Off Topic: Artist Frenchy Blanch

[Uncle Roger]

Remember Frenchy, the artist whose work was featured in 16 Magazine as Frenchy's Freakies? She did several DS pieces, as well as other teen faves like the Monkees, the Beatles and others who have fallen into obscurity. I was wondering what ever became of Frenchy. Her art stopped appearing sometime in the mid 1970's.
The person who runs a Gloria Stavers tribute page on Facebook said that she was an art student somewhere in the Midwest but had no other information. I suspect that the name Frenchy Blanche was a stage name. Even if it was her birth name, she could have married several times now. So the trail seems pretty cold.
Anybody else have any information?

[dom]

You know, Unc, someone from 16 would have made a fun guest at a DS Fest.

[Uncle Roger]

I was thinking that myself. Chief among those would have been Gloria Stavers herself who seemed to have a genuine feel for what the next big thing would be and knew how to make (and conceivably break) the newest teen idol. Stavers also seems to have written most, if not all, of the magazine's copy. Her unique hyperbole was unmistakable.

[dom]

I bought 16 strictly for DS. Good goddess how I loved the glossy color photo's!!

[Uncle Roger]

So did I! The photos were absolutely top notch. Though I do remember having to wade through a lot of stuff that I had no interest in. Remember Sajid Khan?

[dom]

Yes, and I finally saw him in something - a rerun of The Patty Duke Show - I couldn't believe it! lol

[dom]

NO! It was The Big Valley!

[Uncle Roger]

Correct! He was featured in 16 quite a lot back then!

[dom]

He sure was.

There was a magazine dealer at an "auction" where I lived that used to sell back issues of magazines, that was where I bought the back issues of 16 that featured the pre Petofi Dark Shadows I had missed. They kind of served as teasers - I never dreamed decades later I would have a chance to see the show in it's entirety. By then, I was well primed. The auction was named Collingswood!

Good luck, finding out about Frenchy!

[Uncle Roger]

I saw some of her art posed on a page dedicated to the band The Association, so I posted an inquiry. One of the members of the band actually responded but had no information. 

[Gothick]

Somewhere, maybe on a Facebook DS group, I saw Frenchy's very first DS drawing from 1967.  It was really well done and included Roger and Elizabeth, I think.  I don't believe she ever featured them much in the work she did from the later period, which is the material more often seen on Shadows fan sites.

It would have been really fascinating to have Gloria Stavers guest at a Shadows event.

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Gothick, would that be the drawing of them with the broom?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

A few days ago I tracked this down and scanned it but forgot to post it. Oops!

Click on the image for a 808X1079 version.

I presume this is the one you referred to, Gothick. 

[Josette]

I never even heard of any of this - this is wonderful!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Frenchy's drawing were all top notch, but I definitely have a soft spot for all the drawings she did for DS. If you've never seen them, Josette, perhaps the next time I'm digging through my stuff for something, I'll pull out a few more, scan them, and post them here. 

And speaking of Frenchy's drawings, one thing I noticed when I was searching for the one above is that she also did a lot of drawings to accompany many of 16/Spec's DS articles. And I could tell this because they're all signed by her. But there are other drawings for some other 16/Spec's articles (like the Whole True Story of Dark Shadows series) that are not signed by anyone. I wonder if she also did those (many do look like they're in her style) or if someone else did them? But why sign some and not sign others? And if she didn't do them, why didn't the person who did do them not sign them?