The fabolous story of the tickle scene in ‘Brothers Karamazov’

Gloria Pall (1927 – 2012) was an American model, showgirl, actress, author and businesswoman.

Pall landed her inaugural television acting gig in 1951 and subsequently enjoyed a fruitful ten-year career as an actress, predominantly taking on supporting and minor roles. In 1958, she was chosen to portray Blanche Golden in “Abracadabra,” a part of the western aviation adventure series called Sky King. Additionally, she played a brief role in an episode of The Twilight Zone titled “And When the Sky Was Opened.” She portrayed minor characters in several feature films, including “Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation” (1953), “Abbott and Costello Go to Mars” (1953), “The French Line” (1954), “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1954), “The Night of the Hunter” (1955), “Jailhouse Rock” (1957), “The Brothers Karamazov” (1958), “The Crimson Kimono” (1959), and “Elmer Gantry” (1960).

She was one of the first women to create and star in her own TV show (“Voluptua”), and she broke down barriers for other women in the industry.

Pall worked as an actress, appearing in films such as “The Scarlet Kimono” (1959), “The Tingler” (1959), and “The Twilight Zone” (1960). She also appeared in several television series, including “77 Sunset Strip” (1958), “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (1964), and “The Monkees” (1966).

In the 1970s, Pall retired from acting and became a real estate agent. She also wrote several books, including her memoirs, “The Voluptuous Memoirs of Gloria Pall” (1997).

Pall died in Burbank, California, in 2012 at the age of 85.

Tickle scene in “Brothers Karamazov”

Gloria Pall has a small role in the beginning of “Brothers Karamazov” (1958).

She plays a peasant girl tied down on a bed, being held down on the couch as Fyodor Karamazov.

The old Karamazov (Lee J. Cobb) kisses her legs and then starts to tickle her bare feet with a feather. Pall’s character is clearly enjoying the tickling and she laughs loudly.

The blonde woman continues to squirm and laugh uncontrollably while the old man watches her in ecstasy, continuing to tickle her to make her squirm, until a servant interrupts him.

History of the tickling scene in “Brothers Karamazov”

On her now defunct website, Gloria Pall sold a little self-published books about her Hollywood experiences, including one about her experiences being tickled in this movie! 

Pall told the story of her tickle scene in “Tickled in Brothers K” book (Showgirl Press, 2000, 32 pages). And what a story!

Pall wrote this book after learning that the tickling scene in the movie had been highly appreciated by fans of the genre for a long time, and that her small role in the film was specifically remembered for this performance. The book was sold with a signed edition and a feather as a bonus. On the website, it was also possible to order other materials related to the iconic tickling scene.

Pall was one of 50 tall blonde women who attended a casting session at MGM in hopes of landing a one-day role in a scene with Cobb. Eight of them were asked to return for a second audition. On that day, three were eliminated, leaving five women who were instructed to return the following week. 

All five women had to take off their shoes and stockings and were tickled with a feather either by the director, Richard Brooks, or a wardrobe lady. 

The four women were “giggling mildly,” but Pall “screamed with laughter” to the point of almost going into convulsions. She secured the role based on this because her laughter was deemed more genuine and louder than the others.

Pall affirmed that she wasn’t acting; she genuinely becomes hysterical when being tickled!

I very much love this old scene and it’s one of my favorite tickling scenes in mainstream media of all time! Thank you very much, Gloria! 

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