Wednesday, 1 May 2013

Lorraine Burnett

Lorraine was exceptionally prolific and appeared in countless publications from the late 1950s to mid-1960s. In addition to her sumptuous proportions and baby-faced beauty, her slightly 'buck-toothed' look seemed only to add to her charm. 

Lorraine was born in Manchester in 1937 and trained as a dancer before moving to London in 1955 to work as a nude statue at the Windmill Theater.  Lorraine got lucrative contracts doing glamour shoots at camera and cine clubs in Soho

In a brief reminiscence of Lorraine published in Fiesta magazine in the mid 1980s, Roger Davis recalled that she was especially popular in the US, but he shed no light on her origins. Davis also said she was 'no clothes horse' and when he first met her he thought she was nothing special, but once out of her clothes she was 'a photographer's paradise' with an innate ability to pose. He continues: "Lorraine did a cabaret act, at various places in London. She could do the famous trick with the tassles on nipple caps, not only making the tassles rotate with the movement of her breasts, but making them rotate in opposite directions to each other. … Like Jackie Parker, appearing then in clubs, Lorraine must have been responsible for a large part of the raincoat sales in London." Davis characterized Lorraine as "a very quiet girl, rather withdrawn in fact, an unexpected characteristic in a girl who could, and did, give an energetic and uninhibited performance on stage. … Hard to fathom, but a joy to 'shoot' ". One club at which Lorraine was a star act in the late 1950s was the Panama Theatre Club, 42 Great Windmill Street, London W1.*1

As Well as working for Davis, Lorraine proved to be a favourite with both Russell Gay and Harrison Marks, whom she first worked with in 1958.  Pamela Green booked Lorraine after watching Lorraince with Harrison Marks in Soho and it was Lorraine's 42" Bust and firm toned body which made her such a success.  Lorraine's lingerie work was also a vital part of her work, appearing in spiked heels, suspenders, corsets and more, along with a variety of hair colours and wigs.

Lorraine seems to have retired back to the Midlands inthe late 1960's  where she continued to dance and strip, but little is known of her after that point.



Real Name: Lorraine Burnett
Modelling Aliases:
Sally Hayden
Date of Birth:
1937
Measurements: 41-25-36 Height: 5' 7" (1.70m)  
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour (Natural): Blonde
Hair Colour (Dyed):
Brunette

Lorraine Burnett Images
Lorraine Burnett Covers

Magazine Listings:
Amber No.16 (Cover) 
Beauty Bazaar (Cover)
Beauty of the Month No.2 - Lovely Lorraine
Black Garter

Bloom
Bosomy Beauties No.15 & No.17 - Issue devoted to her.

Bouncy Babes No.1 (Cover)
Carnival March 1958 & January 1959 (Cover & centrefold)

Carnival Summer Special [1958]
Connoisseur's Choice and Modelling Review (Various issues)
Coral (Many issues) 

Eye, July 1967 (Cover)
Fiesta, December 1957 (11 pages including centrefold)
Fling (Three or four issues up to 1963)
Fling Festival No.2
Folies de Paris et Hollywood - Many issues, including No.131 ,184 & 316 (Cover)
Folies de Paris et Hollywood Selection 

Forty-Plus No.7 (Cover with June Palmer)
Foto-rama, June 1967 (Cover)
Frolic, Feb 1959 

Garter Parade No.4 (Cover)
Gem - June, Year unknown

Just Lorraine Burnette, (Harrison Marks Reprints)
Kamera - Many issues, including notably No.15 (Many photo's and centrefold together with Rosa Domaille), No.39
Kamera Glamour Guide No.1 (1967?)
Kamera on Location (Hardback book, 1957)
Kingsize - Vol.2 No.3 (Early 1970s) 

Kingsize Special Edition No.7 (Cover)
Knave, March, Year unknown (Cover)
Lovelies (Various issues)
Model (Various issues) Including No.20, 22 & 31 (Cover & Centrefold)
Monsieur No.10
QT (Many issues, including No.13, 41 and 52
(Cover & Centrefold)
Panama Theatre Club Magazine No.1 (cover and feature, with some shots of one of her dance routines)

Paris Hollywood No.11 1960 (Cover)
Photo, February 1967 (Cover)
Photo Studio No.22 

Pic, August 1967 (Cover) 
Revels No.3 (Cover)
Revue Studio (Copenhagen)
Rosalinda's Album (1958; Book of studies of Lorraine)
Satan's Scrapbook (Cover)

Silk Seams, Vol.1 No.1 (Cover)
Six No.3
Solo No.2
Spick n' Span - Numerous issues, including Spick No.110
Sprite No.6
Tic-Toc vol 1 No1 (US - date unknown)
Xtra


*1 (Source: 60'sGlam Database)

5 comments:

  1. Whatever happened to her since?

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    Replies
    1. Good question she seems to have stopped modelling in the late 60's early 70's. Would love to know what happened to her after that and if she is still alive?

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  2. Burnette was her mother's maiden-name. She met an ex-WWII officer when working at Windmill, had 2 kids (boy/girl) he had own business, died from old wounds, she had to suddenly find big cash to pay off banks or loose both business and house, so began modelling again, paid the bank off, have heard she met another guy, retired for good, kids were getting older. Been digging to try and find her. She had big house, nice garden, north London, good friends in area who baby-sat for her when working nights/weekends. She was well-known (as were many other glam-girls) in London showbiz, TV/theatre/film etc. She would be about 72 today. As all other girls can't trace her, most used fake names and girls get married. Am only aware of 2 models from that era, but can't find a way to contact one, the other refuses to reply. I actually knew both. Lorraine, too.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks that's really interesting as always wondered what happened to Lorraine. Who were the other two models you mention?

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    2. Thanks anyway! It feels good to know that she, as far as I understand, is still "our" Lorraine, wherever she may be, and I do hope she had a happy marriage. Worth admiring forever.

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