If you’ve ever scrolled through vintage Hollywood archives, you’ve likely stopped on a specific set of pictures of Lana Wood. There is this one shot—it’s 1971, and she’s leaning over a craps table in Las Vegas. She’s wearing a purple silk-jersey dress with a neckline that basically defied the laws of physics at the time. That’s Plenty O’Toole. Most people know her as the Bond Girl who met a watery end in Diamonds Are Forever, but there’s a lot more to her visual legacy than just being Sean Connery’s sidekick for twenty minutes of screen time.
Honestly, the way Lana Wood was photographed in the late '60s and early '70s defines a very specific era of "California Glamour." It wasn't the untouchable, ice-queen vibe of the 1950s. It was something more raw and accessible. You’ve got the freckles, the incredibly long dark hair, and a gaze that always seemed a bit more "in on the joke" than her more famous sister, Natalie Wood.
The Iconic Bond Look and Beyond
Let’s talk about those 1971 publicity stills. When you look at pictures of Lana Wood from the Diamonds Are Forever set, you’re seeing the peak of the "Boutique Bond Girl" era. Unlike the sleek, action-oriented women of later films, Lana’s Plenty O'Toole was pure aesthetic. The gold choker she wore in the casino scenes became a massive fashion reference. It’s a look that stylists still try to replicate today.
But there’s a darker side to those famous images. Take the photo of her in the swimming pool. In the movie, she’s thrown out a window and lands in the water. Behind the scenes, that photo represents a near-death experience. Lana actually had her feet tied to a cement block at the bottom of the pool so she wouldn't float up too fast during the shot. The block started sliding into deeper water. If the crew hadn't noticed she was struggling to reach the surface for air, that iconic "pool girl" image would have been a crime scene photo. Kinda puts a different perspective on the "glamour" of the shot, doesn't it?
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The Sister Dynamic in Stills
A lot of the most fascinating pictures of Lana Wood aren’t from her movies at all. They’re the candid shots with Natalie. There’s a beautiful black-and-white photo from 1956 where a young Lana is being photographed by Natalie. You can see the family resemblance, but you also see the pressure. Lana was often styled to look like a younger version of her sister. In fact, her big break in The Searchers (1956) happened because she literally played the younger version of Natalie’s character, Debbie Edwards.
- 1950s: Child actress shots, often uncredited.
- 1966: The Peyton Place era. This is where her "look" shifts from "Natalie's sister" to a standalone TV star.
- 1970: The Playboy shoot. A massive turning point that Hugh Hefner personally pushed for.
- 1971: The Bond peak.
Why 1970s Photography Favored Her
There’s a reason why pictures of Lana Wood from the 1970s still pop up on "Old School Cool" subreddits today. The film stock of that era—specifically Kodachrome—really loved her coloring. She had this deep, brunette hair and hazel eyes that looked incredible in the high-contrast, warm lighting of '70s fashion photography.
You’ll find a lot of "lost" promo shots of her in green turtlenecks or suede jackets from around 1970. They aren’t from a specific movie; they were just "lifestyle" portraits. These images captured a shift in American culture. We moved away from the stiff, hairsprayed looks of the '60s into something a bit more outdoorsy and "natural," even if it was still highly manufactured for the cameras.
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The Misconception of the "Pin-Up"
People often pigeonhole Lana Wood as just a pin-up because of the Playboy spread or the Bond role. But if you dig into the archives of Peyton Place (she played Sandy Webber for 80 episodes), the photography shows a much more versatile actress. There are stills of her looking gritty, tired, and very much like a "wrong side of the tracks" waitress.
It's sort of a shame that the "Sexy Bond Girl" images overshadowed the work she did in shows like The Fugitive or Night Gallery. In those photos, you see a woman who could hold a frame with intense dramatic energy, not just someone meant to be "window dressing" for a male lead.
How to Find Authentic Vintage Prints
If you're looking for genuine pictures of Lana Wood for a collection or for research, you have to be careful about modern reproductions. A lot of what you see on eBay or secondary markets are just low-res digital prints from the early 2000s.
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- Check the Paper: Real 1970s publicity stills were usually printed on 8x10 glossy fiber-based paper. They feel heavier and have a different "smell" than modern inkjet prints.
- Look for the Studio Stamp: Most authentic movie stills will have the film's title and a "Property of National Screen Service" disclaimer printed in the bottom margin or stamped on the back.
- Agency Credits: Photos by agencies like Getty or Alamy often source from the original negatives. If you're looking for digital high-res, those are the gold standard.
Practical Steps for Researchers and Collectors
Collecting or studying these images isn't just about nostalgia. It’s about understanding the mid-century "Star Machine." Lana Wood’s career is a perfect case study in how a studio takes a "sibling of a star" and tries to mold them into a specific archetype.
Identify the era: Are you looking for the child star (1950s), the soap opera ingenue (1960s), or the Bond/Playboy icon (1970s)? Each era has a totally different photographic style.
Verify the source: Always cross-reference movie stills with the IMDB credits for that year. There are plenty of mislabeled photos floating around Pinterest that aren't actually Lana Wood, but other starlets with similar 1970s hairstyles.
Protect the physical assets: If you happen to find an original 1971 Diamonds Are Forever lobby card, keep it out of direct sunlight. The purple and red inks used in 1970s printing are notoriously prone to UV fading.
Ultimately, looking at these pictures offers a window into a time when Hollywood was transitioning. Lana Wood stood right at the intersection of the old studio system and the new, more liberated era of the 1970s. Whether she’s posing by a swimming pool with a leopard (yes, that’s a real 1966 photo) or walking a red carpet with her sister, her visual history is a vital piece of entertainment lore that goes way deeper than a simple "Bond Girl" label.