Dorothy Stratten - Aftermath, Popular Culture

Aftermath, Popular Culture

In 1983 film critic Vincent Canby wrote, "Miss Stratten possessed a charming screen presence and might possibly have become a first-rate comedienne with time and work."

Stratten's murder was depicted in two films. In Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story (1981) in which Jamie Lee Curtis portrayed Stratten and Bruce Weitz played Paul Snider. Bob Fosse's Star 80 (1983) starred Mariel Hemingway as Stratten and Eric Roberts as Snider, whose performance was praised by many critics. Scenes of Star 80 were filmed in the same house and room where the murder/suicide happened.

Peter Bogdanovich wrote a book about Stratten titled The Killing of the Unicorn (1984). Four years later at age 49 he married Stratten's sister, Louise, who was twenty. Bogdanovich had paid for Louise's private school and modeling classes following Stratten's death. They divorced in 2001 after being married for 13 years.

Bryan Adams co-wrote two songs about Stratten. "Cover Girl" became a hit for the band Prism in 1980 and "The Best Was Yet to Come", written with Jim Vallance, was on Adams' album Cuts Like a Knife (1983), and later was covered by Laura Branigan. A similar song was on Adams' 2008 album 11. "Flowers Grown Wild" (song) was about the price of fame in Hollywood.

Bongwater mentioned Dorothy Stratten in its song "Nick Cave Dolls". She also is referenced in "Californication" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as the "first born unicorn". The Angry Samoans (band) mentioned Dorothy Stratten in their song "I'd Rather Do The Dog With Dorothy Stratten".

Gavin Rossdale mentions Dorothy Stratten in his song "Dead Meat" performed by his band Bush on the album, The Science of Things (1999), in the lyric "Dorothy died for your pleasure".