If, as they say, it is more blessed to give than to receive, Dorothy Stratten's benefactors may soon be canonized. Dorothy had a vague inkling of what she was going to receive as Playmate of the Year, but the full impact of her treasure-trove of goodies didn't really dawn on her until one day in February, when she arrived at our West Coast (text concluded on page 227)Gifts hits fir a Queen(continued from page 221) Studio to be photographed with all her gifts. We had gathered them into one large room, and when Dorothy walked in, she was awe-struck. "When I saw all those beautiful gifts all at once," she says, "I just started crying. It was incredible." In fact, it was like the proverbial child let loose in a candy store--Dorothy tried on the fur, the dresses, the lingerie, the jewelry; fiddled with the gadgets, the video equipment, the cameras, the computers; inspected the brass bed, the brass-and-rosewood bathtub. And there were some interesting coincidences. "I was all set to buy a video recorder," she says, "so I'd be able to tape all the TV shows I'm going to be in and play them back. Also, I had just told a friend that I wanted a backgammon table. I'm pretty addicted to the game." And, of course, the fur will come in handy when she makes her rounds as our Playmate of the Year, "especially," she says, "when I tour Canada."
A few of the gifts were not in the room. Foremost was a $25,000 check from Playboy--up from the previous Playmate of the Year bonus of $10,000. Another was a trip to La Costa, the famous health spa/resort south of Los Angeles. Dorothy and Playboy West Coast Photo Editor Marilyn Grabowski spent six days there in early February. "We went down there to diet and exercise," says Dorothy. "It was fantastic. We each lost five pounds in only six days!" Soon, Dorothy will be taking another trip, this time to Mexico as the guest of Las Hadas, the premier resort hotel on the west coast of Mexico in Manzanillo, where she will fly courtesy of Aeromexico Airlines. "As soon as I get some free time between films, I'm going right down to Las Hadas," she says. "I'm really going to unwind for a week." Following a whirlwind promotional tour across the country, Dorothy will preside as co-hostess at the grand opening of the new Playboy Hotel and proposed casino in Atlantic City, scheduled to open late this year.
Some of Dorothy's gifts have stimulated new interests. "I'm especially excited about the Nikon equipment," she tells us. "I've always wanted to get into photography and now that I've got the right camera, I may take some lessons." We also may soon be seeing Dorothy on the slopes. "I've never skied before in my life," she says, "but with all this great AMF Head ski equipment--racing skis, Raichle boots, ski wear--I'll have to take it up."
As for the shiny new brass bed and sexy lingerie--well, some things are just none of our business.
