Film Depictions
There have been four films about or featuring The Windmill. In 1945, Tonight and Every Night starring Rita Hayworth was made in Technicolor, based on Leslie Storm's Broadway play Heart of the City. Although the theatre in the film is called "The Music Box" it is a thinly-disguised Windmill — American GIs in war-torn London, the theatre is hit by bombs in the Blitz. The film does not feature a Vivian van Damm character, so he hated it. However the theatre is run by May Tolliver, played by Florence Bates — who could be construed as being Mrs Henderson. There is no hint in this film that the theatre featured nudes.
The second film was Murder at the Windmill, called "Mystery at the Burlesque" in the U.S.A. a 1949 low-budget exploitation film little more than an excuse to feature the Windmill boys and girls performing intercut with a plot about the murder of an attendee. Van Damm auditioned to play himself but was considered "too wooden". Marked early appearances for Diana Decker, Jon Pertwee and Jimmy Edwards. It was the first film for producer Danny Angel who was married to one of Van Damm's daughters.
The third film was even more exploitative. Secrets of a Windmill Girl featured the first appearance of Pauline Collins, Martin Jarvis and Dana Gillespie. This film was released in 1966 and featured some of the former Windmill Theatre dancers.
A 2005 "dramedy" film about the theatre, starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, called Mrs. Henderson Presents was critically acclaimed but was not a strong commercial success.
In one episode of the British television series Danger UXB, the protagonist Brian Ash visits a club modeled on the Windmill Club.
Read more about this topic: Windmill Theatre
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