Aahana Swrup
The Italian Netflix series’ Mrs Playmen’ charts the story of a woman’s climb through the male-dominated industry of eroticism in Rome, Italy, in the early 1970s. Adelina Tattilo drives the narrative as the wife of Saro Balsamo, the owner of Playmen, the popular, even if controversial, dirty rag magazine that dominates the Italian newspaper stalls. However, one too many close calls with the wrong side of the law compels the man to flee the country, leaving his wife, the editor-in-chief, to deal with the aftermath of his mess.
Despite the unfavorable circumstances, Adelina manages to turn things around for the magazine by bringing a fresh and bold perspective to the forefront. Under her hands, the publication transcends the title of a simple pornographic weekly and turns into an erotic journal that challenges conservative ideals of sexuality and women’s part in it. Nonetheless, with fame and notoriety inevitably comes the uphill battle. The show’s depiction of Adelina Tattilo and her instrumental role in Italy’s culture presents an authentic and intriguing adaptation of a memorable moment in Italian history.
Mrs Playmen is Inspired by the Real-Life Story of Adelina Tattilo
‘Mrs Playman’ finds a notable inspiration in the life and career of Adelina Tattilo, an Italian journalist, known for her indelible and historic mark on the erotic magazine industry of Italy. The show opts out of an entirely biographical route, and often fictionalizes or dramatizes some aspects of the publisher’s life. Yet, overall, it proves to be more fact than fiction. In real life, Adelina Tattilo, founder of ‘Playmen,’ is often compared to the likes of America’s Hugh Hefner, who is famously known for the ‘Playboy’ magazine. After working with her husband, Saro Balsamo, on numerous other publication endeavors, Tattilo finally came to the forefront of ‘Playmen’ in the 70s, when Balsamo abandoned her and the magazine while it was on the edge of ruin. Nonetheless, as his wife took over the empire, she brought it to new heights with her exceptional vision.
With Tattilo at the helm, ‘Playmen’ started leaning more towards the European and Italian style. Her team consisted of innovative creatives and photographers who were eager to stoke the fires of a cultural revolution. During this time, the magazine ran erotic photos of the couple from the Casati Stampa murder, wherein the husband had killed the wife, her lover, and himself in a brutal attack. While a controversial topic, the subject matter promised to bring in substantial profit for the magazine. However, instead of simply running the scandalous images, Tattilo also decides to tell the wife, Anna Fallarino’s story. In doing so, the publisher exhibited what set ‘Playmen’ apart from its contemporaries. While the magazine was still undoubtedly meant for erotic entertainment, it also sought to ignite cultural conversations and thought.
Consequently, throughout its run, ‘Playmen’ touched upon and advocated for topics of women’s rights, including things like divorce and abortion. According to a Time Magazine article from 1971, Tattilo spoke about her magazine and said, “‘Playmen’ was started to fill a gap in the Italian press. I hope ‘Playmen’ will contribute to changing, in an intelligent way, certain archaic attitudes toward love and sex among Italian men and women.” Another notable part of the magazine’s run arrived around the same time, when Tattilo acquired nude photos of Jackie Kennedy Onassis to be run in her publication without the ex-First Lady’s consent. Naturally, the incident invited much scandal and criticism for the Italian magazine, while also proving to be a commercial success. All of these feats and more of Tattilo’s professional life in connection to ‘Playmen’ are covered in the series with varying levels of biographical authenticity.
Mrs Playmen Presents a Near-Accurate Version of Adelina Tattilo’s Life
The depiction of Adelina Tattilo’s professional life and her significant contribution to the success of the titular magazine in ‘Mrs Playmen’ remains close to historical reality. Yet, given the fact that the series is a dramatization, there are naturally places where the show’s writers employed their own creative liberty. This is likely most evident in the narratives of the supporting fictionalized characters, Luigi Poggi, Elsa, and more. However, there are a few details about Tattilo herself that appear to be different in the Netflix series. For one, the show only showcases two of her children; the publisher was actually the mother of three kids in real life. Similarly, while Tattilo did divorce Saro Balsamo, there are no official reports or documents that suggest their relationship was a domestically abusive one.
Yet, while it’s likely that the series fictionalizes bits and pieces of Tattilo’s characterization and personal life, the overall narrative still remains inspired by the off-screen publisher. In real life, Tattilo met her husband, Balsamo, in their youth since the two lived in the neighborhood. The couple got married young and continued to work together professionally, investing in a number of editorial projects. Prior to ‘Playmen,’ they were involved in the publication of ‘Menelik,’ an erotic comic strip magazine, ‘Big,’ a magazine for teenage boys, and ‘Men,’ a weekly publication known for images of nude women. Thus, even though it’s possible that the more detailed narratives in ‘Mrs. Playmen,’ including the subplot of police officer Andrea and more, are likely more fiction than fact; the show offers a realistic adaptation inspired by Tattilo’s life.
Adelina Tattilo Published a Number of Other Magazines Before Passing Away in 2007
Once Adelina Tattilo brought ‘Playmen’ to immense success, she expanded her publication and editorial empire with ‘Adam,’ the first gay erotic magazine. Reportedly, the latter went on to remain in publication for five years. Furthermore, she published another magazine, ‘Adelina,’ known as the “America’s edition of Italy’s Playmen.” Although it ran into some trouble with ‘Playboy,’ it ran for a number of years. However, with time, the golden era of Italian magazines withered away. ‘Playmen’ came to an end in 2001, mostly as a result of the change in the cultural landscape due to the introduction of other pornographic media like videocassettes. Today, Tattilo is remembered for her crucial part in a movement that sought to “liberate” Italian culture from bigotry and false moralisms regarding sex and sexuality.
Furthermore, Tattilo’s form of advocacy for non-conservative diea earned her a prominent space in libertarian, radical, and socialist circles. Reports suggest she was even friends with Bettino Craxi, former Prime Minister and leader of the Italian Socialist Party. Additionally, under her leadership, her publishing house came out with numerous book titles like ‘Dizionario della Letteratura Erotica’ (‘Dictionary of Erotic Literature’), ‘Playdux: Storia Erotica del Fascismo,’ and more. Ultimately, the publisher and journalist left a lasting impact on culture and continue to be reminded because of it. Unfortunately, following a brief illness, Tattilo passed away on February 1, 2007, in Rome. She was 78 at the time. With ‘Mrs Playmen,’ her inspiring life story, as a woman who challenged the societal moralisms of her time, becomes immortalized.
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