Raquel Welch is probably the poster girl for the “I don’t care if it’s historically accurate, I just want my tits out” school of frock flicks. She entered the collective consciousness in the mid-1960s and within the decade had reached icon status for her voluptuous figure and beautiful face. But was she more than just a pretty face? Her costume flicks really don’t challenge that presumption until much later in her career, as she switched into more mature roles. Her costume flicks often suffered from contemporary fashion trends influencing the perception of historical clothing, and she even insisted that her then-boyfriend, the costume designer Ron Talsky, design all of her frocks in The Three and Four Musketeers (1973-1974). All that aside, Raquel Welch is a crush-worthy frock flick chick.
The Virginian (1964)
A long-running TV show set in the Wild West, Raquel appeared as a “Saloon Girl” in the 1964 episode “Ryker.”
One Million Years B.C. (1966)
You want iconic? This film featured the little fur bikini designed by Carl Toms, which even has its own Wikipedia article devoted entirely to it.
The Oldest Profession (1967)
The IMDB description is pretty succinct: “A collection of sketches that tells the story of prostitution through the ages.” Well, all right then!
Bandolero! (1968)
Starring Raquel Welch opposite James Stewart and Dean Martin, the bulk of the images from the film are of Welch in her skivvies (which is a reoccurring theme over the years).
100 Rifles (1969)
So, Westerns were huge in the late ’60s, which probably explains why Raquel Welch is in a lot of them. In this particular film, she stars as Sarita, “a beautiful Indian revolutionary,” opposite Richard Burton, according to the wiki article. It also won’t be Welch’s last turn as a Pretendian.
Hannie Caulder (1971)
A pretty grim sounding film about a woman who turns into a vigilante after her husband is murdered and she’s gang-raped. Wikipedia says it was “reasonably successful in the United States.”
Bluebeard (1972)
Set in the 1930s (okaaay, suuuure), this film is loosely based on a French folktale of a man who murders his wives. Richard Burton again stars in it. Welch plays “The Nun” and, well, ok.
The Three and Four Musketeers (1973-1974)
Check out our review of the two films!
The Wild Party (1975)
I’m actually intrigued by this film. It’s based on a poem by Joseph Moncure March written in the waning years of the 1920s. The film was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, so it’s bound to be interesting and have great costumes. The film was panned for Welch’s more serious acting, which makes me want to see it even more.
Crossed Swords aka The Prince and the Pauper (1977)
This one is also on my watch list. We’ve featured this photo of Raquel Welch over the years, and while there’s some fanciful takes on the Tudor costume she’s wearing, the rest of the film is actually decent for a late-1970s historical flick. It also stars approximately every major actor in cinema at the time, from Oliver Reed and Charlton Heston to Ernest Borgnine and Rex Harrison.
The Legend of Walks Far Woman (1982)
I hate that I have to end this list on this film, but it really does appear that Raquel made no more historical flicks after this one, despite her career going well into the 21st century. She plays a Native American woman named Walks Far Woman, and the film was massively panned for being boring, not for, you know, the whole Pretendian thing.
Do you have a favorite film starring Raquel Welch? Tell us about it in the comments!
Walks Far Woman was an interesting book for this midwestern kid to read…. shame it got turned into a terrible film.
Her father was Bolivian from La Paz, and a lot of people from that region are mestizo and primarily Indigenous.
Would that make her casting in those two roles less “Pretendian?”
His parents came to Bolivia from Spain. She’s a Spanish-English descended American playing a native, it’s 100% pretendian
Richard Burton did not appear in 100 Rifles. Welch’s co-stars in that film were Burt Reynolds and Jim Brown.
I find her and Michael York hilarious in ‘Musketeers’, their characters are both just so bonkers and…stupid.
I suppose that it was almost poetic costuming justice for Milady de Gorgeous Costumes, to kill Constance of Fugly Dresses in the end. Love those films.