| Vintage Pulp | Apr 18 2020 |
James Bond heats up the Cold War in Istanbul.
We take it on faith that everyone has seen all the old James Bond films, and that most people love them. But we haven't actually sat down and watched some of them in twenty years. So when we saw all these Japanese posters for 007ロシアより愛をこめて, also known as 007/危機一発, but much better known as From Russia with Love, we said why not take a fresh look at it like we'd never seen it before. Plus, you know, lockdown. Bond seemed like just the sort of reliable adventure we needed to spice up the idle hours. The film definitely proves that when it comes to action movies budget is almost everything, and a decent script helps. Call it Q=BS2. Budget and script squared equals quality. From Russia with Love scores well there.
We had forgotten how fun Pedro Armendáriz is as Ali Kerim Bey, Bond's counterpart in Istanbul, which is where much of the film is set. Interesting factoid about Armendáriz: he'd been diagnosed with cancer and was already fatally ill when he made the movie. After filming he shot himself to skip the suffering that was on tap and never got to see the finished product. Another bit of trivia is that Eunice Gayson, who was reprising her role as Sylvia Trench from the earlier Dr. No., was supposed to appear in six films, serving as Bond's recurring love interest and the central figure in a running gag. In short, every time Bond would try to get hot and heavy with her, headquarters would interrupt and call him away, leaving the loyal Gayson serially unfulfilled.
We love that idea, but studio heads changed their minds, possibly because they wanted to make Bond a little sluttier than originally written. Don't quote us on that, but it was the ’60s, after all. Make love not war. Of course, in the end, Bond makes both. In any case, if you have time to kill, From Russia with Love might just do the trick. It's exotic, reliable, and familiar, but since you probably haven't seen it for years it will also be fresh enough to keep you interested. Also, Robert Shaw as the secondary villain doesn't hurt, nor does Daniela Bianchi as the primary female character, and Lotte Lenya as a Russian assassin with a dagger that extends from the toe of her pump is a hoot. Talk about the cruel shoes. From Russia with Love premiered in England in 1963, and reached Japan today in 1964.
JapanIstanbul007 ロシアより愛をこめて007/危機一発From Russia with LoveSean ConneryPedro ArmendárizRobert ShawDaniela BianchiLotte LenyaJames Bondposter artcinemamovie review
| Vintage Pulp | Jul 31 2019 |
The movie is n° 2 but its star is second to none.
There sure are lots of Emmanuelle/Emanuelle movies out there. Sylvia Kristel, Laura Gemser, Monique Gabrielle, Olinka Hardiman, Krista Allen, Natasja Vermeer, and many others inhabited characters with that name. But we'd never heard of Shulamith Lasri, aka Julie Margo, nor her contribution to the pantheon Emanuelle nera n° 2, aka The New Black Emanuelle. Pulp Intl. abhors a vacuum so we figured what the hell and decided to check the movie out. Plotwise Lasri is a famous model who's had some sort of break with reality and is in a mental institution trying, with the help of doctors, to restore memories that might be the key to her trauma
Sounds deadly serious, doesn't it? But like many serious low budget movies, unintentional humor rears its clumsy head. At one point Lasri disrobes and Danielle Ellison gapes at her and says, “Your body. You're like a queen of the night. Or a panther.” At which point Lasri forms a claw with her hand and goes, “Grrrrr...” Frickin' hilarious. The two then dance naked, as women often do when they hang out together. Does Lasri ever get her head straight? Maybe. But even if her mind is cured, her body will remain bonkers, and that's what these movies are all about. Emanuelle nera n° 2 premiered in Italy today in 1976.
IsraelItalyEmanuelle nera n° 2The New Black EmanuelleShulamith LasriJulie MargoDanielle Ellisonposter artcinemasexploitationnuditymovie review
| Vintage Pulp | Jun 28 2019 |
Then I picked up something at the market and now I'm about to heat it up and enjoy it. How's your day going?
Above, a cover for The Scarlet Bride by Mark Reed, about a cheating wife with a dangerous husband and the horndogs who risk life and limb to get on her. Reed was actually Norman A. Daniels, a prolific author who wrote for pulp magazines, where he created the character Black Bat (the second, more popular one). He also wrote for radio, television, and once published eighteen books in a two year span. This particular effort is copyright 1952.
| Vintage Pulp | Mar 6 2019 |
A flavorful stew of mid-century paperback covers.
This post was long overdue. Most pulp oriented websites do a collection of covers that have the word wanton in the title, so we're following suit. Basically because we couldn't think of anything else to do today. Numerous examples below. Enjoy.
Lon WilliamsIan GordonKermit WellesR. Wilkes HunterDave KingLester LakeJohn B. ThompsonGeorge CassidyJames ClayfordMichael GillianJudson GreyAl JamesArnold MarmorJ.C. PerlmanLawrence TreatMartin A. LarsonHenry KlingerCarter BrownJames RubelLewis ClayCurt AldrichRichard S. PratherDrew PalmerPeter CheyneyBrett HallidayMark Danielscover artliteraturecover collection
| Femmes Fatales | Feb 19 2019 |
Rare flightless bird captured on film in moment of repose.
This is the third time U.S. actress Dani Crayne has graced Pulp Intl. You can see the other two instances here and here. Despite us loving her photos, we haven't actually encountered her in a movie yet. Probably our best bet is the musical Ain't Misbehavin', but since we're a pulp site we'll shoot for 1957's The Unguarded Moment, which we understand is a crime thriller. If we manage to track it down we'll report back. This great photo was made in 1955.
| Mondo Bizarro | Jan 13 2019 |
When's the last time you cleaned your doorbell?
We like a good tonguing. Everybody does. But even the gentlest tongue can create soreness after a while and that's what happened in Salinas, California, when a nocturnal tonguer irritated the town. The tale began when a family alerted by its security system to the presence of a nighttime visitor reviewed video footage and was surprised to discover that an unidentified man had come lick, lick, licking at their front porch door. They posted a frame from the video on social media and alerted police and neighbors to the menace. The good people of Salinas can now rest easy—the assailant has been identified as Roberto Daniel Arroyo, a thirty-something local citizen, possibly homeless. A motive for his actions has yet to emerge, but since he was obviously looking for some sort of recognition by playing to the security camera, we think boredom and/or loneliness may have been factors. Can't rule out psychoactive drugs either.
But here's the interesting part. Tonguing doorbells isn't illegal. Filthy, yes, considering all the bodily dirt embedded in them. But illegal? No. A porch is an invitation to the public to inquire whether a domicile's occupants are present. You can't just stand on the street and yell at the house. And certainly there's no law stating you can't touch a doorbell with your tongue. It's no worse than fingering it, when you really think about it. And there's also no law against being in public at 4 a.m. Well, not technically. Our non-U.S. readers may be interested to know that cops will often hassle you when they see you out at that hour, but it isn't actually illegal. So Arroyo broke no laws by tonguing the doorbell. It was weird as hell, but within the bounds of legality as normally interpreted. Unfortunately, he complicated his situation by stealing some electrical cords. The law is pretty clear on that. Jail may be in his future. And there, once the inmates learn of his proclivity for tonguing things, boredom and/or loneliness are not likely to be problems.
But here's the interesting part. Tonguing doorbells isn't illegal. Filthy, yes, considering all the bodily dirt embedded in them. But illegal? No. A porch is an invitation to the public to inquire whether a domicile's occupants are present. You can't just stand on the street and yell at the house. And certainly there's no law stating you can't touch a doorbell with your tongue. It's no worse than fingering it, when you really think about it. And there's also no law against being in public at 4 a.m. Well, not technically. Our non-U.S. readers may be interested to know that cops will often hassle you when they see you out at that hour, but it isn't actually illegal. So Arroyo broke no laws by tonguing the doorbell. It was weird as hell, but within the bounds of legality as normally interpreted. Unfortunately, he complicated his situation by stealing some electrical cords. The law is pretty clear on that. Jail may be in his future. And there, once the inmates learn of his proclivity for tonguing things, boredom and/or loneliness are not likely to be problems.
| Vintage Pulp | Jan 28 2017 |
Mastermind my ass. There's no way this guy is gonna outsmart me.
This cover for Hank Janson's Mastermind appeared in 1961 from Roberts & Vinter. We shared group of Janson covers in December, and had discussed him before that, but we're showing this piece today to focus on the artist, whose name is Michel Atkinson. We're working up a collection of the stuff he did for Roberts & Vinter's Janson books, which we'll get to sometime after we're no longer occupied with Noir City. Stay tuned.
| Vintage Pulp | Dec 18 2016 |
Seventeen thrillers from swinging sixties.
Above, seventeen covers from Gold Star Books for Hank Janson's, aka Stephen Daniel Frances's, best selling and highly sexual Hank Janson series, starring a tough reporter who shared a name with the author's pseudonym. We think these represent the complete run of Janson books published by Gold Star, though there are more entries in the series. Later novels were written by Victor Norwood, Harry Hobson, and D.F. Crawley. The excellent art is from Paul Rader, Harry Barton, and Robert Maguire, circa 1963, 1964, and 1965.
Gold Star BooksStephen Daniel FrancesHank JansonVictor NorwoodHarry HobsonD.F. CrawleyPaul RaderHarry BartonRobert Maguirecover artliterature
| Femmes Fatales | Dec 9 2016 |
Explain to me again this theory about sparing the rod.
Above, a really nice shot of Bebe Daniels as the femme fatale Ruth Wonderly from the The Maltese Falcon—the 1931 version with Ricardo Cortez and Thelma Todd. If you haven't seen it you should. It's goofy, but definitely worth a viewing just for the purposes of comparing to the game changing 1941 version.
| Sex Files | Jun 15 2016 |
National Spotlite illuminates the war in Vietnam.
This National Spotlite published today in 1970 features Dida Cahn, Donna Darling, American actresses Karen Thomas and French actress Danièle Gaubert. The real centerpiece of the issue, at least for us, is George Davis's piece explaining that the U.S. was losing the war in Vietnam because the soldiers were having too much sex. A few choice quotes: “Even a visit to the barber is a sexual experience. While soldiers get their hair trimmed they are provided marijuana to smoke and a girl who performs orally while the customer sits in the barber's chair.” And: “Every building in Sin City [Saigon] is a brothel.” And this: “White females account for a sizable portion of the sex action in Saigon and the army camps as well [snip] particularly Red Cross girls serving in Vietnam.” As always, tabloid stories are a blend of fact and fiction meant to entertain, outrage, titillate, and even—on certain occasions—inform. Spotlite gets the job done. Many scans below and more tabloids to come.
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