June is Busting Out All Over!!!

Disclaimer:  As a society, we put way too much emphasis on the size of a woman’s breasts when it’s the size of her brain and heart that matters.  End of disclaimer.  You’re now going to read a tale of Big Tits.

I grew up in a near circus environment of comics, entertainers, bohemians and one stunning Playboy Playmate.  She was also an alluring actress on the big screen — she had co-starred with Louis Prima in my father’s 1961 movie “Twist All Night” –- and she was gorgeous beyond belief — and to add insult to injury—NICE. I loved everything about her, especially the big breasts and British accent.  I’m kidding, the accent was fine, but it was those tits that I looked up to!  Literally.  I looked up to them.  My dad talked about them so frequently and openly that I started to think of them as not an appendage but as another whole personality. “Her tits have got tits,” he would say.  My own mother didn’t have tits that had tits.  She barely had them at all.  And, unfortunately, I would never end up that endowed myself, but dream on as a child I would.  (Again, not important.  See disclaimer above.)  People would ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up, Fredde?”  And I would answer proudly (as if this were a normal, Leave-it-to-Beaver fantasy): “I want to be a Playboy bunny, just like June (not Cleaver)!!!”

My idol, June lying by my father’s pool, 60’s

I would think of my dad’s best friend June as an aunt, a sister, a step-mom.  Doesn’t everyone have a step-mom/aunt/sister that looks like June Wilkinson – who modeled for both Hugh Hefner and Russ Meyer?

I ran away from home in the 6th grade.  It was June that my parents enlisted to set out to find me.  And it was June who in fact did find me.  This was long before cell phones and the ability to track your kid.

When my own son Oliver turned 13, looking more like a 10-year old, June gave him a gift — fully naked photos of herself, back in the day, when she was one of the most photographed women of the 1950’s and 60’s.  It was the most perfect, remarkable present for a pre-pubescent boy.  He is now a publisher of his own arts & culture blog and magazine that contains an awful lot of nude video & photography.  Hmmmmm.

Just a month or so before my 85-year old father would end up dying at Cedars, my son Oliver had his Bar Mitzvah.  My father had said in the very same hospital when my first child Oliver was born that he would just like to stay alive long enough to see his first grandkid’s Bar Mitzvah — and since no one in our family had ever had one, it was a wacky thing to say.  However, I thought it would be great to make his wish a reality.  And so, more than a dozen years later, at Oliver’s ceremony and reception my dad was wheeled around by his best friend, the still unbelievably hot Ms. Wilkinson.  As a line of 13-year old boys of all sizes and maturity stared, Duke yelled to them, “Look at her TITS!!!!”

me, brother Alan, dad and June swimming

And she rocked them as she always does.

June was there with me in the hospital while my dad lay dying, willing him to come back.  She even flashed those famous knockers of hers in ICU in a desperate attempt to rouse my father.   His eyes remained shut, possibly final proof that he wouldn’t be returning.  But I got it.  She would do anything for Duke.  June was his very best friend.

When Playboy published its list of the “100 Sexiest Stars of the Century,” June came in at #30.  But to our family she’s always been #1.

As further penance for going on as I have about the superficiality of a woman’s physical appearance, I offer the following links to some worthy groups fighting the scourge of breast cancer.  Please give!

www.thebreastcancersite.com
www.bcrfcure.org
And watch the below clip with June and Louis Prima and look out for me and my brother twisting at the end next to the mailbox.

Enjoy this drink that might have been served at the Playboy Club in the 60’s

Smoky Martini Recipe

2  1/2 ounces of gin

a splash of blended scotch

lemon twist

Stir both ingredients with ice to chill and garnish with the lemon twist.

June’s White Clam Sauce Recipe

white clam sauce—— 2 cups undrained  chopped clams. quarter cup of butter or margarine, quarter cup or oil, one large onion chopped, 1/8 teaspoon oregano, half cup dry white wine, sliced fresh mushrooms, salt and pepper grated Parmesan three cloves of garlic chopped. in large skillet,. heat butter and all of oil sauté onions and garlic until golden. parsley, oregano, wine, clam  juice, clams and mushrooms. stir and simmer five minutes season to taste with salt and pepper spilled over cooked noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan

June and my Dad having dinner with friends in the swinging 60’s

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

19 Responses to “June is Busting Out All Over!!!”

  1. robin says:

    perhaps that is why we spent so much time flashing our tits when we were younger. especially remember flashing for your father and his friends. just sorry I don’t have more pictures of my once lovely breasts. or yours, for that matter. a touching and sweet and funny story, fredde. another winner….xxx

  2. pauli says:

    What a vivid picture of June you have painted Fredde. Interestingly (to me) I always hated having breasts because of bra straps showing and envied the girls who wore spaghetti strap dresses who didn’t even need a bra. The grass is always greener I guess. I do agree with Robin that this one is very special.

  3. Alan says:

    And a young boy’s fantasy….

  4. David Miller-Engel says:

    and an old………

  5. Carol Dudley says:

    Great story – as usual Fredde – I never could figure why women want such large breasts – remember Carol Doodah in San Francisco – or the women who are begging for augmentations – by the time they are ready for Social Security their boobs are hanging below their naval. Not a pretty picture!
    But, I just love your stories and how you write. Much love – Carol

  6. Sandy Bruns says:

    Hey Fredde,
    Love the story about June and her beautiful breasts. Perfect timing for me to read whilst I’m lying in hospital recovering from having mine remodeled!

  7. Gene A. says:

    Great stuff Fredde, I was always a sucker for tits.

  8. cristi ulrich says:

    Duke – even without tits – you will always bust out!!! marvelous!! xxoxoxoxo

  9. Nile Hight says:

    Like I say – I could read you every day! Nice twisting btw!

  10. gari smith says:

    another wonderful piece!!i just love your writing!! i always feel better after reading something that you have written!! keep up the good work!!

  11. Hey Fredde,
    Thanks for always coming through. I love you, you’re writing and that horse you rode in on.

  12. Christel Chesney says:

    I feel like a broken record. Ditto, ditto, ditto on all the above good stuff.

  13. Laura Plotkin says:

    Loved this, Fredde…and the twist with your brother–so cute that your dad put you guys in the movie–so sweet!

  14. Debbie Schellenberg says:

    Freddie,

    Your life story really has the makings of a book with so many wonderful themes, stories, so much humor …and so much more.

    Write it!

    xoxo,
    Debbie

  15. mitch says:

    Great story, Fredde, and that clip was fun.

  16. Dwayne Brazil says:

    Well your family had just a grand time did they not?

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fredrica-duke/opposites-attract_1_b_2729063.html

  17. Helen Starlight says:

    What a fabulous dance scene, Fredde!

    You were exposed to an amazing array of experiences as a child- thank you for sharing them in such a poignant way with your descriptive words, video clips and photos !! Looking forward to your performance tomorrow evening !!

    Love, Helen

  18. Linda says:

    Another gem! I’m glad June is still around and part of your family. I ‘d like to be on your “notification” list … so I don’t miss a single one of your words.

  19. […] 2006, my parents moved from Southern to Northern California to be near us. In 2011, I read this blog post by a former schoolmate, Fredde Duke, about her family’s relationship with June Wilkinson. In […]

Leave a Reply