| Vintage Pulp | Apr 20 2022 |
They call her Marii—Daati Marii.
Above is a promotional poster in tatekan size for Sukeban Deka: daati Marii, which premiered in Japan today in 1974 and was known in English as Sukeban Deka: Dirty Mary. Obviously, the character is based on Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, and the name is phonetically spelled to assist Japanese pronunciation. Way back when we first talked about this flick we were able to watch it free online, but that boat has since sailed over the horizon. Now you'll have to watch it on Amazon Japan, which probably doesn't do you much good unless you speak Japanese. We wish we'd taken a few screenshots from the movie back then, but we were in a hurry that day. It's certainly worth a watch, should the opportunity arise. You can read a bit more about it here. As a bonus, we have some Kozue promo images below. Typically, she made nude photos, and indeed, we've already posted many and have others that are flat-out unbelievable which we'll share later. But today we wanted to show her in casual mode. You see her below, hanging out in Tokyo's Omiya Park.
JapanTokyoNikkatsuSukeban Deka: daati MariiSukeban Deka: Dirty MaryHitomi KozueJunko MiyashitaYuri Yamashinaposter artcinemaroman porno
| Vintage Pulp | Sep 22 2021 |
The Zu animals break loose and Tokyo is never the same.
Above is a promo poster for Toei Company's pinky violence hit Zubekô banchô: yume wa yoru hiraku, aka Tokyo Bad Girls, aka Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams, which premiered in Japan today in 1970. We already talked about the movie years back and showed you the tateken sized promo poster. Because we had this second piece of art, today we decided to be completist. Reiko Oshida and Keiko Fuji are still the main graphic elements, but some of the other bits have been rearranged. You can see the first piece, and also read about the movie, at this link.
JapanToei CompanyZubekô banchô: yume wa yoru hirakuTokyo Bad GirlsDelinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night DreamsReiko OshidaKeiko FujiMasumi TachibanaYukie Kagawapinky violencepinkuposter artcinema
| Vintage Pulp | Aug 20 2021 |
There's nothing like a walk in the woods to put you in touch with yourself.
Back in 2015 we shared several posters for a movie called Tokyo Chatterly fujin, made in Japan and later released in English as Lady Chatterley in Tokyo. Above is the original Japanese poster featuring Izumi Shima getting turned on in the woods. It's an extremely interesting film, inspired by D.H. Lawrence obviously, and dealing with the sexual frustrations and peccadilloes of a beautiful one percenter who can't keep her mitts off the gardener. Or maybe he can't keep his mitts off her. We forget. But we remember we liked it. Of course, we'll watch Shima in anything, so perhaps we're not objective. The movie premiered in Japan today in 1977, and you can read more about it here.
JapanNikkatsuTokyo Chatterly fujinLady Chatterley in TokyoIzumi ShimaD.H. Lawrenceposter artcinemasexploitationroman pornopinkunudity
| Femmes Fatales | Aug 5 2021 |
These mystical lion statues are supposed to bring good luck and fortune. I'm making this one my agent.
This elegant photo of June Duprez with a Chinese guardian lion was made when she was filming the drama Calcutta. According to tradition these lions ward off malign influences, and no wonder she's hanging onto it. She was born in England during World War I on a night when Germans were bombing her town. She survived and went on to make a mark in Hollywood, appearing in films like The Thief of Baghdad and Little Tokyo, U.S.A., but due to various factors her career stalled, and she found herself broke and cut off from family money back home due to the chaos of World War II. She made it through this second unstable period—no info on whether the lion helped—but her film career never recovered. Even so, we find her to be an impressive screen presence. We've heard that her best movie may be the 1945 mystery And Then There Were None, so we're going to check that out. This photo is from 1946.
BritainWorld War IWorld War IIThe Thief of BaghdadLittle Tokyo U.S.A.CalcuttaAnd Then There Were NoneJune Duprez
| Vintage Pulp | Dec 28 2020 |
U.S. Adam goes in search of adult entertainment after dark.
We're taking a break from the Australian Adam magazine to remind everyone that the unrelated U.S. men's magazine Adam was also filled with colorful art, fun fiction, weird facts, and beautiful models—in this case Danish pin-up and centerfold Elsa Sorensen, aka Dane Arden, who you see on the cover. We still think the down under Adam is the best, but northern Adam is always worth a look, and this issue published in 1960 is a representative example. Actually, there were two northern Adams. There was a French magazine of that name too, unrelated to the others. We've been meaning to locate one to buy online, but the price hasn't been right yet.
Anyway, this issue of Adam contains the usual fiction and humor, plus features on strip clubs in Paris, Tokyo, and Long Beach, a profile on New Orleans torture mistress Madame Delphine Lelaurie, and other pleasures of the evening. It also highlights the “dirtiest book ever written”—supposedly Il Commandante di Pompeii, which we suppose can keep you company on lonely nights if you don't get to Paris, Tokyo, or Long Beach. We have many scans below, and other issues of U.S. Adam you can find here, here, here, and here. And if you're interested in the Aussie Adam we have scans from almost seventy issues in the website, and you can see them by starting here.
DenmarkParisTokyoNew OrleansLong BeachAdam USAElsa SørensenElsa SorensenDane ArdenDelphine LelaurieWendy MarchDarlene CarrLiane MorelliGloria Gilbertmagazine artnudity
| Vintage Pulp | Oct 27 2020 |
Yes, yes! A thousand and one times, yes!
Yes! We're excited because we found yet another astonishingly rare Japanese poster. This was made to promote Tokyo eros senya ichiya, which would translate approximately as “Tokyo One Thousand and One Nights,” but is known in English as Eros Nights in Tokyo. You won't see this anywhere else. At least not uncensored. Now the bad news. Just like a few years ago when we shared the film's standard promo, we're still looking for a damn copy to watch. It stars Izumi Shima, Ayako Meki, and Erina Miyai, and that's a trio we want to see anytime. But it'll have to wait. In the meantime, gaze upon the celestial Izumi in a zoom below, and check her out here and here. For that matter, check out Irina Miyai here. Tokyo eros senya ichiya premiered in Japan today in 1979.
JapanTokyo eros senya ichiyaEros Nights in TokyoIzumi ShimaAyako Meki芽樹あやこErina Miyaipinkuposter artcinemaroman porno
| Vintage Pulp | Apr 15 2020 |
She gets into these situations so you don't have to.
This poster is an addendum to our earlier write-up on this film, Osoe!, a hit roman porno from Nikkatsu Studios starring Erina Miyai, who spent her entire career getting into pickles like this one. This is basically the original promo poster, reversed and with all the text removed except the title. It was unusual for title-only art like this to be produced, which is why when we found it we thought we'd better share. We also share some thoughts on the film. Just look here. Osoe! premiered in Japan today in 1978.
| Intl. Notebook | Sep 18 2019 |
Japanese brochures hearken back to a legendary venue.
It's been a while since we've done anything extensive on burlesque, so today we have something unique—the covers of Japanese brochures printed during the 1950s and 1960s to promote the famed burlesque show at Nichigeki Music Hall in Tokyo. The building that hosted those shows—the Nichigeki Theatre, below—was an architectural wonder located in Yurakucho district near Ginza. The multi-level structure welcomed music acts as well as burlesque, and had its concert stage graced by Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Krupa, and Oscar Peterson. But it is remembered, first and foremost, for its fifth floor burlesque hall.
Nichigeki Music Hall's burlesque shows began during Tokyo's grim postwar years in March 1952. It showcased both local dancers and foreign stars, often from the Folies Bergère. The program changed often, and always had evocative names like “Devil Vamp Missile Glamours” or “Aqua Girls Bottom-Up Mambo.” The clientele at these shows was international—largely U.S. soldiers from Japan's occupying forces, and tourists. Indeed the Hall advertised specifically to attract that crowd. Interestingly, the shows were produced by Toho Company, the movie studio behind the Godzilla franchise, as well as quite a few softcore movies.
Frontal nudity in entertainment was illegal in Japan, so Nichigeki's extravaganzas featured feather boas, fans, frilled mini skirts, g-strings, and the like, all designed to dazzle the audience and obscure the
dancers' naughty bits. As time went by public tastes veered toward the explicit and attendance at the Hall began to decline. It closed in 1981 and the brilliant art deco influenced building was demolished, another sad architectural loss on a list so long it's pointless to even contemplate it.
dancers' naughty bits. As time went by public tastes veered toward the explicit and attendance at the Hall began to decline. It closed in 1981 and the brilliant art deco influenced building was demolished, another sad architectural loss on a list so long it's pointless to even contemplate it.But at least the brochures survive. They're amazing, front and rear, as you'll see below, with a mix of stunning paintings by Noboru Ochiai, and lovely photos. Make sure you note the titles of the shows. Our favorite: “The Lady was a Stallion,” but “A Snail's Rhapsody” is good too. On a related note, you may want to check out the post we did on archetecturally significant cinemas. You'll see some real beauties there, including another shot of the Nichigeki Theatre. We'll get back to Nichgeki Music Hall's amazing brochures a bit later.
JapanFranceTokyoNichigeki Music HallFolies BergèreNanako KohamaMisa SatsukiJunko ShimaShinju MariMariko TakiElla FitzgeraldGene KrupaOscar PetersonNoboru Ochiaiburlesque
| Vintage Pulp | Aug 31 2019 |
Etsuko Shihomi looks soft but hits hard.
This rare poster was made to promote Onna hissatsu ken, aka Sister Street Fighter, which premiered in Japan today in 1974. The movie is fourth in the Street Fighter series, after The Street Fighter, The Return of the Street Fighter, and The Street Fighter's Last Revenge. In this one karate master and undercover drug agent Sonny Chiba goes missing in Tokyo, prompting his bosses to recruit his sister Etsuko Shihomi to search for him. Shihomi collects clues, allies, and esoteric enemies, but of course finally learns her brother is exactly where any viewer would expect—in the villain's lair, where he's been forcibly addicted to drugs.
Generally, penetrating these evil underground strongholds is perfunctory, but in this film Shihomi has more problems than usual. She'll get there, though—what's a ’70s martial arts film without a subterranean showdown? It's all a bit silly and clunky, if surprisingly gory at the end. Interestingly, the movie tries to be instructive, actually freeze-framing to label certain martial arts techniques, weapons, and important characters. Weird, but okay. In the end Shihomi wins using basic stick-to-itiveness—with nunchakus upside multiple male craniums. Oh, and by the way, there are lots of reversed swastikas in this film. We talked about those, but if you missed that discussion check here.
JapanTokyoOnna hissatsu kenSister Street FighterEtsuko ShihomiShin'ichi ChibaSonny ChibaSanae Ôhoriposter artcinemamovie review
| Vintage Pulp | Apr 15 2019 |
How many wrongs finally make a right?
This poster was made to promote a Nikkatsu Studios roman porno flick titled Osoe!, which in Japanese means “attack.” In typical roman porno fashion, the plot is pretty twisted. In brief, Erina Miyai plays a woman who wants revenge on a corporation for its role in the death of her parents. She goes to a disco and deliberately allows herself to be taken home and gangbanged, all for the purpose of later informing the guys who did it she'll accuse them of rape if they don't kidnap the corporation's CEO for her.
We'll say this much for Nikkatsu—their ideas were certainly creative. In this case, there's a subtext of turning male power against itself, which is all to the good, but of course things never come off quite how the protagonists intend in roman porno. Which is to say, Miyai's plot goes pear shaped. Osoe! is super obscure in the West but was a successful release and even played a few years ago at the famed Laputa Asagaya revival cinema in Tokyo. Its original premiere was today in 1978.
