Gallery November 1983

ARTICLES AND FEATURES 36 There Will Be A Major Nuclear Accident on November 10, 1983 William John Watkins 41 Profile: Yakov Smirnoff John Bowers 43 What Happened to Romance? Dr. Aaron Hass 57 The 10 Hottest Feedback Letters Ever Published Bonus Insert 92 Pigskin Picks Ivan Prashker 97 When You're Having More Than One Dana R. Rowe 100 Loose Screws Bob Schochet 102 The Greatest Aphrodisiac? William Davis 106 Private Lives: The Familiar Stranger PICTORIALS 26 Christine Jean Rougeron 47 The 'Girl Next Door' of the Year' Annual Winner 78 The 'Girl Next Door' November Entries 85 The 'Girl Next Door' of the Month' November Winner 119 Marcella Siwer Ohlsson DEPARTMENTS 6 Right Up Front 8 About Entertainment Tom Seligson 9 Booktalk Donald Newlove 10 The Right Tracks David Browne and Steven Schwartz 12 Keeping Score Ken Barber 14 Newswave 17 Feedback Correspondence 23 Men's Shop 24 Toys For Men Robert Edelstein 110 Scams Barry Jamieson PUBLISHER'S PAGE RIGHT UP FRONT A visitor to Gallery was recently escorted into the offices of the publisher, with whom he had an appointment. As he walked in, a slender, dark-haired woman carrying a huge folder of photographs brushed by him and smiled. "Wow!" the man said enthusiastically. "What a great-looking lady. I didn't know that 'Girls Next Door' actually worked at Gallery." Well, much to the dismay of the staff (at least the male members) they don't. But Judy Linden, senior editor (photographs), could easily grace the centerfold of any men's magazine—or the cover of any women's fashion periodical, for that matter. Judy Linden has the job that a couple of million American men really envy. She is in charge of Project 'Girl Next Door' at Gallery, and has been so for the past eight years, right from the inception of the phenomenally successful feature. "At first, I didn't believe that it would work," Judy recalls. "But as soon as we announced the competition, the pictures started coming in. "Since we get from two hundred to three hundred photographs every month, I figure I personally have examined at least thirty thousand entries over the years. They've come from every state, every province of Canada, Mexico, and all the European countries—including a couple from behind the Iron Curtain. "The entries are sent in by husbands; boyfriends; girl friends; local photographers; and occasionally, mothers and sisters. We've even had two fathers send in photos of their sixteen-year-olds — which we can't use, of course; eighteen is the cut-off age. We go to extreme measures to check reliability of age and to make sure the girls whose photos we print are just who they say they are. "Every Friday, we assemble the pictures that have come in, and a committee of editors do the first cut. Everybody always has favorites. There are heavy arguments. Sometimes there are even real fights. But we generally choose some winners. At the end of the month, we take the first cut, and cut it again. And again. Until we have the number of pictures we are going to use for the month. Then the publisher and some others get into the battle. And we finally choose the 'Girl Next Door of the Month.' "Then, I call the winner. She is usually surprised and, for the most part, delighted. So is the person who sent in the original photo. "They are always surprised to hear a woman's voice on the phone. I think it's easier for them than if a male Gallery editor were in charge of the contest. They can talk to me. I've made lots of friends of 'Girls' who have been in the magazine. I write to several. I try to have lunch with them if they visit New York. The vast majority of them have told me that being in the magazine has changed their life in many ways. At the very least, it gives them terrific confidence. "My only compláint about the contest is that the photos aren't sharp enough. Too many come in that are unusable. I wish that if a man or woman wanted to send in a picture of a girl he or she felt was worthwhile for the 'Girl Next Door' competition, it would be sharply focused. It makes me feel badly that some girls are eliminated because the snapshot is so fuzzy. "When a girl wins, we arrange for one of our photographers to shoot a layout. Sometimes we send him (or her) to the winner's hometown. Other times, we bring the winner to New York or California or to some fabulous resort area. The girl is feted, put up at nice places, goes to great restaurants, and Gallery representatives are there to help her —usually our wonderful P.R. director, Jeffrey Nickora; or Michael Monte, our art director. All the 'Girls' have felt it was a great experience. Most of the letters I get praise the photographers for their warmth and professionalism; and the 'Girls' say, 'I never realized how much fun it would be.' "The photos come in. Generally hundreds of exposures are made. The staff chooses again, and the layout is finally okayed. The 'Girl Next Door of the Month' is then interviewed by senior staff writer John Bowers; the story appears. And we begin the process all over again—until the readers vote for the 'Girl Next Door of the Year"' Judy Linden says she can't imagine having any other job, that it's one of the most exciting in the world and it has made her hundreds of friends all over America. "Nobody looks forward to getting to work in the morning as much as I do," Judy insists. "I do for a living what other people would consider a vacation." Judy, by the way, was born in Czechoslovakia and still speaks with an ever-so-slight (and ever-so-sexy) accent. "But I don't feel European at all," she says. "I am a real American. I even think in English. I'm as American as... well, as American as a 'Girl Next Door.'