Anyone who loves B-movies of the 1950s appreciates this lovely
actress. She was born Mary Jane Hayes, on March 6, 1930, in
Charleston, West Virginia. The raven-haired beauty was the 1949
Washington, D.C. entry into the Miss America pageant. Shortly
afterwards, Mary adopted the familiar first name Allison. She got
her start on local Washington TV before heading to Hollywood in the
early 1950s. Allison began her career with Universal; the studio
groomed her, but only on the path of B-movies. In her film debut
_Francis Joins the Wacs (1954)_ (qv) she was a supporting actress
to the speaking mule which had the title role. She played the
devilishly alluring Livia in _Undead, The (1957)_ (qv), and
co-starred with B-movie legend 'Tor Johnson' (qv) in _Unearthly,
The (1957)_ (qv). Allison achieved film immortality in _Attack of
the 50 Foot Woman (1958)_ (qv), in which she tore the roof off the
place, and killed rival 'Yvette Vickers' (qv). After that, Allison
was a staple in classic B-grade horror films. She was in the
exploitation classic _Hypnotic Eye, The (1960)_ (qv) which had a
trailer showing an alleged hypnotist mesmerizing a volunteer as he
stuck long needles in her arms (this was some of the typical
ballyhoo going on at the time). However, Allison was a versatile
actress; she did drama very well, as when she guest starred on "The
Untouchables" TV series in the highly-rated episode: "The Rusty
Heller Story." Allison had a flair for comedy, which she
demonstrated when she appeared in the 'Dean Martin' (qv) film
_Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963)_ (qv). Her last film
appearance was with The King himself, 'Elvis Presley' (qv) in
_Tickle Me (1965)_ (qv), with a hilarious script by the legendary
writer Elwood Ullman. However, Allison's health declined steadily
throughout the 1960s. Her death on February 27, 1977 was due either
to leukemia or lead poisoning (due to doctor-prescribed calcium
supplements). Allison died far too young; her fans will forever
remember her legacy in films.
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