Phillip Dixon, the Playboy photographer who shot the pictures you see here, describes Kathryn Morrison as ethereal. "She's at that stage of life when everything is happening for the first time. She's got lots to think about. Her beauty, for instance. She's just giving in to beauty, accepting all of ...the pressures that go with being attractive. It's more difficult to be beautiful. You get more from the world. You have to figure out where you stand. You get it out of the way so you can go on to something else. She may strike a person as quiet, but there's something going on. She's wondering about her life." We are sitting at a table in a French restaurant on Sunset Boulevard. Glasses of red wine appear and disappear at regular intervals. Kathy Morrison, alias Miss May, is looking at the photos that will be included in her pictorial and wondering about her life story and how to tell it. She listens to Phillip's rap and nods. "I'm totally open to new experiences. Maybe it's because, as a child, I lived in 13 different towns in the Southwest before settling in Los Angeles. I'm still in motion. I went to Hawaii a few months ago. I went sailing, scuba diving, freeboarding. I spent New Year's weekend in Acapulco. I'd like to transfer some Mexican spirit to Hawaii. It's pretty dead out there. But it seems as if every weekend I'm doing something different. The Playmate shooting. Backpacking. Skiing. I've only done that once, but I really loved it. It is something I'll come back to. Now I'm just sampling life." Kathy pauses to say something to her best girlfriend. They have the reputation of getting into and out of trouble together. "Oh, yeah. We compare notes. When there's something I feel I should understand but don't, I find strength in having someone else do it with me." We talk about other things. The afternoon continues. The conversation winds down. The wine disappears for good. We move on.

Read More