''Secrets of a Windmill Girl'' is a 1966 British

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

directed by

Arnold L. Miller Arnold Book Company (ABC) was a British publisher of comic books that operated in the late 1940s and 1950s, most actively from 1950 to 1954. ABC published original titles like the war comic ''Ace Malloy of the Special Squadron'' and the Science f ...

. It recounts the road to ruin of a young woman (

Pauline Collins Pauline Collins (born 3 September 1940) is a British actress who first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973) and its spin-off, '' Thomas & Sarah'' (1979). In 1992, she published her autobiography, ...

) who becomes involved with the striptease scene after becoming a dancer at the

Windmill Theatre The Windmill Theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, was a variety and revue theatre best known for its nude '' tableaux vivants'', which began in 1932 and lasted until its reversion to a cinema in 1964. Many prominent British comedians o ...

in London.John Hamilton, ''Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser'', Fab Press, 2005 p 82-83Simon Sheridan, ''Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema'', Titan Books 2011 p 53-54 The film features fan dances by former Windmill Theatre Company performers. It was originally released in Britain as part of a double bill with '' Naked as Nature Intended''.

Cast

as Pat Lord * April Wilding as Linda Grey *

Renée Houston Renée Houston (born Katherina Rita Murphy Gribbin; 24 July 1902 – 9 February 1980) was a Scottish comedy actress and revue artist who appeared in television and film roles. Biography Born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, into a theatrical family ...

as Molly - Dresser *

Derek Bond Derek William Douglas Bond MC (26 January 1920 – 15 October 2006) was a British actor. He was President of the trade union Equity from 1984 to 1986. Life and career Bond was born on 26 January 1920 in Glasgow, Scotland. He attended Haberd ...

as Inspector Thomas *

Harry Fowler Henry James Fowler, MBE (10 December 1926 – 4 January 2012) was an English character actor in film and television. Over a career lasting more than six decades, he made nearly 200 appearances on screen. Personal life Fowler was born in Lambe ...

as Harry * Howard Marion-Crawford as Richard - Producer *

Peter Gordeno Peter Gordeno (20 June 1939 – 18 October 2008) was a British dancer, recording artist, cabaret singer, choreographer, and occasional actor. Biography Born as Peter Godenho in Rangoon, Burma, to an Italian American father and Scottish/ ...

as Peter * Peter Swanwick as Len Mason * Martin Jarvis as Mike, Windmill Stage Manager * Leon Cortez as 'Uncle Marty'

Critical reception

A reviewer in ''

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'' wrote that "the premise of this film is compelling, but the treatment is empty-headed"; and ''The Spinning Image'' asked, "and those hoping for titillation? As with so much of the sexually-themed cinema of this (British) nation, they were offered it with a moralistic angle, as if telling the audience off for their prurience."

References

External links

*
screen caps of Pauline Collins and April Wilding
from the Upstairs Downstairs webpage "Before Updown" section) 1966 films British drama films 1960s exploitation films 1966 drama films Films scored by Malcolm Lockyer 1960s English-language films 1960s British films {{exploitation-film-stub