It was with great sadness that the world slowly learned of Roberta Collins’ death during the last week of August. With what little information that we know trickling in at a snail’s pace on various internet message boards and blog spots, I wait for some kind of news from friends and colleagues with details. However, I’m afraid that we will stay hopelessly in the dark on Bobbie’s death for some time...

I first met Roberta Collins when I was researching my documentary on Jack Hill. I was still a film student in Minneapolis. Instantly, I was taken by her warmth even over the phone. Eventually I made a trip to Los Angles in the spring of 2001 and we met for the on-camera interview. It was disastrous. She was not comfortable being put on the spot, but I could tell she really wanted to talk. It felt like I was digging into things that she was unprepared for and the camera and my questions made her nervous. I felt terrible afterwards. Regardless of the botched-interview session, she was an endearing person and I could tell that she enjoyed the time spent together. That made two of us.

Flash forward six years and I was now living in L.A. When the opportunity came at The New Beverly during a screening of one of Bobbie’s Filipino action films, WONDER WOMEN, I called her up to tell her about the screening and asked if she would come to the theater. The conversation ended with her presence at the screening being a possibility. I was anxious to see her again. While waiting in line, I spotted her walking down the street and said hello to her. She remembered me and, most importantly, she was still as warm and loving as when we first met.

We talked after the movie when I thought of one of our upcoming projects: Dark Sky Films’ forthcoming DVD release of THE ROOMMATES—a film that co-starred Bobbie alongside Pat Woodell and Christina Hart. Based on my past experience, I felt I could do another interview with her, but I wanted to make sure to do it right. The idea came up during our talk and to my surprise, she agreed. She felt the same way about our last meeting and she wanted a second chance.

A few months later, I called her up to begin setting the interview in place. We talked for a while and I could tell that something was wrong. My instincts were right; her son had passed away. In retrospect, I seem to recall that she said it even happened on the night of the WONDER WOMEN screening—which he had encouraged her to attend. We remained in contact and even met for lunch a few times. She was beside herself with grief but was looking forward to doing the interview for THE ROOMMATES to honor her son—as she considered him to be “her biggest fan.” We continued to work together, sticking with the plans for the interview. We talked about the film to get her comfortable and to practice exactly what to say in order to get the best interview. We watched the movie together at my house after eating lunch at Sportsmen's Lodge in Culver City. We even drove around L.A., chit-chatting about the movies she’d made (including a picture that she made for Matt Cimber called ALIAS: BIG CHERRY. Finished but never released, she described it as a real “spaghetti and meatball movie,” meaning that it was all Italian men running the outfit. Lord only knows what kind of operation it might have really been...?)

The interview had some clunky moments, but Bobbie was spot-on for the most part. We re-did a few answers and worked together to make it look and sound the way we wanted. I could see shimmers of what she must have been like during the hey-day of her career. It was exactly what we wanted.

We did speak a few times afterwards, but perhaps I did not spend as much time with her as she may have wanted. She was growing more and more depressed and was simply at a loss on how to keep going without her son. I do not know what was happening in her final days, but I can only imagine the pain and heartache that she was feeling near the end. As devastating as it was to those who knew her, I’m happy that she’s no longer suffering.

Bobbie was a dear friend and I am happy to have known her. I did not hide the fact that I had a schoolboy crush on her from her film roles, which I know made her happy. C’mon, “Get it up or I’ll cut it off” from THE BIG DOLLHOUSE remains one of the quintessential lines of exploitation filmdom. And what guy would not gladly sit in as her navigator in DEATH RACE 2000? I am happy to say that the interview for THE ROOOMMATES turned out to be a smashing success. The DVD will stand as a fitting tribute to her memory and the chance for fans to re-discover her amazing talents. It is also the only on-camera interview she has ever given for a DVD release of one of her films.

We’ll be planning something—something—for Dark Sky’s ROOMMATES DVD release, though I do not know what it will be just yet. It’s gotta be right. It’s gotta be something appropriate. I would not want to settle for anything else. We’re all going to miss you, Bobbie. You were the best.