Big Apple babe Arlene Martel left the Bronx for the glamor of Hollywood during the heyday of classic TV. Called “the Chameleon” by casting directors, she was able to adapt her looks and dialect to portray a variety of exotic women. Ms. Martel morphed into a Sicilian girl on Route 66 (1961) and a Hungarian immigrant on The Fugitive (1966) with equal believability. In fact, her knack for playing foreign beauties extended all the way to outer space when she appeared on an iconic episode of Star Trek (1967) as the lovely and logical T’Pring, otherwise known as Mrs. Spock! So convincing were her transformations, Arlene would sometimes repeatedly guest star on the same series (The Twilight Zone, Route 66, Perry Mason) but as different characters. With the action film Angels from Hell (1968), she graduated from the small screen to the big screen where she could flash her flesh! Not only are her bare breasts seen through a foggy shower curtain, the skintastic actress also shows up in fishnets, go-go boots and a groovy yellow top sans bra. When a guy unzips it, Arlene’s left orb falls out. You wouldn’t be able to see that on the boob-tube! However, the sexy starlet returned to television with a recurring role on the comedy Hogan’s Heroes (1965-1970). Later, she would work on primetime soaps such as Knots Landing (1983) and Brothers & Sisters (2010). The consummate pro even performed up until her final days. Although Arlene is gone, she’ll never be forgotten!
