YVETTE, WE HARDLY KNEW YE

Here's to former Playboy Playmate and Actress Yvette Vickers, who died nearly a year ago - but was discovered, mummified, over the weekend in her home in Beverly Hills. She was 82 at the time of her death, reports indicate. No word yet on a cause of death, but murder has been discounted at this point.

I really only remember Miss Vickers in two "Attack" films: ATTACK OF THE 50 FT. WOMAN and ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES. In both movies she was one of those kinds of women you didn't bring home to meet Mom. Let's hope that didn't characterize her in real life as well.

Although I never saw the nude layout Miss Vickers did in Playboy in the late 1950s, she was quite voluptuous and I imagine many young boys sneaking out of their rooms at night to go to the bathroom and then hold up her pictures with one hand.

There were plenty of unheeded signs that something was not quite right at the Vickers home for the past year. Mail had piled up, no lights were on at night and the yard must have been overgrown. The postal carrier said nothing, apparently, as he/she continued to deliver mail to a box that had not obviously been checked in quite a while. California postal workers must not be trained to report any signs of potential trouble so someone could follow up. Interesting.

Well, God Bless you anyway, Miss Vickers. I'll miss seeing those cute dimples of yours when you smiled.