I stumbled upon a little Hollywood mystery back in 2011. After watching the trailer for a 1953 MGM musical called GIVE A GIRL A BREAK starring Debbie Reynolds, Marge Champion and an actress named Helen Wood, I came across a curious comment from a fan of the film.
"In the late 1970's-early 80's I knew Helen Wood who starred in DEEP THROAT under the name Dolly Sharp. She died in 1988. Anybody out there have any info on HELEN?". At first I shrugged this off as someone making a dumb joke about this woman. Then I did some research.
The program lists this information regarding DEEP THROAT:
DEEP THROAT
1972, 73 mins. Directed by Gerard Damiano. With Linda Lovelace, Harry Reems, Dolly Sharp. As talked-about as LAST TANGO IN PARIS, DEEP THROAT premiered with a packed opening day at New York's World Theatre, expanded to seventy screens nationwide, grossed millions, and became a cultural phenomenon. Professional production values and a satiric script earned attention from critics, while Linda Lovelace became a household name. Dolly Sharp, crisply delivering one-liners, previously enjoyed a long career in Hollywood musicals (GIVE THE GIRL A BREAK) as Helen Wood.
In DEEP THROAT, Dolly is cast as star Linda Lovelace's older,wiser roommate, Helen. Early in the film, there's a scene in which Linda and Helen sit beside a swimming pool chatting when Linda declares "Helen, there's got to be more to life than just screwing around." You mean like singing and dancing in MGM Musicals?
So these are the facts: Helen Wood appeared in almost two dozen Hollywood films from 1933 through 1968. Dolly Sharp began appearing in adult films three years later - making her final XXX appearance in 1973, never to be seen again. If Helen Wood did indeed become Dolly Sharp - she would have been 54 or 55 during the filming of DEEP THROAT. This is totally plausible.
Helen Wood died February 8, 1988 in Burbank, CA leaving behind many unanswered questions. What happened to her between 1939 and 1949 and again between 1957 and 1968 is a mystery. Did she ever marry? Did she have children? Could something have happened to her during those years that would cause her to leave her glamourous MGM past behind to become a middle-aged porn star? The photographs I have posted here certainly show a resemblance between Helen and Dolly, but I have no proof that any of this is true, but the possibility of it all is fascinating. If any readers have any more info on Helen and/or Dolly, please let me know. I also wonder where in Burbank she lived... Helen are you haunting my house?
In addition there will be a "More Is More" fashion show/competition on August 13th and book signings each night! Here's the amazing line-up:
KITTEN WITH A WHIP, (1964, Universal, 83 min.) Starring sassy Ann-Margret and John Forsythe. Directed by veteran TV helmer Douglas Heyes (THE TWILIGHT ZONE) from his screenplay based on a novel by Wade Miller, KITTEN WITH A WHIP is jam-packed with fake Beat Generation dialogue, a jazzy score, and an over-the-top performane by Ann-Margret at her snarly, vampy best.
THE LONELY LADY (1983, Universal, 92 min.) Camp superstar Pia Zadora plays a would-be screenwriter who gets abused by every man she encounters. Look for Ray Liotta and Lloyd Bochner in this ludicrous adaptation of Harold Robbins' trashy bestseller. Directed by Peter Sasdy (TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA), this 80s classic was a multiple winner at the Razzie Awards, which in 2005 nominated it as one of the worst dramas ever made.
XANADU (1980, Universal, 93 min.) Director Robert Greenwald misguides Olivia Newton-John, Michael Beck and Gene Kelly through a romp that melds 1940s MGM musicals with the roller-disco fad of the late 70s. One of my favorite films of all time. You can read more about 
STAYING ALIVE (1983, Paramount, 96 min.) John Travolta returns to SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER territory in this ridiculous sequel. Tony Manero is now Broadway bound under the direction of Sylvester Stallone. Bob Mackie costumes, bad choregraphy and dumb dialogue make this one a laugh-out-loud winner. With soap star Finola Hughes and Cynthia Rhodes.
