Dead actresses — can we ever get enough of them? No, frankly, we can’t.

But apparently we’re not alone. There’s a woman artist in Virginia — teaches art appreciation at the local schools, creates collages in which Jesus is always female, exhibits regularly at a hometown gallery — who seems to be as much a movie queen as any dizzy guy who ever quoted reams of dialog from — oh where do we begin!: All About Eve? ("You were an unforgettable Peter Pan, Margo. You must play it again. Soon.") Valley of the Dolls? ("Yes, mother, I know I don’t have any talent, and yes, I know that all I am is a a body and yes, I AM doing my bust exercises!") Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? ("You wouldn’t talk to me that way, Jane … if I wasn’t in THIS CHAIR!")

"No disrespect is intended to men," says Karen Whitehill of her jaw-dropping collection of movie-actress Jesuses, "or to any religion." The intention behind such pieces as Good Shepherd — Rita Hayworth (above), Blessing the World — Elsa Martinelli (left) and Road to Calvary — Hedy Lamarr (below) is "to affirm the spiritual equality of women."

But there’s more to it than that — in fact, a much grander ambition is at play: As she states on her cleverly named website hymntoher.com, the images are meant to portray "the feminine side of God, known as Wisdom or Sophia…to present an alternative to the patriarchal vision of the divine." Done, she confesses, with "sexuality and some humor." Certainly our kind of personal savior.

"My collages portray Jesus and other bible heroes as women, using traditional Christian paintings combined with the faces of movie stars from the 1930’s-1950’s, a different actress for each scene." (Left, Crown of Thorns — Bette Davis.)

Okay — but why actresses? Why studio-era actresses? And why as many forgotten B stars as A stars? The 65 collages on her website challenge even our Hollywood IQ with such titles as Chariot of Fire — Pier Angeli, Ascension – Jeanne Crain, and Clearing the Temple – Faith Domergue.

Faith Domergue?

These are questions that remain — as often happens with much that is fabulous in a world that Elsa Martinelli so glamorously blesses — unanswered. To some they may seem unanswerable — just another foible bubbling up from an artist’s chaotic unconscious. But those of us who know, know:

In the words of that inspired film historian, Myra Breckinridge (and Nightcharm’s official patron muse) these mega-women stars of the golden era — the ones who glowed in close-ups that spanned an entire theater — were, in their billboard-size way, stand-ins for the Gods and Goddesses of antiquity, anima projections of certain eternal human archetypes that keep recurring — in colossal form — right into the modern era. As we are reminded by Whitehall’s The Comforter — Marilyn Monroe (right.)

You can find all 65 of Karen Whitehall’s delightful collages on her website (editor’s note: Now defunct). Collages may be ordered from this series or a new one may be commissioned, Miss Whitehall says, "based on a particular bible scene or work of art, or featuring a specific actress."