The Playbirds
Encyclopedia
The Playbirds is a 1978 British sexploitation
film made by Irish-born director Willy Roe and starring 1970s' pin-up Mary Millington
alongside Glynn Edwards
, Suzy Mandel
and Windsor Davies
. When a series of female centrefolds from the glamour magazine Playbirds are murdered by an obsessive fanatic, Scotland Yard are called to investigate the lurid world of pornography.
and Queen of the Blues, both released theatrically in the summer of 1979.
on 9th August 2010 by Odeon Entertainment. The film has been digitally remastered and the disc features an extensive stills gallery, production notes written by historian Simon Sheridan, plus Mary Millington's World Striptease Extravaganza (1981) and Response, a short lesbian film, starring Mary Millington, made in 1974.
Sexploitation
Sexploitation, or "sex-exploitation", describes a class of independently produced, low-budget feature films generally associated with the 1960s and serving largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit sexual situations and gratuitous nudity. The genre is a subgenre of exploitation films...
film made by Irish-born director Willy Roe and starring 1970s' pin-up Mary Millington
Mary Millington
Mary Millington was a British model and pornographic actress. She has been described as one of the "two hottest British sex film stars of the seventies", the other being Fiona Richmond....
alongside Glynn Edwards
Glynn Edwards
Glynn Edwards is a British actor.Edwards was born in Malaya and trained as an actor at Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. He is probably best known for his role as Dave 'the barman' Harris, owner of the Winchester Club in the TV show Minder...
, Suzy Mandel
Suzy Mandel
Suzy Mandel is the stage name of an ex-actress and model best known for her roles in such 1970’s British sex comedies as Confessions of a Driving Instructor , Come Play with Me , and The Playbirds , and for her appearances on The Benny Hill Show.-Biography:Born in London, Mandel grew up on the...
and Windsor Davies
Windsor Davies
Windsor Davies is a British actor, well known for playing the part of Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the 1970s/1980s British sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.-Early life and career:...
. When a series of female centrefolds from the glamour magazine Playbirds are murdered by an obsessive fanatic, Scotland Yard are called to investigate the lurid world of pornography.
History
Filmed over four weeks in the winter of 1977, The Playbirds was the official follow-up to Come Play with Me, which also starred Mary Millington. The actress collaborated with director Willy Roe on two further sexploitation pictures, Confessions from the David Galaxy AffairConfessions from the David Galaxy Affair
Confessions from the David Galaxy Affair is a 1979 British comedy film directed by Willy Roe and starring Alan Lake, Glynn Edwards, Diana Dors and Antony Booth...
and Queen of the Blues, both released theatrically in the summer of 1979.
Special Edition DVD
The Playbirds was released on DVD in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 9th August 2010 by Odeon Entertainment. The film has been digitally remastered and the disc features an extensive stills gallery, production notes written by historian Simon Sheridan, plus Mary Millington's World Striptease Extravaganza (1981) and Response, a short lesbian film, starring Mary Millington, made in 1974.
Cast
- Mary MillingtonMary MillingtonMary Millington was a British model and pornographic actress. She has been described as one of the "two hottest British sex film stars of the seventies", the other being Fiona Richmond....
... WPC Lucy Sheridan - Glynn EdwardsGlynn EdwardsGlynn Edwards is a British actor.Edwards was born in Malaya and trained as an actor at Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. He is probably best known for his role as Dave 'the barman' Harris, owner of the Winchester Club in the TV show Minder...
... Inspector Holbourne - Gavin Campbell ... Inspector Harry Morgan
- Alan LakeAlan LakeAlan Lake was an English actor, best known as the third husband of Diana Dors.-Biography:Lake was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire on 24 November 1940...
... Harry Dougan - Windsor DaviesWindsor DaviesWindsor Davies is a British actor, well known for playing the part of Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the 1970s/1980s British sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.-Early life and career:...
... Assistant Police Commissioner - Derren NesbittDerren NesbittDerren Nesbitt is an English actor. Possibly his best known role was as SS Major von Hapen in Where Eagles Dare.In 2008 he was writing a book on "biblical myths and falsehoods".-Acting career:...
... Jeremy - Kenny LynchKenny LynchKenny Lynch, OBE is an English singer, songwriter, entertainer and actor from London. Lynch appeared in many variety shows in the 1960s...
... Police Doctor - Suzy MandelSuzy MandelSuzy Mandel is the stage name of an ex-actress and model best known for her roles in such 1970’s British sex comedies as Confessions of a Driving Instructor , Come Play with Me , and The Playbirds , and for her appearances on The Benny Hill Show.-Biography:Born in London, Mandel grew up on the...
... Lena - Ballard Berkeley ... Trainer
- Sandra DorneSandra DorneSandra Dorne in Keighley, Yorkshire, was a British actress.Also known as Sandra Holt, she was often known in the fifties as the B Movie Diana Dors...
... Dougan's Secretary - Alec MangoAlec MangoAlec Mango was an English actor. He is best known for portraying El Supremo in the 1951 Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N., he also appeared in South of Algiers , The Strange World of Planet X , The 7th Voyage of Sinbad , Danger Man , and Frankenstein Created Woman, .-Selected filmography:* They Who...
... Ransome - Penny Spencer ... WPC Andrews
- Michael Gradwell ... Terry Day
- Tony Kenyon ... Dolby
- Ron Flangan ... Wilson
- André Trottier ... Kenny
- Dudley SuttonDudley Sutton-Life:He served in the RAF as a mechanic before enrolling in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from which he was later expelled.Known for his eccentricity, he became a cult figure after playing a gay biker in The Leather Boys . He married American actress Marjorie Steele in 1961; she had previously...
... Hern - John M. East ... Media Man
- Gordon SalkilldGordon SalkilldGordon Salkilld was an English supporting actor best known for his portrayal of carpenter Jack Wood in the 1970s BBC cult series Survivors....
... Police Photographer * Nigel Gregory ... Expert 1 - Tom McCabeTom McCabeThomas "Tom" McCabe is a Scottish Labour Party politician, a former Minister for Finance in the Scottish Executive, and was Member of the Scottish Parliament for Hamilton South until May 2011....
... Expert 2 - Pat GormanPat GormanThis article is about the British actor. For the American actor, see Patrick Gorman.Pat Gorman is a British actor who, despite never appearing in a starring role, appeared in minor roles in a large number of films and television productions, including The Elephant Man and I, Claudius.He appeared in...
... Expert 3 - Pat AstleyPat AstleyPat Astley is a British actress best known for appearing in blue films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. She also appeared as a regular, albeit uncredited, character in the comedy television series Are You Being Served? in 1976 and 1977. In 1984 she had a starring role in the horror film Don't Open...
... Doreen - Susie Silvey ... WPC Taylor
- Theresa Wood ... Photo model
- Derek Aylward ... Older massage man (uncredited)
- Gloria Brittain ... Crucifix model (uncredited)
- Cosey Fanni TuttiCosey Fanni TuttiCosey Fanni Tutti is best known as a performance artist and for her time in Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosey....
... Extra (uncredited) - Howard NelsonHoward NelsonHoward Nelson, Ph.D. is a Trinidadian ecologist and wildlife biologist. He is currently the CEO and Conservation Manager at the Asa Wright Nature Centre located in the Arima Valley in Trinidad's Northern Range....
... Caped man (uncredited) - Tony ScannellTony ScannellTony Scannell is an actor whose best-known role is probably DS Ted Roach in ITV’s The Bill. His debut in the show was on 23 October 1984, in an episode called A Friend in Need....
... Man at depot (uncredited) - Erika von Jump ... Foxy the Masseuse
- Kenny B Nichols ... Tramp at Car (uncredited)