# Which classic period actresses would have done nude scenes?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 26, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766 "2007-04-26T18:44:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/1 "2007-04-26T18:44:28Z")
Barbara Payton, natch, but can’t think of any other obvious choices. Anyone?
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### Author:  [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/2 "2007-04-26T20:20:59Z")
Hedy Lamarr
Marilyn Monroe
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/3 "2007-04-26T20:33:55Z")
Maureen O’Sullivan, in fact, I believe she did one in a Tarzan movie.
Fay Wray just seems likely to me.
I suspect Audrey Hepburn would have been willing. She did not seem like the type to be uptight about such.
Several of the famous dancers are probably strong candidates. Dancers seem to be casual about nudity.
So I would guess:
Ginger Rogers
Cyd Charisse
Leslie Caron
I suppose many classic period actresses would, probably several with squeaky clean images. At the same time I have the feeling Liz Taylor & Ava Gardner would have avoided it, despite their bad girl reps.
Jim
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/4 "2007-04-26T20:34:49Z")
Joan Crawford did porn.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/5 "2007-04-26T20:36:37Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic]
Joan Crawford did porn.
[/QUOTE]
You know, statements like that require some sort of cite. Really, I am not joking, can you point to some verification of this?
From IMDB:
> [@](#):
>
> After she was signed to MGM, someone attempted to extort money from the studio by claiming they had a porn film that featured a young Crawford. The attempt failed when MGM pointed out they could not definitely prove the actress in the film was Crawford. The incident was mentioned in a couple of biographies.
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### Author:  [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/6 "2007-04-26T20:36:56Z")
Jane Russell
:crosses fingers:
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/7 "2007-04-26T20:39:50Z")
It’s impossible to speculate who “would have done” nude scenes. Actresses back then had a completely different mindset than today (and those today are different from actresses in the 70s, when nude scenes were much more common).
Lamarr did a nude scene, and Monroe posed nude, so they probably would have, but unless an actress did do a nude scene, there’s no way to tell if she might have done one.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/8 "2007-04-26T20:46:20Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck]
It’s impossible to speculate who “would have done” nude scenes. Actresses back then had a completely different mindset than today (and those today are different from actresses in the 70s, when nude scenes were much more common).
Lamarr did a nude scene, and Monroe posed nude, so they probably would have, but unless an actress did do a nude scene, there’s no way to tell if she might have done one.
[/QUOTE]
Yes, but the early 30’s mindset was very different from the 40’s mind set.
I am not even sure what we mean by classic period actresses. Nudity and near nudity happened in the early 30’s and disappeared from main stream movies completely until sometime in the 60’s. So do we look at only actresses from after the Hays Code in 1934?
Jim
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### Author:  [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/9 "2007-04-26T20:51:40Z")
[QUOTE=Rocketeer]
Hedy Lamarr…
[/QUOTE]
that’s _Hedley!_
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/10 "2007-04-26T21:08:40Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?]
You know, statements like that require some sort of cite. Really, I am not joking, can you point to some verification of this?
From IMDB:
[/QUOTE]
Well, ok, she was widely _rumored_ to have done porn. I read something by Kenneth Anger in which he more or less claimed as fact that she had done stag films before she got famous. I could have sworn there was also some kind of old film out there somewhere with an actress who looks like her and reputedly _was_ her, but maybe that’s not verified.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/11 "2007-04-26T21:13:39Z")
[QUOTE=BMalion]
that’s _Hedley!_
[/QUOTE]
Oh, there’s an image I didn’t need.
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### Author:  [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/12 "2007-04-26T21:16:53Z")
Shame on you folks for not thinking of the most obvious name - Mae West!
and Tallulah Bankhead.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_Hildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Hildo)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/13 "2007-04-26T22:52:44Z")
You’re not fooling anyone, Streisand! I know it was you in that grainy porn loop!
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### Author:  [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/14 "2007-04-26T23:03:08Z")
I am grateful for any thread that gives me the opportunity to mention Louise Brooks.
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/15 "2007-04-26T23:07:55Z")
_Would_ have done? How about _should_ have done!
Myrna Loy…_sigh_…Carole Lombard…Eleanor Powell…
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### Author:  [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/16 "2007-04-26T23:15:17Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug]
_Would_ have done? How about _should_ have done!
Myrna Loy…_sigh_…
[/quote]
Probably [the closest you’re going to get.](http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/jerilips/Hollywoodland/loy_m2.jpg)
And if we’re talkin’ _shoulda_, then I gotta add [Vera-Ellen](http://www.operagloves.com/StarIndexes/veraellen-blackchiffonoperasblackseethrough.jpg) and [Joan Blondell](http://www.born-today.com/Today/pix/blondell_j2.jpg).
Double sigh.
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### Author:  [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/17 "2007-04-26T23:17:57Z")
Nell Gwyn.
[sub]What?[/sub]
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/18 "2007-04-26T23:19:08Z")
Vera didn’t load.
I’ll see your Joan Blondell and raise you [June Preisser](http://www.picking.com/june-mag-3.jpg)!
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### Author:  [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2007, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/19 "2007-04-26T23:58:42Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug]
_Would_ have done? How about _should_ have done!
Myrna Loy…_sigh_…Carole Lombard…Eleanor Powell…
[/QUOTE]
Myrna Loy would be my wish, and Barbara Payton, and Gloria Grahame.
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### Author:  [@Free\_Range\_Otter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Free_Range_Otter)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2007, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-classic-period-actresses-would-have-done-nude-scenes/401766/20 "2007-04-27T01:19:35Z")
I always thought [Mildred Davis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_Davis) was quite pretty. I never thought **Safety Last!** could be improved upon but this thread has me second-guessing that.
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