Thanks to his classic thrillers, auteur Alfred Hitchcock had a way of turning fair-haired starlets (Janet Leigh, Grace Kelly, Kim Novak, Doris Day, Eva Marie Saint, Tippi Hedren) into international movie stars. He promised to do as much for dancer Georgine Darcy after he cast her in a bit part (and oh, what parts!) in his iconic flick Rear Window (1954). In fact, Hitch told Georgine the world could be hers if she would get a Hollywood agent and study Anton Chekov abroad. But the Brooklyn-born broad was content to stay in the States where she scored a regular role on the sitcom Harrigan and Son (1960-1961) and guest-starred on several other series (The Danny Thomas Show, Peter Gunn, Mike Hammer, Mannix). Ms. Darcy was also the subject of the documentary short Remembering Miss Torso (2004). The title refers to her revealing role in the aforementioned Rear Window. During her mamorable performance, Georgine can be seen through Jimmy Stewart’s telescope. We can’t blame him for peeping since the bendable blonde is donning a pair of pink short-shorts (and not much else) as she does her morning stretches. We especially appreciate the shapely leg lifts! No wonder her mother initially urged her to become a stripper! But the classically-trained ballerina opted to dance with the New York City Ballet instead when she wasn’t modeling for pictures or appearing in motion pictures (Don’t Knock the Twist, The Delta Factor). Georgine died in 2004, but we’ll miss her torso and so much more!
