Robyn Hilton Tribute: A 60s and 70s Film Goddess (2024)

If you were paying attention in the 60’s and 70’s it was probably hard to miss Robyn Hilton since she was was well known for her physical attributes and how often they were shown. She has a couple of claims to fame, one of those being one of the only really noticeable women in Mel Brooks’ film Blazing Saddles. It’s easy to claim that she was a sex object for much of her professional career but it’s also important to note that she was labeled a film goddess as well. Her onscreen presence wasn’t too demanding and quite honestly men loved seeing her for obvious reasons. For a woman that was so popular during this time period however there is surprisingly little to go on when it comes to who she was and what she did. But one thing is for certain, she was a very physical actor and a rather big presence in the adult industry for a time.

The Adult Entertainment Industry

Robyn was still in her 20’s when she began posing in the nude for men’s publications. Having been a farm girl from Idaho it’s easy to assume that she didn’t know too much about being a celebrity and could have been looking for a way into the life. It would seem that a lot of stars at one point have gone the way of the adult entertainment industry for a short time, or have posed nude once or twice just to get their foot in the door. Before you lift your nose and look down on them keep in mind that getting into acting isn’t the easiest of propositions and it sometimes takes swallowing a lot of pride and dignity to move forward. Robyn starred in Nudie Cutie films and eventually met Mitch Orenstien, the CEO of M.O.R.E. Publications. Mitch went so far as put her in every publication he had, exposing her to a wider audience and creating a real name for her after a while. The two eventually began an affair after their first photoshoot in the 60’s. When he started cranking out Nudie Cutie films however Robyn wanted to stay on the legitimate side of acting and pull away from the more adult venue.

Her Big Break

Thankfully in 1974 she landed the role of Miss Stein, the secretary to the imbecilic Gov. William J. LePetomaine, played by Brooks himself in the film Blazing Saddles. She was without a doubt being used as a sex object as one scene poignantly reminded people, but one thing is certain at least, she got to keep her top on. That still didn’t help much as it was eclipsed by the fact that she was little more than window dressing and wasn’t given much depth as a character. People didn’t seem to mind at that time as she came onto the screen with a rather exotic presence that had tongues wagging and eyes popping. Yes, she was a very beautiful woman, but it was hard to take her seriously up until someone decided to give her a serious role.

TV Roles

She did manage to land a couple of roles on TV shows like Police Woman, The Rookies, and Starsky and Hutch, but it was usually just another way to bank on her looks rather than any acting talent. At one point however she did make it onto the Johnny Carson show, though once again her looks were the main thing that got her noticed. You can see it is a negative or as a positive really since she took it in stride and ran with it. In this day and age however people are bound to say that the negative stereotype that she was forced into would be the ruin of her career. They wouldn’t mention the fact that unfortunately she wasn’t much of an actress despite having a very strong and commanding stage presence. Had she been given the right tools to develop her act then things could have gone very differently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4nw-3n18dY

What Happened to Her?

At one point the work dried up and Hilton felt the need to return to the adult film industry. At this point she went back to her long-time lover Mitch Orenstien and asked for help. He managed to push her image once again in M.O.R.E. Publications and even released a special issue dedicated to her, but the 124-page special only had 100 issues printed before the business went down the tank and had to close up shop. After this she went on to star in six adult feature films between 1975 and 1977. Had those remained people would have had a lot more to go on when it comes to remembering Robyn, but in 1978 an electrical fire destroyed Orenstien’s private warehouse in Carson City, Nevada. Nearly everything she did for his company was lost, meaning there’s no photographical evidence or record that she was ever in the adult industry. Eventually she parted ways with M.O.R.E. Publications in 1990 and with the film industry altogether. Since then she kind of fell off the map.

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A lover of great stories and epic tales, Tom is a fan of old and new-school ideas. As a novelist and a screenwriter, he enjoys promoting one story or another. With 18k+ articles and 40 novels written, Tom knows a little something about storytelling.