These days, the name “Karen” carries a decidedly negative conniption, but not this time. Born on March 20, 1961 in Rochester, New York, the mighty mam-moth Karen Mistal is less likely to demand that she “speak with the manager” and more likely to wear a bikini top that can barely hold her boobies in. Initially, Karen made a name for herself in a series of goofily self-aware B-movies in the ’80s, appearing in low-class classics like Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988) alongside a babyfaced George Clooney and Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989) alongside equally babyfaced Bill Maher and Shannon Tweed. Her killer tomatoes get a good showing (albeit, sadly, masked by an awesomely ’80s pink bikini) in Cannibal Women, and although there’s no full-on nudity, there’s enough on display that young Bill Maher can’t keep his eyes on just about anything else, even the equally titillating Tweed. Career-wise, Mistal (sometimes credited as Karen M. Waldron) has mainly been relegated to one-off roles in TV shows from Charles in Charge (1987) to Coach (1989) to Baywatch (1998) — which is a downright tragedy, because a pair of beach balls like Mistal’s look like they’re just begging to bounce free. Some of Karen’s more recent credits include works such as Three Secrets (1999), The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood (2000), Space Cowboys (2000), and Drangnet (2003). It’s been several years since Karen has been appeared on the big screen or on the boob tube, but Mr. Skin is hoping that she’ll make her way back.
