For your Yuletide delectation, we can think of few offerings as enticing as this fivesome of favorite December Playmates herewith unwrapped. Miss Ellen Stratton, who reads 35-20-35 from either direction, was a legal secretary on the Coast when she was first discovered by Playboy photog, and remains so today.
Ellen wants to be a lady lawyer, studies at night, and earned part of her tuition through her Playmate appearance a year ago this month, a move that younger members of the California bar have unanimously endorsed.
Adorned in soap bubbles or negligee, sloe-eyed, sexy Linda Vargas comes on with the look of a young Ava Gardner. We first spotted her in Chicago, were impressed by her sensuously feline qualities, and promptly named her our December 1957 Playmate. She's since moved to Hollywood, been put under contract to Jerry Wald and appeared in several films, including "The Best of Everything." For us, Linda's allure is more than face and figure (35-21-35); it depends very much on the way she moves and the intense and sensual fashion in which she reacts to everything around her.
Soft-voiced, shy Lisa Winters was discovered waiting for a bus on a Miami street corner by photographer Bunny Yeager, and has become one of the magazine's all-time favorites following her appearance as Miss December of 1956. Petite and perfectly proportioned, Lisa was born and raised in Florida, but moved to the West Coast and now lives just outside of Hollywood. Knowledgeable filmland connoisseurs made Lisa several movie offers after her Playmate debut, but this retiring miss said no to a movie career.
Playboy's Janet Pilgrim was our first Subscription Manager way back when that department consisted of two, our entire staff of less than ten. Janet's popularity as Playmate in December 1955 prompted our placing this multilinear miss into promotion instead. Janet – blonde, bouncy, beautiful – now heads up our Reader Service, which answers all questions concerning the contents of the magazine.
Joyce Nizzari – another Miami miss – is wild about Sinatra, sports cars and snoozing till noon, donned our Miss December's crown in 1958, and was the most popular Playmate of that year. When we found Joyce, she was devoting her time to modeling, water skiing, bowling and keeping her trim figure in shape. Her Playmate appearance led to a role in "Hole in the Head," alongside her favorite Frankie. Parts in other movies and TV shows followed, but Joyce still makes her home in Miami with her parents, does modeling and promotional work for Playboy.