies, Russ Meyer, Sexploitation Movies, Talent/Celebrities, Uncategorized
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