Sure, you think the 1980s were a regressive, bigoted period in our history, and… well, sure, they were. BUT! The 80s were entirely egalitarian in one notable area: all sex workers wore fur coats. From the streets to the penthouses, hookers wore fur regardless of their perceived income level. Let’s take a look at both ends of the spectrum as we find out what My Mother’s Secret Life is. 

My Mother’s Secret Life – The Film

Ellen Blake is making the big bucks as a call girl. Everything is going well until her estranged daughter arrives on her doorstep looking for her mother. Since this is not a comedy, hijinx do not ensue. Sadly, the 80s were not quite as sex-positive, and Tobi is somewhat disappointed in Mom’s career choices.

My Mother’s Secret Life – The Furs

How well is Ellen’s call-girl career going? Full-length-lynx-fur-coat well, that’s how well. This coat appears throughout the film and receives all the attention it should have when worn by Loni Anderson in her prime. It starts right up at the opening credits and the first couple of scenes, where we discover *gasp* the thing we knew about the character all along!

The lynx coat hangs around for a few scenes as the story progresses to finding her daughter and this daughter discovering the titular “secret life.”

The lynx is not the only fur in the film, though other appearances are brief. In one scene, Ellen returns home in a blue fox fur coat. I will say it’s a little weak as far as blue foxes go, but the general absence of blue foxes in film means I cannot quibble too much.

We return to the lynx for an extended scene where one of Ellen’s clients wants to “take her away from all this.” Lots of good upper-body shots of Loni wearing the lynx here. This is crucial framing since I have learned that more modern productions would likely have set the camera about an inch from her nose, almost completely cutting out the fur.

In a (not at all) shocking twist, Ellen’s daughter Tobi (Amanda Wyss) resents her mother’s interference with her life and her mom’s preventing her from becoming a hooker, so she becomes a hooker. In the grand tradition of the 1980s, she is presented with the ceremonial bunny fur coat and hits the streets.

Since this is a TV movie from the 80s, it has a happy ending. No, not that kind. More happily, it has about twelve minutes of fur, most of it being the full-length lynx coat. That is some quality viewing time in an otherwise forgettable bit of televised celluloid. It hits just shy of 12% runtime of quality 80s hooker fur.

• Fur Runtime: 11:49 minutes
• Film Runtime:  100 minutes
• On-Screen Ratio: 11.82%

Find-a-Fur: My Mother’s Secret Life, 1984

(All times are approximate and are affected by the cut of the film.)

• 00:20 – 04:45 – lynx coat
• 20:50 – 22:30 – ”
• 36:18 – 36:55 – ”
• 41:10 – 41:35 – ”
• 50:50 – 52:10 – blue fox coat
• 1:01:20 – 1:05:25 – lynx coat
• 1:26:30 – bunny fur

Fur Fashion Gallery – My Mother’s Secret Life, 1984