Ava Gardner as Kitty Collins. Volumes have been written about Marilyn Monroe, but I'll take Ava anyday. A fellow Carolinian, she is the ultimate in beauty and sensuality. As Kitty, she pleads "Kitty is innocent, swear it, Kitty is innocent". We know better, but I don't know if I wouldn't have said it. Whatever she wanted.

Veronica Lake as Ellen Graham. I love cats too, but Lake is an altogether different kind of feline.

Rita Hayworth as Elsa Bannister in Welles great film noir. With her short blonde hair, Hayworth almost makes us forget Gilda. In any case, we could die trying.

Lizabeth Scott as Coral Chandler opposite Bogart. With her husky voice, and drop dead looks, you're sure to fall- don't forget a parachute.

Jane Russell as Julie Benson. Jane Russell had seen it all and had heard it all. Perhaps her greatest endowment wasn't her figure, but her sense of humor. She made cynicism sexy.

Ruth Roman as Anne Morton. Although Hitchcock didn't seem enamoured by her, I always found her incredibly alluring.

Kim Novak as Leona McLane. Cool, detached, and blond, Novak always seemed to be harboring secrets. And she made us want to share them.

Yvonne De Carlo as Anna in Siodmak's underrated classic. I'll only reiterate Lancaster's lament, "I didn't care about the money, I only wanted you".

Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis Dietrichson. Perhaps the greatest actress in noir, if not in all of cinema. I wonder too, if she wonders.