Dyanne Thorne
Encyclopedia
Dyanne Thorne is an American
actress, nude model
for pin-up magazines, and former Las Vegas
showgirl
. She is best known for starring in four "Ilsa" sexploitation movies that influenced the Nazi exploitation
film genre.
film Sin in the Suburbs from grindhouse
director Joseph W. Sarno
. Her co-star, Audrey Campbell, would soon star as the dominatrix Olga in a series of "roughie" films (Olga's House of Shame, et al.). Thorne continued to make exploitation films and sex comedies such as Love Me Like I Do (1970) and Wam-Bam, Thank You, Spaceman (1973) before attaining notoriety as Ilsa, a cruel Nazi dominatrix similar to Campbell's Olga. Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1974) was a surprise hit that spawned three sequels and a flood of imitators, creating a Nazi exploitation
film subgenre.
The first Ilsa movie was filmed on the prison camp sets left behind from the Hogan's Heroes
television series. Thorne's Ilsa is a brutal buxom commandant of a German prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. She sexually and physically abuses her male and female prisoners and uses them for diabolical medical experiments. The film, which was banned in Germany, was notorious for its level of sadism and for portraying Nazi cruelty as sexual actions.
Despite the fact that Ilsa was killed at the end of the film, she was resurrected for a sequel, Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks. This was set in the Middle East in an unspecified post-war time period. This was followed by Ilsa, the Tigress of Siberia with Ilsa as the sadistic and over-sexed leader of a Russian gulag in 1953. The last film, Ilsa, the Wicked Warden takes place in a corrupt Latin American "banana republic". Here, Ilsa is the bisexual warden of a women's prison. Directed by Jess Franco, this film falls into the women in prison genre with no connection to Ilsa's Nazi past.
Credited as Diana and not Dyanne, she and her husband were credited as the Bride and Groom in Franc Roddam
's segment "Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde in the film Aria (1987).
Her last and also most mainstream feature film
role was as James Belushi
's transsexual
father in the 1987 film Real Men
(a point James Belushi
happily stressed to his friend by grabbing her breasts).
. Instead, during 10 years of simultaneous acting, she has earned a Ph.D.
in Comparative religion
.
Today she and her husband Howard Maurer (both had roles in five of the same movies) are ordained ministers, who own an alternative wedding business in Las Vegas, Nevada
. They conduct scenic outdoor weddings as an alternative to a traditional wedding chapel.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, nude model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
for pin-up magazines, and former Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
showgirl
Showgirl
A showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show. Showgirl is also often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
. She is best known for starring in four "Ilsa" sexploitation movies that influenced the Nazi exploitation
Nazi exploitation
Nazi exploitation is a subgenre of exploitation film and sexploitation film that involves villainous Nazis committing criminal acts of a sexual nature often as camp or prison overseers in World War II settings...
film genre.
Career
Thorne first appeared as "Lahna Monroe" in the 1964 sexploitationSexploitation
Sexploitation, or "sex-exploitation", describes a class of independently produced, low-budget feature films generally associated with the 1960s and serving largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit sexual situations and gratuitous nudity. The genre is a subgenre of exploitation films...
film Sin in the Suburbs from grindhouse
Grindhouse
A grindhouse is an American term for a theater that mainly shows exploitation films. It is named after the defunct burlesque theaters located on 42nd Street in New York City, where 'bump n' grind' dancing and striptease were featured.- History :...
director Joseph W. Sarno
Joseph W. Sarno
Joseph W. Sarno was an American film director and screenwriter.One of the most prolific and distinctive auteurs to emerge from the proto-pornographic sexploitation film genre of the 1960s, Joe Sarno had written and directed approximately 75 theatrically released feature films in the sexploitation,...
. Her co-star, Audrey Campbell, would soon star as the dominatrix Olga in a series of "roughie" films (Olga's House of Shame, et al.). Thorne continued to make exploitation films and sex comedies such as Love Me Like I Do (1970) and Wam-Bam, Thank You, Spaceman (1973) before attaining notoriety as Ilsa, a cruel Nazi dominatrix similar to Campbell's Olga. Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1974) was a surprise hit that spawned three sequels and a flood of imitators, creating a Nazi exploitation
Nazi exploitation
Nazi exploitation is a subgenre of exploitation film and sexploitation film that involves villainous Nazis committing criminal acts of a sexual nature often as camp or prison overseers in World War II settings...
film subgenre.
The first Ilsa movie was filmed on the prison camp sets left behind from the Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
television series. Thorne's Ilsa is a brutal buxom commandant of a German prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. She sexually and physically abuses her male and female prisoners and uses them for diabolical medical experiments. The film, which was banned in Germany, was notorious for its level of sadism and for portraying Nazi cruelty as sexual actions.
Despite the fact that Ilsa was killed at the end of the film, she was resurrected for a sequel, Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks. This was set in the Middle East in an unspecified post-war time period. This was followed by Ilsa, the Tigress of Siberia with Ilsa as the sadistic and over-sexed leader of a Russian gulag in 1953. The last film, Ilsa, the Wicked Warden takes place in a corrupt Latin American "banana republic". Here, Ilsa is the bisexual warden of a women's prison. Directed by Jess Franco, this film falls into the women in prison genre with no connection to Ilsa's Nazi past.
Credited as Diana and not Dyanne, she and her husband were credited as the Bride and Groom in Franc Roddam
Franc Roddam
Francis George "Franc" Roddam is an English film director, businessman, screenwriter, television producer and publisher. He is married to photographer, Leila Ansari, and has six children from previous marriages. He currently lives in London.-Career:Roddam's films include "Quadrophenia", "K2",...
's segment "Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde in the film Aria (1987).
Her last and also most mainstream feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
role was as James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
's transsexual
Transsexualism
Transsexualism is an individual's identification with a gender inconsistent or not culturally associated with their biological sex. Simply put, it defines a person whose biological birth sex conflicts with their psychological gender...
father in the 1987 film Real Men
Real Men
Real Men is a 1987 comedy/sci-fi film starring James Belushi and John Ritter as the heroes: suave, womanizing CIA agent Nick Pirandello and weak and ineffectual insurance agent Bob Wilson .-Plot:...
(a point James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
happily stressed to his friend by grabbing her breasts).
Later years
Contrary to some publications, Thorne did start but not complete her degree in AnthropologyAnthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. Instead, during 10 years of simultaneous acting, she has earned a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Comparative religion
Comparative religion
Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...
.
Today she and her husband Howard Maurer (both had roles in five of the same movies) are ordained ministers, who own an alternative wedding business in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. They conduct scenic outdoor weddings as an alternative to a traditional wedding chapel.
Selected filmography
- Sin in the Suburbs (1964), Yvette Talman
- Point of Terror (1971), Andrea
- The Erotic Adventures of Pinocchio (1971), Fairy Godmother
- Blood Sabbath (1972), Alotta
- Snatched Women (1974)
- Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1974), Ilsa
- The Swinging BarmaidsThe Swinging BarmaidsThe Swinging Barmaids is a 1975 exploitation film about a serial killer who targets cocktail waitresses. The film was directed by Gus Trikonis, and stars Bruce Watson, Laura Hippe, and Dyanne Thorne....
(1975) - Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil SheiksIlsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil SheiksIlsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks is a 1976 sexploitation women in prison film, the first sequel to Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS.-Premise:Dyanne Thorne repeats the title role, but this time Ilsa works as head of the harem of Sheikh El Sharif...
(1976), Ilsa - Beyond Fulfillment (1976)
- Ilsa, the Tigress of SiberiaIlsa, the Tigress of SiberiaIlsa, The Tigress of Siberia is a sexploitation "Men in prison" style of film that was produced in Canada in 1977. It is the third sequel of Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS.-Premise:...
(1977), Ilsa - Ilsa, the Wicked Warden (1977) aka Greta the Torturer
- Hellhole (1985)
- Real MenReal MenReal Men is a 1987 comedy/sci-fi film starring James Belushi and John Ritter as the heroes: suave, womanizing CIA agent Nick Pirandello and weak and ineffectual insurance agent Bob Wilson .-Plot:...
(1987), Dad Pirandello
TV appearances
- Felony SquadFelony SquadFelony Squad is a half-hour television crime drama originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 12, 1966 to January 31, 1969, a span encompassing seventy-three episodes.-Overview:...
(1966), Diana Porter - in the episode "The Terror Trap" - Felony SquadFelony SquadFelony Squad is a half-hour television crime drama originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 12, 1966 to January 31, 1969, a span encompassing seventy-three episodes.-Overview:...
(1966), Miss Lucas - in the episode "Miss Reilly's Revenge" - Star TrekStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
(1968), First Girl - in the episode "A Piece of the Action" - Space (TV mini-series) (1985), Entertainer