Dick Cavett’s 1972 Interview with Raquel Welch: The Secrets She Never Wanted You to Know

Raquel Welch is truly one of the most beautiful women to ever grace this planet. However, with all the attention on her looks and acting career, many people haven’t heard her speak from the heart.

That’s why, when I found her appearance on *The Dick Cavett Show*, I noticed something surprising…

First, let’s appreciate just how stunning and elegant Raquel Welch was in the early 1970s. She had no hair extensions, no Botox, and her natural hair color, without a tattoo in sight. She had a full figure, an intriguing personality, and a sharp mind. In my opinion, Welch is one of the most beautiful women to ever appear on screen.

### Underrated Genius

In a captivating 1972 interview on *The Dick Cavett Show*, Welch’s timeless beauty and elegance were clear. At about 32 years old, she radiated charm as she settled into the chair across from Dick Cavett.

The American television host, who ran *The Dick Cavett Show* from 1968 to 1988, was a skilled interviewer. He interviewed many famous film directors like Welles, Hitchcock, De Palma, and Scorsese, making each interview feel like a lesson in film.

Cavett had a talent for making his guests feel comfortable, drawing out engaging and thoughtful conversations. This interview showed Raquel in a way many had never seen — beyond her famous looks, revealing things I didn’t know about her.

### Broke Her Wrist

Welch’s appearance on *The Dick Cavett Show* was partly to promote her latest film, *Kansas City Bomber*.

In the movie, she played roller derby skater K.C. Carr — a woman trying to balance her desire for a happy personal life with her dreams of success.

The film featured many intense scenes from the matches, and according to Raquel, she performed most of her own stunts, which took a toll on her.

Raquel explained that she had to learn how to skate from the ground up for the role. The professional skaters in the film used a track with banked turns at a 45-degree angle, which made it even more difficult.

One day while practicing, she broke her wrist, causing the production to delay filming for about eight weeks.

“I had a lot of aches and pains for a long time,” Welch admitted.

### Recognize the Dress?

Those with sharp eyes might remember Welch’s stunning blue dress from her interview with Cavett. It was the same iconic gown she wore to the Oscars just a few months earlier. Talk about a fashion statement!

Raquel was ahead of her time in recycling outfits, and her Oscars gown wasn’t the only piece she repurposed. The beautiful dress she wore to the premiere of *The Godfather* was also the same one she wore at Elizabeth Taylor’s 40th birthday celebration in Budapest back in 1972.

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Who knew Raquel was such a trendsetter long before it became a popular term?

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By the way, did you know that Welch’s wardrobe for public events was very different from her personal style? People always expected her to maintain her glamorous image, and she did so perfectly. However, when she wasn’t on the red carpet, Welch preferred simple pantsuits and comfortable clothing.

### Humorous Anecdote

For decades, Welch has been known as a sex symbol, with a lot of focus on her beautiful body. Yet, few people have had the chance to hear her talk openly, especially on serious topics that show her depth beyond her famous image.

During her time on *The Dick Cavett Show*, the *One Million Years B.C.* star discussed the difference between her glamorous on-screen persona and her real-life experiences. The conversation included her public image and the expectations placed on her as a female actress in a male-dominated sport.

Raquel shared a funny story from her experience promoting *Kansas City Bomber*, recalling an interesting press conference with sports writers.

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“I had a really interesting press conference when I first came into town to promote the film with all the sports writers. They said, ‘You know, you’re a nice-sized lady and all that, but you’re not exactly what I expected.’ I replied, ‘I know I always seem to disappoint people if I walk in the door and the door hinges don’t splinter off, like I should come in with a machete or something.’”

Some people who saw her in person were surprised by her size—she is only 5 feet 5½ inches tall with a small-boned frame, elegantly complemented by broad shoulders and beautiful olive skin.

Dick Cavett then adds, “I know people walked in and looked at you, and their reaction was, ‘There’s an attractive woman.’ But many didn’t realize it was you, even though they had seen you on screen.”

### “Downright Intoxicating”

Many viewers who watched the interview later (available on YouTube) have commented on Raquel Welch’s lovely voice. It seems some have forgotten about it because of the strong focus on her stunning images and posters over the years.

One YouTube user commented, “She becomes even more attractive when she speaks, downright intoxicating!”

Another commenter added, “I love the way she speaks; there is something unique and also time-stamped about it.”

Another viewer noted, “Raquel was not only stunning to look at; she had a wonderful voice and a captivating way of speaking.”

This detail shows that Raquel’s appeal went beyond just her looks; her voice added a special charm that still resonates with audiences today.

She was very articulate and well-spoken!

### Why Was Raquel Welch So Down-to-Earth?

Raquel Welch, who got her first name from a grandmother in Bolivia and her last name from a teenage marriage, described herself as a product of middle-class America.

She never forgot her roots and always stayed connected to the part of society that wasn’t filled with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

“I’m practical, but I also have dreams of how things ideally should be,” she once said.

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In her private life, Welch was often seen in comfortable, loose-fitting sweaters and classic blue jeans, with just a touch of eye makeup. Even with her great fame, she had a sweetness and gentleness that made her feel easy to approach.

During her interview with Dick Cavett, Welch seemed very sweet, gentle, and down-to-earth.

### Suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease

Welch was truly one of the most beautiful women to ever appear on screen. Not even Kim Kardashian, with all her surgeries, could compare to her beauty.

Raquel was something special, and we should be thankful to have experienced her brilliance. Sadly, she passed away from cardiac arrest on February 15, 2023, at her home in Los Angeles, at the age of 82. At the time of her death, she was also battling Alzheimer’s disease.

Let’s remember this amazing woman through her wonderful interview with Dick Cavett — a moment when Raquel Welch was at the peak of her career. Share this story if you also admired Raquel Welch!

MARISKA HARGITAY’S MOM AND DAD WERE WELL-KNOWN ACTORS. THEIR NAMES WERE MICKEY HARGITAY AND JAYNE MANSFIELD. SADLY, JAYNE MANSFIELD PASSED AWAY WHEN MARISKA WAS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD.

In the 1950s, Jayne Mansfield became famous in Hollywood. Her daughter, Mariska Hargitay, was just three years old when Jayne had a fatal car accident in 1967, and Mariska was in the car too.

Luckily, Mariska survived and is doing well. She’s now a famous actor in today’s time. She looks a lot like her mom!

Becoming a Hollywood star usually takes a lot of hard work over many years. Most famous people would say it’s worth it in the end,

In under ten years, Jayne Mansfield became a huge star, mainly because of her roles in popular movies. She was a famous and attractive figure in the 1950s and 1960s.

Sometimes people called her “the poor man’s Marilyn Monroe” because she got similar kinds of roles, often playing a character seen as not very smart. But in reality, she was different from those characters.

Sadly, Jayne Mansfield died in a car accident in 1967, leaving behind five kids. Today, her children are working hard to keep her memory alive.

This is the story of the lively life of Jayne Mansfield and her daughter Mariska Hargitay, who looks a lot like her mom.

Jayne Mansfield had a life that was both glamorous and sad.

In the beginning, when she was known as Vera Jayne Palmer and born on April 19, 1933, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, she experienced the artistic side of life. Her dad, Herbert, who was a musician, taught her to sing and play the violin when she was a little kid.

But when Jayne was only three, her father passed away from a heart attack while they were traveling. This left her mom, Vera, who used to be a schoolteacher, alone with Jayne. Her mom had to go back to work to support the family.

She said, “Something went out of my life. My earliest memories are the best. I always try to remember the good times when Daddy was alive.”

In 1939, Jayne’s mom got married again, and the family moved to Dallas, Texas. At the same time, Jayne dreamed of becoming a Hollywood star. She loved watching Judy Garland’s movies and even dressed like her, hoping t

Jayne Mansfield didn’t finish high school before she met her first husband. She married Paul Mansfield when she was very young, just 20 years old, in 1950. They went to Southern Methodist University together to study acting, and a year later, Jayne had their first daughter, Jayne Marie Mansfield.

She entered a Miss California competition after taking a course at UCLA in Los Angeles, but she decided to leave. The family then chose to go to the University of Texas in Austin, where Jayne acted in several plays.

Even though it was fun, Jayne still wanted to go to Hollywood. So, in 1954, she moved to Los Angeles with her family.

Getting into the acting business is not easy for anyone. When Jayne started modeling, her curvy figure became a problem. Casting directors thought she was too attractive and seductive for commercials or advertisements. She even got cut out of her very first ad, which was for General Electric.

Jayne really wanted to be in movies, and she finally got a chance. She tried out for Paramount and Warner Brothers, but they didn’t choose her.

However, something important happened when she auditioned for Paramount. The person in charge of casting, Milton Lewis, told her something that changed how she saw herself.

“I had been to three different universities and two or three dramatic schools before I went to Hollywood, preparing myself for my hoped career as an actress. I did a soliloquy for Joan of Arc for Milton Lewis, who was head of casting at Paramount Studios to audition. And he seemed to think I was wasting my ‘obvious talents.’ He lightened my hair and tightened my dresses, and this is the result.”

Jayne Mansfield wanted to be as famous as Marilyn Monroe, who was the biggest Hollywood star at that time. But while her Hollywood career was starting, her husband Paul had enough and they got divorced in 1955. Their daughter stayed with Jayne in Los Angeles.

Jayne’s career finally took off when she got a role in a low-budget film called Female Jungle in 1955, which got her a lot of attention. In the same year, she was named “Playmate of the Month” and appeared on the cover of Playboy Magazine.

Her new style – the pinup, provocative blonde bombshell – was supposed to cement her status as the new Marilyn Monroe, and in a way, she definitely succeeded. Pink proved to be her color, with Jayne even buying a pink Cadillac to drive.

Studios wanted more of her and soon she was signed. Fox began to market her as the “Marilyn Monroe King-Size,” and her success grew. By that point she wasn’t just an actress; she was a sex symbol of the 1950s.

One journalist even claimed: “She suffered so many on-stage strap and zipper mishaps that nudity was, for her, a professional hazard.”

Jayne gained even more attention following her appearance in Fox’s 1957 comedy blockbuster Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?. That same year, she received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female. The following year, she starred alongside Kenneth More in the Western The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958).

Jayne scored several other – for the time being – provocative roles, including The Burglar (1957) and Too Hot to Handle (1960). Sadly, however, she was labelled “The Poor Man’s Marilyn Monroe”.

At that time, Mansfield had gotten married to second-husband, actor and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay. They tied the knot in 1958, at a press-filled ceremony in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Before long, the family was growing. In 1959, they welcomed son Mickey Hargitay, and two more children followed. Son Zoltan Hargitay was born in 1960, and daughter Mariska Magdolna Hargitay was welcomed in 1964.

Following her performance in Too Hot to Handle, Jayne went into her first legal battle regarding film censorship. The release date of the film was delayed because of her appearing nude in what was at the time considered a scandalous dress.

A couple of years later, she got into another battle regarding the same thing. Her film Promises! Promises! (1963) sparked a huge talking point when Mansfield became the first American Hollywood movie star to appear nude on screen. The scene was considered to be way too explicit, leading to censoring and, in some cases, it being banned across the world.

By this point, Mansfield was a huge Hollywood star, with an image that at the time was considered to be “owned by the public.”

It was something she enjoyed and thought was mandatory.

”Actually, I feel that a star own it to her public, to bring the public into her life,” she said in 1960.

“The fans feel that they kind of own you and if you kept your life a complete secret it wouldn’t be fair to them. But my private life, and when I say private life, is always very private.”

As quick as Jayne had risen to fame, her career also began to fail. She was dropped from 20th Century Fox in 1962, and instead went on to appear in several TV programs and game shows. Instead of just focusing on Hollywood, Mansfield decided to go International in the 1960s, starring in several German, Italian and British films. She began also appearing onstage at nightclubs, touring both in the US and in the UK.

In 1967, a tour was put together by Don Arden, the legendary music manager, as well as father of Sharon Osbourne. One week, she was performing in the town of Batley.

Her Hollywood glamour sure did something to the people there.

“My dad thought that all these not-so-glamorous ladies would show up at Batley with their hair rollers and headscarves,” explained Neil Sean, an entertainment reporter for NBC News. “But as the week went on, they became more and more glamorous, showing up with their hair done and lipstick.”

At that point, Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay had gotten divorced, and she married director Matt Cimber. They had her fifth child, Anthony Cimber, in 1965, but they divorced the same year.

The UK tour was the last one Jayne Mansfield did. On the way from a nightclub in Mississippi to New Orleans, she got into a car accident and died at the age of 34. The accident also took the lives of her then-boyfriend Sam Brody and their driver. She was buried next to her father in Fairview Cemetery in Pennsylvania.

In the car were three of her children, who were sleeping in the backseat and thankfully were not hurt. Mariska Hargitay, who was just three years old at the time, went to live with her father, Mickey Hargitay.

So, what happened to Mariska? Well, she followed her mother into acting, and she looks a lot like her!

“Losing my mother at such an early age is the scar of my soul,” she told Redbook in 2009.

“But I feel like it ultimately made me into the person I am today. I understand the journey of life. I had to go through what I did to be here.”

Mariska decided to study theater at UCLA in California. In 1984, she made her film debut in Ghoulies. She spent the 1980s performing in several TV series in order to pursue a career on the bigger stage. But, unlike her mother, she didn’t change her name or the color of her hair. People advised her to change her name and appearance, and even copy her mother’s sexy image. At one point, she turned down doing a nude scene in the movie Jocks (1986).

Being the daughter of a Hollywood icon hasn’t been easy. And sometimes, it even has been a burden for Mariska.

“I used to hate constant references to my mom because I wanted to be known for myself,” she told Closer. “Losing my mother at such a young age is the scar of my soul.”

Before Mariska got her big role, she had been acting for 15 years. She started playing Olivia Benson in the TV show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 1999, and she has been in a total of 481 episodes. The show is still being made.

Because of this popular show, Mariska has built a successful career. She won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her role as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She was also nominated for eight other awards.

Mariska Hargitay is now a well-known actress, just like her mother. She even looks a lot like her with that beautiful smile!

In 2004, Mariska married actor and producer Peter Hermann, and they have three children.

Mariska was very young when her mother died in a car accident, but becoming a mom herself has made her feel closer to the mom she lost so early in life.

“Being a wife and mother is my life, and that gives me the most joy,” she said. “I understand [my mother] in a new way that gives me peace. Now I understand the love she had in her, and it makes me feel closer to her.”

When their stars were placed next to each other on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013, Mariska Hargitay and her mother Jayne Mansfield were reconnected in a way.

Jayne Mansfield’s remarkable performances will live on in memory forever.

Although she is no longer with us, she will always be remembered, and Mariska, her daughter, is an amazing actress. Don’t they resemble one another?

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