| Birthdate | November 30, 1944 |
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| Birth location | Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA |
| Birth name | Dianna Lynn Batts |
| Eye colour | Blue |
| Hair colour | Blonde |
| Alias(es) | Dian Parkinson |
Dian Parkinson (born Dianna Lynn Batts on November 30, 1944 in Jacksonville, North Carolina) is a former American model and hostess on The Price Is Right.
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Career history
In 1965, while living in Falls Church, Virginia, she won the Miss District of Columbia USA title and competed as Diana Batts in the Miss USA 1965 pageant, where she placed fourth runner-up.[1] Parkinson won the 1965 Miss World USA contest.[2] She went on to represent the United States in the international Miss World contest, and was first runner-up to Lesley Langley of the United Kingdom.[3]
She traveled during 1965 with the Bob Hope USO Show including performances in Vietnam during late December 1965. Bob Hope inaccurately presented her as Miss USA. She also served as Queen of the 1965 Bob Hope Desert Classic golf tournament.[4]
From 1975 to 1993, Parkinson was a Barker's Beauty model on the U.S. television show The Price Is Right. Her 18-year tenure on the show was among the longest of any of the models, second to Janice Pennington, who lasted on the show for 28 years.
Departure from The Price Is Right
Parkinson left the show in 1993 to "pursue other interests", as Bob Barker announced during her final appearance. At the time there were rumors, particularly in the tabloids, that she had left the show because of an ongoing feud with Pennington.
Although it was reported that they quarreled,[5] (production staff seldom paired them together by the early 1990s), it was not the primary reason she departed the show. The following year (1994), Parkinson filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court (case no. BC106366) against host and executive producer Barker for sexual harassment regarding forced sexual acts in the late 1980s. She claimed a three-year sexual relationship extorted by threats of firing from The Price Is Right. The suit was withdrawn in April 1995, Parkinson claiming it was too costly and had taken a toll on her health.[6]
Playboy
Parkinson was the cover girl of Playboy in December 1991, and again in May 1993, appearing in nude pictorials in both issues. She also appeared in a feature newsstand publication entitled "Playboy Presents Dian Parkinson". Parkinson was featured in her own 1993 Celebrity Centerfold video.
Her appearance in the magazine spawned some controversy during later years on The Price is Right, as posing nude in such pictorials was against CBS network policies. In addition, Parkinson claimed Bob Barker gave her permission to appear in the nude layout, a claim Barker later denied. Eventually the remaining models on the show, except Dian, were sent a letter from Mark Goodson, which reads as follows:
| “ | Bob Barker phoned me a few days ago regarding an offer from Playboy magazine to Dian Parkinson for a photo layout.
He told me that there was quite a flat fee involved and didn't want to be arbitrary in handling the request. So, I checked with CBS and was informed that such a pictorial spread would not be looked on with favor. Apparently, CBS has previously turned down "similar requests" from a couple of soap opera stars. It was "suggested" strongly that permission for Dian to do Playboy pictures be denied. And so it was. I write this to give each of you fair warning so that, in case you are also approached by Playboy or a similar magazine, you'll know that such layouts are contrary to network policy. |
” |
Although Barker denies siding with Parkinson in her Playboy pictorials, fellow model Holly Hallstrom still believed that Barker helped Parkinson.[7]
References
- ^ "Miss D.C. Captures A Miss U.S.A. Title With Tresses Intact". 1965-08-23. p. B9. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/198313702.html?dids=198313702:198313702&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=AUG+23%2C+1965&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=Miss+D.C.+Captures+A+Miss+U.S.A.+Title+With+Tresses+Intact&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
- ^ Miss World USA Titleholders
- ^ Miss World 2008 | The Official Website | Coming Soon!
- ^ Bob Hope Chrysler Classic - The Tradition of the Classic Girls
- ^ Alleged scheme to "get rid of Janice"
- ^ Bob Barker to face courtroom battle after model's suit ruled valid - Courttv.com - People
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPlpUfX-Kvc
External links
| Preceded by Bobbie Johnson |
Miss District of Columbia USA 1965 |
Succeeded by Sue Counts |
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