Purple wigs and silver knickers

OK, let's get ready for another trip down memory lane. 1970's UFO was something of an oddity even by the standards of its time. Produced by Jerry and Sylvia Anderson (of Thunderbirds fame), the show was basically a live-action version of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, employing many of the same tropes and premises.

Running for a total of 26 episodes, the low-budget sci-fi series was aimed at a 'mature' audience, as implied by the presence of pretty young starlets in micro-minskirts liberally sprinkled throughout each storyline. The very first story featured a completely gratuitous striptease, allowing audience a peek at the futuristic under-fashions of the far-off year of 1980.

The two screencaps posted here depict a typical scene on Moonbase Alpha, as one of the female residents prepares for a date. The dressing-room resembles an aircraft capsule and comes equipped with a two-way mirror (presumably so the occupants can see who's lurking outside).

No explanation is offered as to why a dressing room would need a two-way mirror, but then again, we're talking about a space-faring civilization where purple wigs and silver knickers are considered  de rigeur. Obviously, some questions are better left unasked.

Screencaps from UFO, episode 1 (1970).

The Golden Age part 2

British comedies of the 60s and 70s often included completely gratuitous lingerie scenes, randomly dropped into the script for no apparent reason at all. Phenomenally popular in Commonwealth nations, they've since became a mainstay in the popular culture. It's no exaggeration to say that an entire generation of young men grew up checking the weekly news guide to see when the latest episode of Dick Emery or The Two Ninnies was coming out.

As mentioned elsewhere, Sid James probably started it all off with the Carry On franchise, of which 1961's "Regardless" is still one of the best known examples.

As suggested by the image posted above, the humor was similar to The Benny Hill Show and the girls just as beautiful. It's interesting to see how lingerie styles changed over the years. For example, in the early 1960s, the girls wore suspenders and stockings:

 

 

...while a few years later, they wore only bra and panties:

 

By the 1970s, fashions had changed completely:

 

 

Then suspender stockings made a brief comeback (for one film) in 1972...

In British comedies, young girls weren't embarrassed to walk around in their lingerie, even if there were men watching. They were completely innocent, and seemed to enjoy modeling their underwear in public. It's unfortunate they don't make movies like this any more.

Up to his old tricks again...

Yes, Benny Hill will do literally anything to meet a pretty girl. In this 'silent movie' sketch, Benny dresses up as an old maid then finds himself alone in a room with four sweet young things (apologies for the grainy screencaps):

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a good quality clip of this scene anywhere online. Feel free to post a link if you happen to have one.