Millington, Mary (model); David Sullivan (publisher, photographer)
 
London, UK: Beautiful Britons / Janus / Playbirds, 1970s. Seven vintage adult magazines, an archive featuring British pornstar, Mary Millington, who was prominent in England in several publications, and has been described as one of the "hottest British sex film stars of the 70s" (the other being Fiona Richmond). Millington ne Mary Ruth Quilter (1945-1979) is perhaps most known for her starring role in the softcore romp "Come Play with Me" (1977), a record-setting adult film that ran for several years at a one London cinema. Having been a victim of childhood bullying, Mary suffered from low self-esteem, subsequently marrying young. She also nursed her terminally ill mother for nearly a decade, taking to nude modeling and porn as a means of financial stability in the late 1960s, her mother almost completely unaware. Inevitably she found work performing in hardcore 8mm loops, many produced by pornographer John Jesnor Lindsay, with her first noted appearance in "Miss Bohrloch" (1970), and one for Harrison Marks, "Sex Is My Business" (1974). One of her costars soon introduced her to publisher David Sullivan, and the two engaged in a relationship that resulted in her many appearances in his magazines, like Whitehouse and Private. It was Sullivan who produced "Come Play with Me," and later "Playbirds" (1978), and who hired Mary to work (often nude, her own accord) in his sex shops throughout England. While appearing in Sullivan's magazines, she continued working as a call girl, as she had done since her early modelling days. Prominent, political figures featured in her affairs. Mary continued making movies, with appearances in "Eskimo Nell" (1975), "Intimate Games" (1976), Derek Ford's "What's Up Superdoc!" (1978), "Confessions from the David Galaxy Affair" (1979), and "Queen of the Blues" (1979). Millington's final, posthumous appearance was in the Sex Pistols punk film "Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle," released theatrically in March 1980. During her final years she developed some terrible habits, including an addiction to cocaine, and shoplifting. Mary loved money and possessions, and stole jewelry and small baubles regularly. These habits, combined with the loss of her mother, bad breakups, and the oncoming fresh faces of porn, led to her downward spiral and her death by suicide in 1979. Mary was 33. She left a legacy that is today being recognized as a major element in sexual reform in the UK during a time of repression, both sexual and artistic, and her rise and fall has been documented in the recent films, "Sex and Fame: The Mary Millington Story" (1996) and "Respectable: The Mary Millington Story" (2015).   Included in the archive: BEAUTIFUL BRITONS - Vol. 20, No. 238, Sept. 1975. 4.5 x 7 inches. Cover appearance, 4pp layout. Very Good Plus. BEAUTIFUL BRITONS - Vol. 21, No. 247, June 1976. Cover appearance, 7pp layout including centerfold. Near Fine. JANUS - Vol. 4, No. 7, Nov-Jan 1977-1978. US Edition, 7 x 9 inches. Cover appearance. Also Linda Gordon 1p. Very Good. PLAYBIRDS - Vol. 1, No. 3, c. 1975. Cover, editorials on Belfast, Manchester, big layouts. Very Good Plus. PLAYBIRDS - Vol. 1, No. 4, c. 1975. Cover, editorial on Bradford, 6pp layout, 1p ad. Very Good Plus.   PLAYBIRDS - No. 20, c. 1976. Editorial on Sunderland, several pp ads. Near Fine. PLAYBIRDS [EROTIC FILM GUIDE] - No. 7, c. 1978. Cover, ads, stills from "Queen of the Blues" w/ Rosemarie England. Very Good Plus. All issues Very Good or better, most are better. Overall a formidable collection, and a look into the life of and writing of one of England's most joyous celebrities.  [Book ID 125147] [Magazines]