Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Mary Millington | ... | Lucy |
Glynn Edwards | ... | Holbourne | |
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Gavin Campbell | ... | 'Inspector Harry Morgan' / Morgan |
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Alan Lake | ... | Dougan |
Windsor Davies | ... | Assistant Police Commissioner | |
Derren Nesbitt | ... | Jeremy | |
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Kenny Lynch | ... | Police Doctor |
Suzy Mandel | ... | Lena | |
Ballard Berkeley | ... | Trainer | |
Sandra Dorne | ... | Dougan's Secretary | |
Alec Mango | ... | Ransome | |
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Penny Spencer | ... | W.P.C. Andrews |
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Michael Gradwell | ... | Terry Day (as Michael-John Gradwell/Michael Gradwell) |
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Tony Kenyon | ... | Dolby |
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Ronald Flanagan | ... | Wilson (as Ron Flanagan) |
In order to unmask a pathological killer who is targeting the beautiful centerfolds of Playbirds magazine, a sexy policewoman Lucy Sheridan puts her life and reputation on the line by sleeping with millionaire publisher Harry Dougan. The Chief Superintendant and Police Commissioner are keeping a close eye on her, but time is running out fast. Written by AnonymusB
Well, it's one way to build circulation for your porn mag - make an X-rated thriller about it, as David Sullivan did, even hinting that the pornographer in the story could be trying to keep his own magazine (also conveniently called 'Playbirds') in the public eye by arranging for each centrefold model to be brutally murdered, just as the publication hits the street.
We can't name the killer, of course, but we can tell you that the suspects make a colourful line-up, providing an excuse for some varied location scenes, ranging from Speakers' Corner through Newmarket racecourse to a forest where some rather extreme witchcraft rituals look like getting out of hand...
Funniest is the moment when the baffled detectives think it's time to send in an undercover female cop to charm the publisher into giving her a centrefold, so they have to start by holding auditions at Scotland Yard. Mary Millington carries no conviction whatever as a police officer, but she certainly makes one heck of a stripper, and should have exploited the surprisingly common policewoman fetish with plenty of slow peeling-off of the dark blue livery of the law.
Nobody could watch this film without noting the sad irony that two of the young stars committed suicide soon after: first Millington herself, swamped by drugs and tax-bills, and then the alcoholic Alan Lake, unable to cope with the premature death of his wife Diana Dors. This reflects a haunting theme, the mystic link between mating and death - the porn-stars we're conditioned to envy in their little plastic heaven, with every carnal satisfaction laid-on like a tray of snacks, yet forever tainted by elements of the cynical and the criminal. Reminding us in the end that this branch of entertainment promises everything but delivers nothing.
The Playbirds is not as predictable or monotonous as other low-budget soft-porn features, thanks to a number of mainstream actors like Windsor Davies, Gavin Campbell and Dudley Sutton. There are some good dramatic situations too, but they don't really gel, and the scripting and directing by Willie Roe is disappointing.