Chris Noel (Sandra Louise Noel, born July 2, 1941) is a retired American actress and entertainer. Noel is best known for her appearances in beach party movies in the 1960s, and for her work on the

Armed Forces Radio And Television Service The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which i ...

as the "Voice of Vietnam". A popular pin-up girl of the era, Noel made frequent visits to troops, and was at risk many times, having twice been shot down in the helicopters she was riding. She hosted the radio program ''A Date With Chris'', one of Armed Forces Radio's most popular shows.

Model

Noel's picture appeared on the cover of ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...

'' magazine when she was 16 years old, and she was painted as a

pin-up model A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...

Gil Elvgren Gillette Elvgren (March 15, 1914 – February 29, 1980) was an American Painting, painter of pin-up girls, advertising and illustration. Best known for his pin-up paintings for Brown & Bigelow, Elvgren studied at the American Academy of ...

. Won the Miss Palm Beach pageant. After moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, she became a

cheerleader Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

football team. Posters that showed her holding a

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

Brownie camera were displayed in camera stores. She also had her own modeling school in

Lake Park, Florida Lake Park is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,155 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 8,605. Lake Park is part of the Miami Metropolitan Area Geography ...

. Noel was the cover girl for a number of

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

s and appeared in

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

for

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...

and other products.

Vietnam

In addition to her work on radio during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, she toured the country eight times, including twice with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

USO tour The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

s. Her interest in that war's military personnel began with her visit to a San Francisco VA hospital in 1965. At the VA hospital, she sang the song ''

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is a jazz song introduced by Carol Channing in the original Broadway production of '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1949), with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Leo Robin. Marilyn Monroe version American actr ...

'' and talk to the Vets. She said, "That was the moment. I prayed to God to help me help young men in war. She was considered so valuable to American military morale, that the enemy placed a $10,000 bounty on her. Noel opened the show with the greeting "Hi, Love". Twice her chopper was downed by enemy fire while she was visiting American military personnel in Vietnam. Her radio show ''A Date with Chris'' was recorded in California and South Vietnam between 1966 and 1971 for the

Armed Forces Radio The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which i ...

heard on 300 stations around the world. Noel was the DJ for her show and did interviews with artists including

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, tele ...

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatra ...

and others. Noel received the Distinguished Vietnam Veteran award in 1984 from the Veterans Network for her work during the war. Her last visit to South Vietnam was in 1969. Noel first co-hosted an Armed Forces Radio show called ''Small World'', which was a hit and led to her own show. She was dating singer Jack Jones at the time. Noel sang, danced, read poetry, signed autographs, talk to, kissed and hugged the troops in South Vietnam from 1966 to 1970. She is the only female to travel through South Vietnam to remote bases in helicopters, riding with the door open, next to the gunner. She survived mortar and assault rifle attacks in

war zones War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

. Noel broadcast her radio show from

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

while in South Vietnam. She also made a number of visits troops at the

Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone (Korean: ; Hanbando Bimujang Jidae) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in ha ...

, some with Betty Waldron and Bill Thrasher.

Singer

In the early 1970s, Noel was in New York and was working with Paul Colby, impresario and owner of the famous Greenwich Village club,

The Bitter End The Bitter End is a 230-person capacity nightclub, coffeehouse and folk music venue in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to ''The Ot ...

. She was performing cover songs by

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

and needed a backup band, so Colby asked Dennis Lepri, who had worked with

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

and

Gunhill Road Gunhill Road are an American rock band formed in 1969 in Mount Vernon, New York. The band was founded by guitarist Glenn Leopold, pianist Steve Goldrich, and bassist Gil Roman, who was replaced by Paul Reisch in 1973. They are best known as one ...

, to form a band for her and produce her sound. After auditioning many New York area musicians, the band "Quilt" was formed. After extensive rehearsals at the Bitter End, the band showcased for selected industry executives to mixed reviews. Sometime after, the band was dissolved and Noel pursued other interests. In 1999 she released the CD ''Nashville Impact''.

Personal life

Following his proposal in a helicopter, Noel wed soldier Green Beret captain Ty Herrington, whom she later found out was diagnosed as a "paranoid schizophrenic manic-depressive". He killed himself in December 1969 after they had been married for 11 months. She went on to marry three more times, once to a

Texan Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...

independent oil producer, another to a guy she met in church, and last to a lawyer. Noel also has written books, her latest book is about filming ''Cease Fire'' with

Don Johnson Donnie Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor, producer and singer. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series ''Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Em ...

. Another book is a 1987 book called ''Matter of Survival: The "War" Jane Never Saw'' and the 2011 book, ''Vietnam And Me'' her personal memoir of the war. In the 1960s her best friend was Eileen O’Neill and she dated Chad Everett. Chris Noel was asked and attended the dedication of the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. The site is dominated by two black granite walls engraved with the names of those s ...

in Washington DC in 1982. Noel and Captain Ty Herrington, (Clyde Berkley) born July 2, 1941, were married on January 11, 1969 in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. Ty Herrington released a 45 RPM promo single, with the songs: ''A Gun Don't Make A Man'' written by Boudleaux & Felice Bryant and ''When The Green Berets Come Home'' written by Boudleaux Bryant in 1968. “I didn't know how many people were going to remember me,” she said. “But everywhere I went veterans came up to me and thanked me. It felt like I was right back in Vietnam again.” Noel founded the Women's Interactive Network in 1985 to help women with Post-traumatic stress disorder. In 1993, she opened a shelter in

Boynton Beach, Florida Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is situated about 57 miles north of Miami. The population was 68,217 at the 2010 census. In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 78,679 according to the University o ...

, providing space for 10–12 drug-free veterans at a time. In 2019 she received

Amvets American Veterans (AMVETS) is a non-partisan, volunteer-led organization formed by World War II veterans of the United States military. It advocates for its members as well as for causes that its members deem helpful to the nation at large. Th ...

Silver Helmet Award. In 2004 a DVD documentary of her life was released ''Blonde Bombshell: The Incredible True Story of Chris Noel''. In May 2022 Noel was Awarded the ''Heroes Honor Lifetime Award'' at the Heroes Honor Festival.heroeshonorfestival.com, Chris Noel
/ref>

Los Angeles Veterans Hospital

When a group of veterans went on a hunger strike in 1981 at the Los Angeles Veterans Hospital to get better treatment, the

Reagan administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over D ...

asked Noel to act as an intermediary with the veterans. Noel helped negotiate an end to the hunger strike.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Because of her lifelong work with troops and veterans, as well as for being shot down in an army helicopter twice over South Vietnam, which with surviving assault attacks in the war caused

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

, the

Vietnam Veterans of America Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. (VVA) is a national non-profit corporation founded in 1978 in the United States that is committed to serving the needs of all veterans. It is funded without any contribution from any branch of government. VVA is th ...

joined with other groups and individuals to petition for Chris Noel to be awarded the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...

Film and TV

Noel began acting started in 1963 on stage in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

play Mister Roberts with

Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the ABC Western television series ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' (1955–196 ...

, her boyfriend at the time. Also in the Mister Roberts play was

Will Hutchins Will Hutchins (born Marshall Lowell Hutchason; May 5, 1930) is an American actor most noted for playing the lead role of the young lawyer Tom Brewster, in the Western (genre), Western television series ''Sugarfoot'', which aired on American B ...

Vincent Gardenia Vincent Gardenia (born Vincenzo Scognamiglio; January 7, 1920 – December 9, 1992) was an Italian-American stage, film, and television actor. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, first for ''Bang the Drum Slow ...

Tony Mordente Tony Mordente (born December 3, 1935) is an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and television director. Career Born in New York City, Mordente attended the High School of Performing Arts and made his professional dance debut at the Jaco ...

, Alan Yorke, Vince O'Brien, Bill Fletcher, John J. Martin, directed by Billy Matthews. Noel acting in film started with a role in ''

Soldier in the Rain ''Soldier in the Rain'' is a 1963 American comedy buddy film directed by Ralph Nelson and starring Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen. Tuesday Weld portrays Gleason's character's romantic partner. Produced by Martin Jurow and co-written by Mauric ...

'', with

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

and included working with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

in ''

Girl Happy ''Girl Happy'' is a 1965 American musical romantic comedy and beach party film starring Elvis Presley in his eighteenth feature. The movie won a fourth place prize Laurel Award in the category Top Musical of 1965. It featured the song " Puppe ...

''. She also was in

Beach Ball ''Beach Ball'' is a 1965 American beach party movie starring Edd Byrnes and partly financed by Roger Corman.Ed. J. Philip di Franco, ''The Movie World of Roger Corman'', Chelsea House Publishers, 1979, p. 145 It features appearances by The Supre ...

with

Edd Byrnes Edward Byrne Breitenberger (July 30, 1932 – January 8, 2020), known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the television series '' 77 Sunset Strip.'' He also was featured in the 1978 film '' Gr ...

, and

Cease Fire A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...

with

Filmography

Film

Television

Books

Books by Chris Noel: *''Matter of Survival: The "War" Jane Never Saw'' *''Vietnam And Me'', Noel's personal memoir of the war *''Confessions Of A Pin-Up Girl: The Hollywood Sex Symbol Who Became A Vietnam Icon'' *''Filming Cease Fire'' *''Filming Happy Girls'' *''Filming Soldier in the Rain'' *''Filming The Glory Stompers'' *''Filming Beach Ball'' *''Filming College Girl'' *''Filming For Singles Only'' *''Filming Wild Times'' *''Filming Joy in the Morning'' *''Filming Bewitched Love Is Blind: Behind the Scenes with Liz Montgomery and Dick York'' *DVD documentary ''Blonde Bombshell: The Incredible True Story of Chris Noel''

Broadway

*1963, Mister Roberts, Directed by Billy Matthews, Hugh O'Brian leading role.

Music

* ''Doll House'' B side: ''Mr. and Mrs. Smith'' - 1968 Single Promo * ''Forgotten Man'' - 1982 Album - Dedicated to Vietnam Veterans * ''Nashville Impact'' – 1999 Album * ''...Next Stop Is Vietnam, The War on Record: 1961-2008'' Introduction To "A Date With Chris" - 2010 Album.discogs.com, Next Stop Is Vietnam
/ref>

References

External links

youtube.com, Chris Noel, The Voice of Vietnamyoutube.com Chris Radio in VietnamAmerican Forces Radio Vietnam,A Date With Chris
*
Chris Noel, AFRTS Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noel, Chris Living people 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American television actresses American cheerleaders American women in the Vietnam War National Football League cheerleaders Chris Noel 1941 births 21st-century American women writers American radio DJs American women radio presenters Female models from Florida American female models 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Women DJs United Service Organizations entertainers