The Lizzies


The 1979 cult film The Warriors, featured many sinister and eerily charismatic New York City street gangs that claimed their own parts of the city and didn't take kindly to rivals passing through those turfs. (My favorite bunch were the Baseball Furies from Riverside Park, Manhattan, but this is about the ladies, so we'll keep the focus on them.) The only female gang in the movie was the Lizzies from Union Square, Manhattan.

Above are the deadly dames making their first appearance in the film on the Union Square subway platform, laying in wait for three members of the targeted Warriors, intending to use their feminine charms to lure them back to their hangout (which was right across the street from the famous CBGB's club) for a little party. The actresses are, from left to right (Appreciate this because this is probably the only place on the net where you'll find at least some of the Lizzies IDed by the portraying actresses!): Dee Dee Benrey, Kate Klugman, Lisa Maurer, unidentified (top), Wanda Velez (bottom), and Laura Delano (credited as Laura De Lano). Look closely at the above photo and you can see that all the ladies are wearing matching tops under their jackets. According to the film's costume designer, Bobbie Mannix; "I wanted them (the Lizzies) to be sexy and have these see-through tops, which I think they did, but then they ended up covering them with jackets in the film."


Back at their hangout, two members of the Lizzies (the blonde played by Heidi Lynch) make a good case for changing one of the vowels in the gang's name.

   
Victoria Vanderkloot (left) is the Lizzie who takes a pretty hard chair shot as the Warriors are trying to make their way out the door after the ladies (Lisa Maurer at right) break out their police specials and they see that....

..."the chicks are packed!" Believing the Warriors were the ones that blew away Cyrus and there's a bounty on their heads, the Lizzies attempt to make a bigger name for themselves by wasting the three Warriors they lured back to their hangout. Among all the ladies hoping Dee Dee Benrey can plug at least one of the Warriors as they make their exit, is Doran Clark (pictured right above the gun) and Iris Alhanti (credited as Iris Alahanti and is now Iris Klein, at top center).

(The rest of the actress who have yet to be identified are Jordan Cae Harrell, Donna Ritchie, Patty Brown, and Suki Rothchild. So, each of the still unidentified faces is one of those names.)

16 comments :

  1. Great post. I remember seeing this movie when I was 15. You should do a 'whatever happened to' post on Deborah Van Valkenburgh who played Mercy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No mystery about that, William. Just Google Deborah's name and you'll find her Wikipedia and IMDb listings, as well as her official website. She was great as Mercy and I'd say it was her most memorable film role. Of course, her role as Jackie Rush on the sitcom Too Close for Comfort is the TV role she'll always be best remembered for.

      Delete
  2. To quote Kate Klugman: "Hi ya"

    ReplyDelete
  3. Replies
    1. The ending credits listed all the actresses who played the Lizzies, and credited the whole group as "The Lizzies" (as they did with all the other gang member credits). None of the actresses were credited to a particular character.

      The actresses I have not yet been able to match to a particular Lizzie are: Jordan Cae Harrell, Donna Ritchie, Doran Clark, Patty Brown, Iris Alhanti (credited as Iris Alahanti) Laura Delano (credited as Laura De Lano), and Heidi Lynch. So, the blonde Lizzie was played by one of those ladies.

      Delete
    2. Unknown on the far right stairs is Doran Clark, the blonde is Heidi Lynch, Iris Alhati (Klein) is the girl top middle in the gun picture... google images on all three show several pictures to match them up...

      Delete
    3. Thanks Anon! That all checks out. I've amended the article to add their names.

      Delete
  4. THANK YOU SO MUCH ARE THE LIZZIE
    LADYS ON FACEBOOK AND WHERE!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you mean the fictional gang, their Facebook fan page is here but there's not much content:
      https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lizzies/102740656457599

      If you mean the actresses who played the Lizzies, I haven't found any but you got all their names, so happy hunting.

      Delete
  5. Warriors, come out to play-yay! Yeah I know it was the Rogues that said that. I thought the Lizzies name was a play on words when I saw those two in the 2nd photo dancing in their hangout.

    ReplyDelete
  6. As I recall, it was Rembrandt who was leery of the Lizzies from the start. Thanks for bringing back a good drive-in memory!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dedee Benrey was making appearances but since 2012 she has disappeared. Anyway to contact her?

    who is the Black Girl Dancing? Amazing how no one knows who she is. Smh.

    Anyone have more info on Heidi Lynch?
    What she is doing today?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ok after further investigation,
    The First Photo at the Union square station (top). The woman to the far Right is NOT Doran Clark. Her name is Laura Delano.

    The Blonde Dancing is NOT Heidi Lynch. her name is Patty Brown.

    Doran clark is the women right above the gun where Dedee Benrey is shooting (last group photo).She is the one who approached Rembrandt right after the Lizzie club house Dance scene and says,hey little man what to dance?

    The Three names .Donna Ritchie, Jordan Cae Harrell, Heidi Lynch have not been identified.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If all that checks out, I'll amend the article, David. Could you please give the sources for your info and post the link(s), if possible?

      Delete
    2. @Chris Charles this is in response to my 2014 post. I said before I The Top picture far Right is Laura Delano (Not Doran clark). How do I know this? I wrote to Laura Delano and she confirmed it by sending me a picture.

      I was wrong on the Blonde Dancer. It Took me a long time to find this out only because many of the ladies have changed their names over the years. The Blonde is Donna Ritchie. She no longer goes by Donna Ritchie. I spoke to her briefly through facebook but she was shocked that I found her and asked me not to reveal her name or her where about, so I have to respect her wishes. Sorry cant Link you.

      last picture; I was right about Doran Clark right above the gun.She is the one who approached Rembrandt right after the Lizzie club house Dance scene and says,hey little man what to dance? I don't have links but I have matched many pictures that confirm that is her. I have a letter from Doran Clark but when I tried to reach out to her the 2nd time she never responded.
      Im friends and in contact with Wanda velez.
      The Warriors Fest2 will be this September 15-18 2016.
      Wanda Velez and Lisa Maurer will be in attending.

      I did contact kat Klugman and Lisa Maurer but again I can not give out info. The info is online I personally cant disclose the information.

      Apache Ramos (orphan) is like family to me. So I am well connected in the Warriors family.

      Delete
  9. any information on what Lisa Maurer and Kate Klugman ended up pursuing in life?

    many thanks,

    dan

    ReplyDelete

Gadgets by Spice Up Your Blog