The Movies of George Harrison Marks
COME PLAY WITH ME (1977)*

In the course of the early seventies George Harrison Marks continued to make movies. In the early seventies he produced dozens of titles for the UK and US home movie markets. He also produced a significant number of home movies for continental markets including the German and Danish ones, although his name rarely appeared in connection with them. You'll find an illustrated section on adult movies behind The Green Door.

In 1976 Harrison Marks was asked to produce and direct a new feature film for the adult magazine magnate David Sullivan who was keen to get into the movie business. Harrison Marks was given a free hand to come up with a script, a cast and a budget, and the only stipulation that David made was that the film had to star his girl friend, and top model, the legendary, late Mary Millington. Harrison Marks dusted off the script for a sex comedy that he had finished in 1970 called ‘Come Play With Me' and David gave the go ahead.

Well known comedy actors of the period Alfie Bass, Irene Handel. Ronald Fraser, Tommy Godfrey and Norman Vaughan, as well as a number of other familiar TV personalities were signed to the cast, plus a bevy of beautiful girls. This film proved to be the most controversial feature film that Harrison Marks ever made. It was also to be his last feature film but not through any lack of success.

When it premiered at Soho’s Classic Moulin in April, 1977 it was slated by the critics. Like the other films that George had directed, it was no movie masterpiece and he would have been the first to admit it. Also like the other feature films he had made it was a huge box office success. In fact, this one was the biggest success of them all. It played continuously in the West End for three and a half years – an all time record for a British movie. Unfortunately George was not the producer this time so he didn't enjoy the financial benefits he might otherwise have done and the rest of his story might have been a different one.

Reportedly it cost about £85,000 to make ‘Come Play with Me’ – no small sum in the 70s. However, it must have taken that 100 times over at the box office. In any event it made a lot of money.

And that would be the end of the GHM movie story except for  . . . . well it's a long story, 20 more years long to be precise, and you can read all about it behind The Green Door.



Strange bedfellows left to right - Mary Millington, Harrison Marks, Suzy Mandel & Alfie Bass.

The other beautiful 'nurses' were played by Sue Longhurst, Suzette St. Clare, Penny Chisholm, Nicola Austine, Marta Gillot, Anna Bergman, Mirielle Alonville, Suzette Sangalo Bond and Sonia.

All images from Come Play with Me are © Roldvale Limited 1977
A brand new, digitally re-mastered version of

is out now.
* Come Play with Me has recently been re-mastered by the BBC and was released on 'special edition' DVD (in wide screen format) on Monday 26th April 2010- exactly 33 years after its original box-office busting cinema debut.
Released by ODEON Entertainment, and digitally re-mastered from the original negatives with a brand new 1.85:1 HD transfer, the film comes with the following special features:

* Mary Millington's True Blue Confessions (1980 documentary)
* Sex is My Business (1975 short film starring Mary Millington)
* An extensive stills gallery with nearly 100 images
* An 8-page essay on the making of the film, written by Simon Sheridan, with memories from Anna Bergman, Sue Longhurst and Suzy Mandel.
 

Come Play with me was the last full-length feature film that Harrison Marks made,
theend.jpg (64061 bytes)
but it was not, by any means, the last film he was to make. So it was not the end, not even the beginning of the end,
but perhaps the end of the beginning (you can read all about HM's other film productions behind The Green Door).
We were hoping to be able to make the film available on this site but  Amazon are stocking it, and nobody can compete with them, so if you want a copy, you can buy it there for about £11.20.