Former Bunny Girl shares memories of Portsmouth's Playboy Club in Southsea

The very first club was opened in Chicago by founder Hugh Hefner as far back as 1960. At one time there were 33 clubs worldwide with 750,000 members. By 1986 all the clubs had closed.

In England there were three clubs, in London, Manchester and Southsea and all the girls who worked in the clubs were employed as a Playboy Bunny.

One of the first to work in the Southsea club was Joanne Sellars nee Woolger. Her late father was the owner of Bob Woolgers Gym in Clive Road and later Bob Woolger’s Health Club in Clarendon Road, Southsea.

Jo, as she likes to be called, was born in Clive Road, Fratton. She started at the club in 1973 aged 20.

I asked her if her parents agreed with her working in what many people who didn’t know better thought was something quite immoral at the time. It never was of course. She said that her parents never had the slightest problem in fact they backed her completely. There was never anything underhand going on.

Jo had to attend an interview with several of the club’s management team. One question she was asked was what was her pet hate. ‘Dirty ashtrays’ she replied. The manager, Brian McMullan from South Africa, had an abhorrence to smoking and Jo thinks this reply may have got her the job.

The hours were always in the evening and at night of course. Whereas the London club was open 24 hours a day the Southsea club had evening and early morning hours. Starting at 8pm she sometimes worked through to 2am or 4am.

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The club offered gambling in the casino or on the blackjack tables and a club room for relaxing with drinks. There was also fine dining and all the tables had bunny girls waiting on them. There was of course a definite ’no touching’ rule and anyone found ignoring the rule was thrown out and their membership made null and void.

There were something like 27 to 30 girls in the Southsea club all dressed in the famous bunny outfits with a bobtail, ears on a headband, bow-ties and wrist cuffs. Jo told me the outfits were very comfortable to wear. The girls used to attend many charity functions helping to raise funds for some local organisation.

I asked Jo if she ever had the chance to meet Hugh Hefner or his associate Victor Lownes. She never met Hefner but did know Lownes later in life.

Jo told me the London club, at 45 Park Lane, was so profitable and successful it became the richest casino in Europe keeping the whole of the Playboy empire in business. She worked in the club for about three years but married a local businessman in 1977 and had a child so no more bunnying around. It finally closed down in 1981.

Jo is a trained linguist speaking fluent French and worked in France for a time. One great family friend is the former Austrian body builder, film star and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold used to travel down from London to train in Bob Woolger’s gym and the family became great friends. He sometimes lodged with the family if training for some competition to save traveling back and forward to London.

In later years Jo’s daughter worked for him. They are still in touch to this day.

One of the more well know bunny girls was Marilyn Cole from Eastney who became a Playmate of the Month in 1972 and Playmate of the Year in 1973 when she was featured in the Playboy magazine.

Playboy Playroom

The Playroom was where all the entertainment took place at the Playboy Club. It was launched in September 1976 as the only club in town with live cabaret along with dancing and dining throughout the week. It gained a reputation for good value and high standards. Its reputation attracted artists of international fame such as impressionists Hayden J Harvey and Dustin Gee, vocalists Iris Williams and Elaine Del Mar along with comedians Dave Wolf, Pat Mills and Ronnie Hayward to name but a few.

Perhaps one of the most famous musicians to appear at the club was Joe Jackson who, I believe, still has a home in Old Portsmouth. He played at the club in a trio backing the cabaret. Joe has now achieved international fame as a musician.

My thanks to Pete Cross.

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