Debra Jo Fondren, Playmate of the Year, 1978

The Script for The Debra Jo Fondren Story would be rejected by any self-respecting Hollywood producer. We can hear them now: "Too pat. Where's the tension, the drama, the believability?" Take, for instance, this synopsis of the first reel: A young, beautiful girl, an avid reader of Playboy, dreams of becoming a Playmate. Unfortunately, she lives in a small city in Texas. Beaumont is the name and it's slightly off the beaten track. She is spotted by a playboy photographer's assistant, who suggests she just might have what it takes.

A few test shots later, our heroine finds herself in the centerfold, as the September 1977 Playmate. Public reaction is overwhelming. The readers write volumes, peppered with such adjectives as stunning and fantastic, and imploring, "More!" The editors huddle:

"We've got a winner here!" Debra Jo is named Playmate of the Year and is whisked off to Paris to sit for Francis Giacobetti, one of the world's foremost photographers of women. End of reel one. But, as they say, not the end of the story.

Actually, this is not a fairy tale and Debra Jo is hip-deep in reality. For her, the past few months have been a breathless romp around the country, touring on various Playboy promotions--something of a revelation to a girl who had seldom been outside Beaumont. "People are the same everywhere," she discovered, "they just have different accents."

Naturally, the high point so far has been her trip to Paris. "At the time we arrived, it was cold and rainy, but you could still tell it was beautiful." Debra's compliment was returned with interest by Parisian men, who were so taken with her and with the length of her tresses they (text concluded on page 226) Playmate Of The Year (continued from page 160) stopped her on the street just to fondle and kiss her hair. "It got so bad we had to hide it under my coat."

But the real surprise was the ripples she caused on the distaff side. "I look so different from the average Frenchwoman that women would stare at me in a restaurant. In fact, they looked at me more than the men did."

The main reason for Debra's visit to Paris, of course, was the shooting with Giacobetti, the director of Emmanuelle, the Joys of a Woman, whose photo studio is there. Most of the shooting, except for a few days on the beaches in the Bahamas, was done in Paris and its environs. Debra and Giacobetti hit it off immediately. "He's a very intelligent man, a genius," she says, "and I loved his accent. You know, the French can say anything in English and it sounds wonderful."

Nights and days off were spent exploring the streets of the City of Light. "We went to the lea market on Sunday and I bought everything--mostly antiques, including two beautiful old coffee grinders. I'm going to devote one room in my house to antiques." A side trip to the Crazy Horse Saloon for one of its world-famous stage shows (see The Fillies of Crazy Horse, Playboy, April) also drew raves from Debra. "It was marvelous, perfectly choreographed, and the audience was not what you'd expect. Not a lot of leering old men but respectable professional types with their dates."

Now that she's back in the States, Debra has a lot of thinking to do. As a result of her appearances, she has had a number of offers to go into full-time modeling--and the movies. She is weighing them all very carefully: "I don't make rash decisions; I'm not impulsive." The experience of doing a screen test, recently, however, did impress her. "I could see myself doing movies. There's an energy surrounding a movie set that I really like, and if the right script came along, sure, I'd love to do it!"

Right now, however, her duties as Playmate of the Year are paramount and Debra is anxious to get started. "I used to dream about being in the centerfold and think how lucky the girls were who made it. Now here I am, Playmate of the Year. It really is hard to believe. And it's doubly enjoyable because I know and like Playboy It's my favorite magazine. The gifts I'm receiving are great, but even without them, I'd be honored to represent Playboy" When we left Debra, she was going back to Beaumont after almost two months' absence. We got the impression that, for her, this was a special trip, a chance to touch home base, to think about the future. After all, she's not the same Debra Jo Fondren anymore: She's Playboy's Playmate of the Year.

People ask me how I feel about having men look at my body. I tell them I feel very good about it. It's when they don't that I start to worry."

The Playmate of the Year gets so many nice gifts, it's like Christmas in June. I can't wait to try out my new Datsun 280Z on those wide-open Texas roads. I don't think I'd want to drive it in Paris, though. The city has too many wild drivers."

I love money: I'm not going to lie about it. But if you're not happy in your own mind, no amount of money is going to buy that for you. When I think of security, I think about home and friends and family. Those are the important things."

Eventually, I'll get married and have children. But right now, my career is most important. Too many things are happening for me to be able to give children the care they need. I mean, I feel bad about having to leave my cats!"

I used to think in terms of depending on a man for my happiness, but finding out I can make, it on my own has made me a stronger, happier person. I believe in women's lib every place but in the bedroom. There, I think the man should be in control. It makes me feel more feminine."

" 'I could see myself doing movies. There's an energy surrounding a movie set that I really like.'"

Gifts Fit For A Queen

The best kinds of gifts are those you would like to receive yourself. And by that criterion, the goodies we have chosen for our new Playmate of the Year are the best ever.

Topping Debra Jo Fondren's list, for instance, is a car we've drooled over for some time: a 1978 Datsun 280Z, the pride of Nissan Motors.

And who among us has not coveted a complete set of matched stereo components? Debra's new Optonica outfit, which retails for $2300, includes SM-4646 integrated amplifier, ST-3636 tuner, RP-3636 Mark II turntable, RT-3535 Mark II cassette deck and CP-5151 speakers.

Since Debra told us she was interested in photography and would someday like to shoot a Playmate herself, we thought some camera equipment would be in order. So we've come up with a Minolta XD-11 with Electro Flash 200X attachment, a Rollei A110 and a complete Polaroid SX-70 outfit.

Debra also let us know that she seldom gets to see any of the TV interviews she has done because of her Playboy-promotion travel schedule. With her new RCA SelectaVision video-cassette recorder with camera, she'll be able to have those appearances taped for later viewing.

And the whole thing wouldn't make any sense without a TV, so we've provided a portable Sony KV-8000 color set with Sony battery pack.

Another useful item for the traveling woman is Debra's new Phone Mate 4000 telephone answering system, which will enable her to keep in touch with friends and producers while on the road.

Just so she gets to those public appearances on time, she's been gifted with a Panasonic RC-6035 AM/FM digital clock-radio.

To balance out all those "necessities," we've added, as a touch of pure fun, a brace of AMF Roadmaster ten-speed racing bikes for touring the beautiful countryside around her home in Beaumont, Texas.

Last, and far from least, a little pocket change that jingles to the tune of $10,000. In all, a gift package fit for, well, a Playmate of the Year.