Maureen O’Sullivan
Nude

A true Hollywood legend, Maureen O’Sullivan may be best known as Mia Farrow‘s mom these days, but around here we celebrate her as a pioneer of on screen sexiness, whose loin cloth covered body caused such an uproar it changed the way movies were made for years. Come my tan faced children, and look upon her works in early cinematic classics like Pride and Prejudice (1940), The Big Clock (1948), and even Bonzo Goes to College (1952) before a mature Maureen even managed an impressive comeback with hits like Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Peggy Sue Got Married (1986). Born in Ireland, she got her start when she ran into director Frank Borzage at a Dublin horse show while he was filming Song O’ My Heart (1930). Borzage put an eighteen year old Maureen in the movie and her career was a go. She came over to the USA on the RMS Baltic, before the Irish lassie tickled a lot of balls when she lassoed herself some skinematic greatness as the proverbial “Jane” in the popular Tarzan series. Maureen was erotic in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), but Tarzan and His Mate (1934) both of which featured amazing early nudity, including a backlit disrobing scene and some breast-baring skinny dipping. Alas, it was a body double instead of Maureen, which was disappointing. However, we did see Maureen nearly constantly running through the jungle in very little clothing, which made the movies huge hits. In large part because of how much skin she showed in those two, the industry implemented the Hays Production Code and the Tarzan movies got increasingly family friendly, with the King of the Apes all of a sudden having a child and finding himself becoming civilized. Maureen’s marriage with famed director John Farrow produced some famous offspring, but none of them were as groundbreakingly sexy as Maureen. Her swinging on vines in the 30’s was more sensual than women swinging on poles nearly 100 years later!