Reading the post of 20th May asking for examples of School CP on TV/films, brought back to my memory something that has often intrigued me. You see these actors/actresses getting caned or slippered for the sake of the film, but do they have loads of padding or do they really feel the strokes?
Anyone know the answer to this? (It could be quiet painful if there are several re-takes!)
To start the ball rolling, I remember Mark Lester being interviewed on Blue Peter/Magpie years ago shortly after the film Melody was released. He told us that he only had to receive one whack with the slipper before the camera switched to another scene, but he said that it had hurt!!

When at school, I once took a part in a stage version of KES, and as you'll know from other messages the lads get caned for smoking. We had to bend over for it and to make it easier on us, we had a leather patch down the back of our trousers to protect us.

Must admit it worked and although you knew when you'd been struck there was no pain like from a normal caning. The producer of the play swore us to secrecy about this trick in case the whole school found out how to avoid a painful caning!

I must say that the very enjoyable scene in this film where Rossanno Brazzi lifts up the 12 year old Olivia Hussey's skirt for a severe hand spanking is only slightly marred by the impression that her knickers (described in the book as "showing her little rump outlined in snowy white briefs edged with lace")are fairly heftily padded.
The most comprehensive list of CP in films is on Boston Bob's list (albeit a bit American biased) which is on www.cfpub.com/indexstories/boston_bobs_list.html
This is a useful reminder of scenes you may have forgotten you saw.

For the spanking scene in the musical 'Kiss Me Kate' the actress had a shell placed between her clothing and her bottom. Not knowing this, Howard Keel gave her a good smack and hurt his hand. Ah, Hollywood!

In the original cinema version Kes was caned on the hand, not on the bottom. The producer once revealed that he wanted to scene to look real so he offered the boy actor half a crown if he would take one genuine stroke of the cane. The boy willingly agreed. Half a crown was more than enough compensation for one whack of the cane on his hand in full view of the camera.

James,

Thanks for the info re. Mark Lester. I know for a fact that the caning scene in KES was real - the lad who played the lead was interviewed recently, and said that,despite assurances from the director that they would not be caned, the element of surprise was used for the sake of greater realism, and subsequently all the lads demanded a payrise before agreeing to carry on with the film! Nice story.
I'd like to know if the slipperings in Birth of a Nation were padded - they all look and sound pretty unpadded to me.