After all the times I watched
Fast Times at Ridgemont High growing up, the first thing I thought of when I heard that
Phil Spector had shot a woman named
Lana Clarkson was, "Mrs. Vargas." Clarkson was a struggling actress and comedienne on the wrong side of 40, when she made an ill-fated late night trip to Spector's mansion. In the '80s, however she made a string of appearances in small roles in A-pictures such as
Scarface and guest spots on sitcoms while also starring in second tier genre films such as
Deathstalker,
Barbarian Queen, and its sequel. Her first credited role was a small, but memorable one as the improbably gorgeous wife of science teacher Mr. Vargas (
Vincent Schiavelli) in
Fast Times.
I know the soundtrack of the film quite well and knew that the Spector-produced "Winter Wonderland" appeared on it, but it wasn't until a 35mm screening of
Fast Times last night that it hit me that Phil Spector and Lana Clarkson appeared together in a way, just over 20 years prior to their most tragic final encounter.
