Sabrina (model)

Norma Ann Sykes (19 May 1936 – 24 November 2016), better known as Sabrina or Sabby, was a 1950s English glamour model who progressed to a minor film career.

According to film studies academic Pam Cook writing in ''British Stars and Stardom,'' Sabrina was one of "a host of exotic, glamorous (British) starlets ... modelled on the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Lana Turner."

Early life and career

Sabrina was born on 19 May 1936 at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, Cheshire, to Walter and Annie Sykes. She lived in Buckingham Street, Heaviley, for about 13 years and attended St George's School there, before moving with her mother to Blackpool. She spent some time in hospital with rheumatic fever. At the age of 16, she moved to London, where she worked as a waitress and did some nude modelling, posing for Russell Gay in a photoshoot that led to her appearance on the five of spades in a deck of nude playing cards.

In 1955, she was chosen to play a dumb blonde in Arthur Askey's television series ''Before Your Very Eyes'' (BBC 1952–1956, ITV 1956–1958). Her appearances in episodes from 18 February 1955 to 20 April 1956 made her a household name. She was promoted by the BBC as "the bosomy blonde who didn't talk", but surviving kinescope episodes clearly show that she did.

Film career

Around July 1955, James Beney, of Walton Films, released a 100-foot, 9.5mm short glamour film, ''At Home with Sabrina''.

In 1955 she made her feature film debut as Trixie in ''Stock Car,'' a Wolf Rilla-directed drama. She then appeared in a small role in the 1956 film ''Ramsbottom Rides Again''. In her third film, ''Blue Murder at St Trinian's'' (1957), she had a non-speaking role in which, despite sharing equal billing with the star Alastair Sim on posters and appearing in many publicity stills in school uniform, she was required only to sit up in bed wearing a nightdress, reading a book, while the action took place around her.

The short film ''Goodnight with Sabrina'' (1959, 3:49 mins) is included with ''Beat Girl'' (1960), remastered in 2016 by ''BFI Flipside''.

Sabrina's penultimate film role was in the western ''The Phantom Gunslinger'' (1970), in which she starred alongside Troy Donahue. Her final film was the horror movie '' The Ice House'' (1969), in which she replaced Jayne Mansfield, who had died two years earlier.

Personal life

In 1958, she was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by the University of Leeds. On 27 November 1967, she married Harold Melsheimer (born 11 June 1927 in Germany), a Hollywood gynaecologist and obstetrician. They divorced ten years later.

In 2007, there were newspaper reports that Sabrina had become a hermit, "living in squalor" in a Spanish-style house on a street known as 'Smog Central', under the flightpath of Burbank Airport. Sabrina admitted that she was confined to the house due to back problems, but denied living in squalor.

Having suffered from ill health for many years, partly owing to botched back surgery, she died of blood poisoning in 2016, at the age of 80.

Cultural impact

* The comedy series ''The Goon Show'' contains numerous references to Sabrina's bosom, such as "By the measurements of Sabrina!" and "By the sweaters of Sabrina!"
* In "The Scandal Magazine", an episode of the radio programme ''Hancock's Half Hour'', Sid James plays the editor of a sleazy gossip magazine that has carried an embarrassing story about Tony Hancock. James tells Hancock that his readers "will believe anything. ... If I told them that Sabrina was Arthur Askey's mother, they'd believe me." Hancock replies, "Well, I don't", pauses and asks, "She's not, is she?" James says emphatically "No", but Hancock reflects, "Mind you, there is a resemblance ...".
* ''Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'' gives a definition for "Hunchfront of Lime Grove" as "a somewhat unappealing nickname given to the generously endowed starlet known as Sabrina."
* In the 1950s members of the Royal Air Force dubbed parts of the Hawker Hunter jet fighter plane "Sabrinas" owing to two large cartridge collection pods on the underside of the aircraft.
* In the late 1950s, British lorry builder ERF produced a semi-forward control heavy goods vehicle (HGV) with a short protruding bonnet. These vehicles were nicknamed "Sabrinas" because they had "a little more in front".
* The Western Welsh Omnibus Company of Cardiff, South Wales had some coaches with protruding front windscreens which were nicknamed "Sabrinas" by the staff.
* The 1959 Triumph TR3S 1985 cc iron-block alloy-headed engine was called "Sabrina" because of its dome-shaped cam covers.
* In 1974, the British motoring press gave the name "Sabrinas" to the oversized pairs of protruding rubber bumper blocks (see dagmar bumpers) added to the MG MGB, Midget and Triumph TR6 sports cars, when U.S. safety regulations mandated sturdier impact protection. The name stuck and is used around the world.

Television appearances

* ''Before Your Very Eyes'' (BBC, 1955–1956, ten episodes)
* ''Double Your Money'' (ITV, 1955)
* ''Tarzan'' (NBC, one episode, 1967) as Millie
* '' This Is Your Life'' (ITV, subject: Arthur Askey, 1974) as guest

Film appearances

* ''Stock Car'' (1955) as Trixie
* ''At Home with Sabrina'' (short, 1955) as herself
* ''Ramsbottom Rides Again'' (1956) as girl
* '' Blue Murder at St. Trinian's'' (1957) as Virginia
* '' Just My Luck'' (1957)
* ''Goodnight with Sabrina'' (short, 1959) as herself
* ''Make Mine a Million'' (1959) as herself
* ''Satan in High Heels'' (1962) as herself, singer: "I Would If I Could" and "What Have You Done for Me Lately" (Lawrence/Freeman)
* ''House of the Black Death'' (1965) as blond belly dancer
* '' The Ice House'' (1969) as Venus De Marco
* ''The Phantom Gunslinger'' (1970) as Margie

Notes

References

External links

The Complete Sabrina (Norma Sykes) Encyclopaedia

Images of Sabrina at the National Portrait Gallery
*

Sabrina
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aenigma

1959 award of D.Litt. (Hon)
*
Goodnight with Sabrina
' watch online at BFIplayer
*
At Home with Sabrina
' on YouTube

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabrina
1936 births
2016 deaths
English film actresses
English female models
Actresses from Stockport
Models from Cheshire
English television actresses