Just prior to the end of World War II and the start of production on Gilda, Rita Hayworth was voted by servicemen as the leading "Back Home Glamour Girl." She was given an award at a ceremony held at Walter Reed Hospital; words inscribed on the award said, "Her willingness to share such loveliness through the medium of the screen with millions of war-sick and lonely G.I.s has contributed immeasurably to the morale of the fighting men."

Rita Hayworth's status as a Bombshell was assured when the testing crew for the first Atomic bomb detonated in peacetime affixed her image, and the name "Gilda," to the device exploded at Bikini Atoll. Time magazine made note of the event: "In christening the deadly missile Gilda, in honor of the russet-haired Columbia star's latest film, a smitten ground crew and technicians had lovingly pasted her pinup on its side. This spontaneous tribute earned Miss Hayworth nearly as much publicity as the fearsome Gilda got for itself by exploding on schedule. To Miss Hayworth's studio, it amounted to the most literally earth-shaking free plug in the history of the world." Hayworth, however, was enraged at the news. Biographer Barbara Leaming quotes Hayworth?s husband Orson Welles, who said, "Rita used to fly into terrible rages all the time, but the angriest was when she found out that they'd put her on the atom bomb. Rita almost went insane, she was so angry. She was so shocked by it! Rita was the kind of person that kind of thing would hurt more than anybody. She wanted to go to Washington to hold a press conference, but Harry Cohn wouldn't let her because it would be unpatriotic."

For the advertising of Gilda, Columbia Pictures prepared glamorous poster art of Rita Hayworth, along with such taglines as "There NEVER was a woman like Gilda!" Glenn Ford was often not even depicted in the artwork. The original 1946 one-sheet movie poster has become an iconic image - highly prized by collectors, it can fetch $10,000 and up at poster auctions.

In the late 1960s Rita Hayworth was doing fewer and fewer film roles, but accepted an offer to pose in print ads for Blackglama Mink Coats. Famed photographer Richard Avedon shot the ad, which featured Hayworth in a duplicate of the "Put the Blame on Mame" gown from Gilda.

A September, 1970 episode of The Carol Burnett Show featured a takeoff of the movie Gilda called "Golda." Rita Hayworth saw the sketch on television and was so impressed, she contacted the staff of the show and asked to be a guest. Though nervous about the appearance, Hayworth performed in a sketch with Burnett and Vicki Lawrence. At one point during the show, Hayworth and Burnett sat on stools, commenting on clips from Hayworth's movies. Upon seeing the "Put the Blame on Mame" number from Gilda, Burnett asked, "What held up that dress?" Hayworth dryly replied, "Two things."

by John Miller