Alaina Capri is an actress who appeared in director
Russ Meyer
Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. He is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that fea ...
's films ''
Common Law Cabin
''Common Law Cabin'' (original title ''How Much Loving Does a Normal Couple Need?'') is a 1967 exploitation film directed by Russ Meyer. The movie features Alaina Capri and Meyer regulars Babette Bardot and Jack Moran.
Plot
Dewey Hoople (Jack ...
'' and ''
Good Morning and... Goodbye!''
Early life and career
Capri grew up in
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...
, and was named ''Miss Muscle Beach'' in 1956.
At age 16, she was photographed by
Russ Meyer
Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. He is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that fea ...
after he saw her in the newspaper. Capri studied acting at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
and later became part of a female pop trio, the Loved Ones, under the direction of
Oliver Berliner.
She appeared in an uncredited walk-on part in the 1957
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...
film, ''
The Delicate Delinquent
''The Delicate Delinquent'' is an American VistaVision comedy film starring Jerry Lewis, released on June 6, 1957 by Paramount Pictures. It was the first film to star Lewis without his longtime partner Dean Martin and marked Lewis' debut as a pro ...
''.
Career with Russ Meyer
Prior to the Loved Ones leaving for an engagement in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, Berliner saw an ad seeking "buxom girls to put in a movie" and sent her picture to Meyer.
Capri's first role with Meyer was ''Common Law Cabin'' (1967).
Capri's second and last film was ''Good Morning... and Goodbye!'' (1967). According to biographer Jimmy McDonough, Capri felt betrayed by Meyer after a scene she was told "alluded to nudity" showed more of her body than Capri was comfortable with. She told McDonough, "I was really upset. I never really talked to anybody on the set again."
Life after Russ Meyer
Capri left show business after ''Good Morning... and Goodbye!'' to become a school teacher. She was terrified that someone would find out about her film career, and Meyer protected her anonymity.
Capri was in attendance at Meyer's funeral in 2004.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capri, Alaina
American film actresses
Living people
Actresses from California
UCLA Film School alumni
20th-century American actresses
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American women