I saw that this collection was coming out and my first response was who is Mary Millington? Even after doing a web search and finding out about her I’d still never heard of her before this box set was coming out. That might be because I live in the US and her claim to fame took place in the UK. Only those who live there could tell you.
If you’ve never heard of her before Millington was a porn star in 70s England, a place where surprisingly pornography was banned. Having made a few 8mm shorts in Germany she became the girlfriend of pornographic publisher David Sullivan even though she was and remained married at the time. He featured her in the various magazines he published and then decided she’d be perfect for movies.
Now here’s where it gets strange. The movies she appeared in at this time, most of which are collected in this box set, are not what I would consider pornography. And apparently those in charge in the UK didn’t either as they were released in theaters there. At the same time it’s painfully obvious that she wasn’t being hired for her thespian skills but for her willingness to remove her clothing. The films themselves actually had plotlines and stories behind them. The thing was amid all of those stories were reasons for women to shed their clothing offering full frontal nudity but no over sexual play.
The release of the first major film touted as a Mary Millington film only had her on screen in the film for a short time. Released in 1977, COME PLAY WITH ME (included in this set) became a box office sensation playing for 201 straight weeks at the theater it opened in in London. It still stands as the longest running film in British history and broke other box office records. In watching the film though it didn’t strike me as porn so much as those classic British bawdy CARRY ON films from the sixties.
This is the first film in the box set and tells the story of two counterfeiters who retreat to a quiet country estate to play their trade. Unfortunately for them the nephew of the locations owner has brought in a busload of girls and he plans on turning the place into a health spa complete with massages that go far beyond what they should.
This film is followed by THE PLAYBIRDS, a thriller in which Millington plays a police woman who goes undercover to find a serial killer on the loose. Who knew that to apply to be an undercover operative you had to strip down to nothing for your superiors.
Next up in CONFESSIONS FROM THE DAVID GALAXY AFFAIR. This movie revolves around the lead character, a psychic tarot card reader and lousy celebrity impersonator who attempts to bed down every woman he meets. Too bad for him at the moment he’s the lead suspect in a series of murders. Millington is featured here as one of his conquests and little more.
QUEEN OF THE BLUES actually uses Millington in a lead role for once. She stars as the main attraction at a strip club called The Blues where mobsters are trying to take over the club. Fortunately her abilities on stage removing her clothing saves the day.
MARY MILLINGTON’S TRUE BLUE CONFESSIONS is a short film made by Sullivan after her passing in order to cash in on her death. The film is a combination of archive footage, interviews and new sex scenes with Millington nowhere to be found.
MARY MILLINGTON’S WORLD STRIPTEASAE EXTRAVAGANZA is another film made after her passing. A composite of strippers performing, clips from her appearance in previous films and jokes by blue comedian Bernie Winters combine for a lackluster film.
Lastly there is RESPECTABLE-THE MARY MILLINGTON STORY and the only real reason to watch this set. This feature length documentary on Millington is written and directed by Simon Sheridan who had written a biography on her. This combination of interviews with many who had refused to talk openly in the past, clips from her films, visits to locations where she lived and the use of stills to tell her story give us a view of a woman who was more than just the most famous British porn star of the 70s. Millington was a troubled woman who appears to have had a husband who used her notoriety just to find his own sexual conquests, who was used for her own beauty by film makers and who was plagued by the police and tax collectors of the country who wanted to shut down her sex shop and career. All of this led to her suicide at age 33. It’s a sad story but one that is a part of history that most aren’t aware of.
The box set has done an exemplary job of bringing these
movies to life in pristine condition. In addition to that it includes a booklet
about Millington’s films and life. Included on each disc are some of the shorts
she made though toned down and not the X-rated versions of those shorts. Fans
of Millington will no doubt want to own this set. Those who are curious might
want to look for just the documentary about her. For most she will remain a
name they never heard of sadly. One can only hope that future females will not
fall prey to the same sad conclusion she did.
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