Jo Collins
Encyclopedia
Jo Collins was Playboy
magazine's Playmate of the Month for December 1964 and Playmate of the Year for 1965. Her original pictorial was photographed by Mario Casilli
.
She was discovered by Playboy while working as a page for the Queen for a Day
TV game show. She went on to work at the Playboy Club
s as a Bunny
and, later on, as a Bunny Mother.
Jo, who is of Norwegian and Spanish
descent, was married to the baseball player Bo Belinsky
for five years (1970 to 1975).
She was nicknamed “G.I. Jo” for her United Service Organizations
tours to Vietnam
to entertain the troops during the Vietnam War
. She first went to Vietnam to deliver a copy of Playboy in person to a lieutenant named Jack Price, of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, who had availed himself of an offer from Playboy that anyone making a lifetime subscription to the magazine would receive the first copy from a Playboy Playmate in person.
In December 1979 Jo posed nude for the "Playmates Forever!" pictorial.
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine's Playmate of the Month for December 1964 and Playmate of the Year for 1965. Her original pictorial was photographed by Mario Casilli
Mario Casilli
Mario A. Casilli was a photographer for Playboy magazine.From 1962 until 1981 he photographed 57 Playmate pictorials, including Playmates of the Year Linda Gamble, Christa Speck, Jo Collins, Connie Kreski, Claudia Jennings and Dorothy Stratten...
.
She was discovered by Playboy while working as a page for the Queen for a Day
Queen for a Day
Queen for a Day is an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners' and viewers' fascination with big-prize giveaway shows. Queen for a Day originated on the Mutual Radio Network on April 30, 1945 in New York City before moving to Los Angeles a few months...
TV game show. She went on to work at the Playboy Club
Playboy Club
The Playboy Club initially was a chain of nightclubs and resorts owned and operated by Playboy Enterprises. The first club opened at 116 E. Walton Street in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States, on February 29, 1960. Each club generally featured a Living Room, a Playmate Bar, a Dining Room...
s as a Bunny
Playboy Bunny
A Playboy Bunny is a waitress at the Playboy Club. The Playboy Clubs were originally open from 1960 to 1988. The Club re-opened in one location in The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2006...
and, later on, as a Bunny Mother.
Jo, who is of Norwegian and Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
descent, was married to the baseball player Bo Belinsky
Bo Belinsky
Robert "Bo" Belinsky was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, who became an instant southern California celebrity as a rookie with the original Los Angeles Angels, especially when the fourth of his season-opening four straight wins was a no-hit, no-run game against his former...
for five years (1970 to 1975).
She was nicknamed “G.I. Jo” for her United Service Organizations
United Service Organizations
The United Service Organizations Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military, with programs in 160 centers worldwide. Since 1941, it has worked in partnership with the Department of Defense , and has provided support and...
tours to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
to entertain the troops during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. She first went to Vietnam to deliver a copy of Playboy in person to a lieutenant named Jack Price, of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, who had availed himself of an offer from Playboy that anyone making a lifetime subscription to the magazine would receive the first copy from a Playboy Playmate in person.
In December 1979 Jo posed nude for the "Playmates Forever!" pictorial.
Film and television appearances
- Fireball 500Fireball 500Fireball 500 is a stock car racing film, blended with the beach party film genre. A vehicle for stars Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello and Fabian, it was one of a string of similar racing films from the 1960s...
(1966) .... Leander Fan - Lord Love a DuckLord Love a DuckLord Love a Duck is a 1966 black comedy starring Roddy McDowall and Tuesday Weld. The film was a satire of popular culture at the time, its targets ranging from progressive education to Beach Party films...
(1966) .... Kitten - Sergeant Dead Head (1965) .... Gail
- How to Stuff a Wild BikiniHow to Stuff a Wild BikiniHow to Stuff a Wild Bikini is a 1965 beach party film from American International Pictures. The sixth entry in a seven-film series, the movie features Mickey Rooney, Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, and Beverly Adams...
(1965) .... Beach Girl - Ski PartySki PartySki Party is a B-movie, directed by Alan Rafkin, and released in 1965 by American International Pictures. Ski Party is part of the 1960s Beach Party film genre, with a change of setting from the beach to the slopes - although the final scene places everyone back at the beach...
(1965) (uncredited) .... Jo - Apocalypse NowApocalypse NowApocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
(1979) .... herself