Beatlemania was a bit before my time, but in the 1980’s the closest thing to it came into the country’s lives around 1983 when Michael Jackson released his album Thriller. Everyone liked it: the kids, the parents, the critics, the industry. In fact, even if Michael Jackson didn’t quite achieve the commercialism heights of the Beatles (at least I don’t recall Michael Jackson wigs in the department stores), the release of his video Thriller was probably as anticipated as the Fab Four starring in the film A Hard Day’s Night.
MTV was all the rage, and music videos has been consuming the lives of kids in my age group for the past couple of years, but there was no one quite prepared for the impact that Thriller would have in our TV viewing lives. Everyone who was anyone tuned in when the video premiered, and if I’m not mistaken MTV began to show the video at the top of every hour for a while. Not bad, for a video that already lasted a good three times longer than an average video.
Quite obviously, it was Michael Jackson who drew in the crowd, but for all intents and purposes the video actually starred two people: Jackson and the gal playing his unnamed girlfriend. This model and actress was named Ola Ray, and her face was probably already familiar to middle-aged men everywhere as she has been Miss June 1980 in Playboy magazine. Her acting resume wasn’t that large at the time, but she had already appeared onscreen in small roles in the films Night Shift and 48 Hrs. In her days after the video, she’s go on to make appearances in the sitcoms Gimme a Break, Cheers, and What’s Happening Now!!, plus return to the screen briefly in Beverly Hills Cop II. And with that, she pretty much vanished from the public eye.
On October 31, 2015 – appropriately enough on Halloween – I got the chance to meet her when she made a rare appearance at the Hollywood Show. Having starred in the iconic Thriller video made her a must-get when it came to paying the $20 for the photo op, but not quite enough to shell out more money for the autograph. I had heard that she has sued Michael Jackson and then his estate over money she felt she was owed for the video royalties, so I knew she was definitely trying to cash in on this role. This was why I wasn’t all that surprised that she wouldn’t spring for letting Carolyn get in a picture on my dime as well.
And darkness came across the land…
Celebrities of the Fall 2015 Hollywood Show will continue…
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