In Britain at the end of the 1960s, when both comedy films and Hammer's
horror movies were sliding into pornography, there appeared on the scene a
slim young woman with large eyes and large breasts. Her name was
Madeline Smith, and she was extremely
photogenic. As this was the era when popular newspapers regularly displayed
photographs of young actresses, the media took a keen interest in Madeline,
and her image was frequently on show in newspapers and
magazines. It was also seen in several movies of the period. Madeline's
large eyes gave her face a childlike
quality, but she was usually given film parts that
exploited her body. There was nothing childlike about
her breasts.
She was born in Sussex in 1949 as
an only child, but grew up in Kew in south west London and for seven years
was taught by nuns at a Convent school. (Madeline recently told one of this
website's correspondents that she hated the school and felt she was in prison!)
In 1967 she obtained a temporary job
in Biba's
boutique in Kensington, with the intention of escaping the Convent school
and completing her education later. Madeline was at Biba for less than three
months, but during that time she modelled for their clothes catalogue which
then generated further modelling work.
A story went the rounds that while
Madeline was working
in Biba's
boutique, two men had come into the
shop and suggested that she audition for a part in a film they were producing in Italy. Whether or not the story is
true, Madeline did make two movies - "Escalation" in Italy
and "The Mini Affair"
- while continuing to work as a model for
the Lucy Claydon Agency.
She started in
show business in the usual way, amid
a
torrent of publicity photographs, far down the movie cast list in tiny roles, appearing
on television a great deal, and with fashion modelling paying the
bills. The pictures which appeared in popular
newspapers were all quite innocent, showing a very pretty face and slim legs,
suggesting a naïve, likeable girl, and were not at all erotic. They did not in any way indicate that
Madeline was an actress who would be happy to appear topless.
After four years of publicity,
television work and tiny parts in movies, Madeline played an important role in "The Vampire Lovers", an
enjoyable but semi-pornographic movie in which she romped about naked with Ingrid Pitt. Madeline
was clearly cast because her looks suited the character, a very innocent girl making the transition
to womanhood, and she was sufficiently convincing in the role to suggest she
might have acting ability as well as looks.
What Madeline now needed was another
substantial role providing a
chance to play something entirely
different. She was not given that chance, and the only substantial film
work Madeline was offered required her
to undress. This departed from the usual movie
industry practice of offering actresses film roles which conform to their
public image.
Madeline responded to this
situation by accepting a large number of small roles in minor movies, by taking
on more stage work and by changing the character
of her publicity photographs. These
now showed her with plunging
necklines. The look on her face was still innocent but
the posture emphasised her cleavage.
Her
stage work was more prestigious, and included "Habeas Corpus" -
with Alec
Guinness no less! - and "Shut Your Eyes And Think Of
England" with Donald Sinden. At this point in her career Madeline completed
her education by obtaining a B. A.
Honours Degree in English from Goldsmith College, (part of London University).
(In one newspaper interview, Madeline challenged her interviewer by asking
why people always assumed that curvacious women were unintelligent!)
It was not until 1975 that Madeline was allowed to
keep her clothes on in a major movie. The producers of "Live And Let Die" were having difficulty finding
the right actress to play Bond's pre-credits fling. Roger Moore advised the producers
to audition Madeline Smith and
Vivian Neaves, both of whom he had worked with on television, and Madeline was chosen. It remains her most famous role, her
only one in major movie.
During this period, Madeline
indicated in interviews that she hoped to progress to dramatic roles but recognised
that actresses with her kind of figure were more likely to be given parts in
comedies. She turned down an offer to appear on stage in a play with nudity,
but when asked about her participation in similar scenes in movies, Madeline
was philosophical and did not seem to have any regrets.
Madeline's other non-naked part was in "The Amazing Mr. Blunden" in
which she wore a blonde wig and played Diana Dors' daughter.
By the time of its release Madeline was so established as an actress
who would inevitably strip off, that one critic wrote "Madeline Smith,
who for once is cast not for her breasts . . ."
Madeline continued by
working more in
television, and with a two year run in Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap".
(Madeline says that she lost her voice and experienced considerable pains in her neck
by screaming and being throttled on stage eight times a week.)
Madeline made her last
film in 1984 when she gave birth to a daughter and stopped accepting work.
Madeline has now left
show business altogether, although she is beginning to work the celebrity
circuit. (A few months ago, Madeline auctioned on eBay a dinner party with
herself as guest host and speaker.)
It would be interesting to
learn Madeline's views
now of both the film work she
was offered and the role of a
pin-up. She did not protest strongly at the
time, and today apparently does not
feel she was exploited or
wasted. On the other hand, although Madeline was constantly
prancing about naked in movies, there is no record of her
having posed for men's magazines - which would surely
have paid her well for doing so. What is clear is that Madeline was not given the chance to do anything worthwhile
in films, and that
taking her clothes off only brought her more work of the same kind.
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