Corpun file 21027

Daily Mail, London, 20 February 1965

The boys at Blundell's saw screen striptease

Whack! That's for watching Sophia

By Daily Mail Reporter

Click to enlarge

THE chance to see Sophia Loren doing a striptease was more than 21 public schoolboys could resist.

It cost them each six strokes of the cane when they went back to school.

Sophia was the star of an X-certificate film, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, which came to the Electric Cinema at Tiverton, Devon.

The Rev. John Stanton, headmaster of the town's £400-a-year public school, Blundells, has put the cinema out of bounds to his boys.

But when word went round that the Italian sex symbol has several undressing scenes in the film the rules were forgotten.

Thirty boys, aged 16 to 18, slipped out in small groups and took their seats in the stalls. But they were seen coming out by classics master Mr. George Thomas.

One of the boys said yesterday: "The head asked the boys who had gone to see the film to own up, but only 21 stepped forward.

"At first he was going to gate us for two weeks, but then he decided that six of the best would be more suitable. So last night we were lashed by our housemasters. But it was still worth it."

At the school -- motto: For People and Country -- Mr. Thomas said yesterday: "This is an internal matter and only the headmaster can make any comment about it."

Mr. Stanton said: "No comment."

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