Vintage Pulp

April 11 2025

LUST IN PARADISE

It's lovely here in the Virgin Islands. I just hope they let me stay after what I've been doing.

This is a Flickr find, a really nice cover painted by Dutch artist Alja Cousin for Peggy Swenson’s Pearl de zwoele maagd. We assumed we’d find no other traces of Cousin out there, but there are actually a couple of other covers floating around, though not in a size useful enough to share. We’ll see if she turns up again. The title of this in English means “Pearl the sultry virgin,” but Swenson originally wrote it as The Unloved, and saw it published in 1964 by Midwood Books, a top sleaze imprint that partnered with her several times. And by her we mean him, since Swenson was in reality Richard E. Geis. See nice Swensons here and here.

Netherlands, Amsterdam, Uitgeverij Orion, Peggy Swenson, Richard E. Geis, Alja Cousin, cover art, literature

Femmes Fatales

January 26 2025

JUST ABOUT TO LAND

When she flies it's always first class.

Marion Michael, who was born in Königsberg, Germany (later renamed Kalingrad and now part of Russia), debuted in the 1956 television movie Liane, das Mädchen aus dem Urwald, aka Liane, Jungle Goddess, when she was just sixteen. The role is said to have generated controversy because Michael was topless in it, but a sequel was made, so we guess it wasn’t exactly a crippling controversy. We know what you’re thinking—topless in a television movie? Hey, it’s Germany. They have that whole freikörperkultur thing. This photo looks a bit West Coast, U.S., but it’s actually a promo distributed by Amsterdam based N.V. Standaardfilms, probably used when Liane played in the Netherlands in 1959. It’s a soaringly great shot.

Germany, Russia, Netherlands, Königsberg, Kalingrad, Amsterdam, N.V. Standaardfilms, Liane das Mädchen aus dem Urwald, Liane Jungle Goddess, Marion Michael

Vintage Pulp

November 8 2024

COLOR BLINDS

It's not enough to lower them. She also needed to close them.

It’s been a while since we’ve added to our noir blinds collection, so here you see a cover for Raymond Chandler’s Tot ziens, Mr. Marlowe, which translates as, “See you later, Mr. Marlowe,” and was a Dutch re-issue of The Long Goodbye. The original was published in 1953. This came from Amsterdam based publishers A.J.G. Strengholt in 1956. The art is by Frans Mettes, and it’s beautiful work. Note the shadow of the knife-wielding stalker on the louvres. We don’t have “blinds” keyworded, so we’ll point those who are interested to our other posts on this subject: our main noir blinds collection is here, and the many beautiful additions are here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Netherlands, Amsterdam, A.J.G. Strengholt, Raymond Chandler, Frans Mettes, cover art, literature

Vintage Pulp

November 29 2023

FORMAL PROPOSITION

She can't resist a man in a tuxedo.

Above is another cover from J.H. Moriën for Amsterdam based publishers Uitgeverij Orion, this time fronting Danny slaat geld uit de vrouwen by Loren Beauchamp, aka Robert Silverberg. We’re pretty sure this is a translation of his 1959 novel Another Love, Another Night. The title in Dutch means, “Danny beats women out of money,” which we assume refers to a beating of the grifter variety rather than anything physical. Moriën’s art, with its beautiful color palette and sheet-wrapped femme fatale, is sublime. Click his keywords below to see more.

Netherlands, Amsterdam, Uitgeverij Orion, Loren Beauchamp, Robert Silverberg, J.H. Moriën, cover art, literature

Vintage Pulp

May 5 2022

MODESTY TO A FAULT

Twentieth Century Fox chooses goofs over thrills for Blaise adaptation.

After writing about the first four Modesty Blaise novels over the last few years we figured it was time to talk about Twentieth Century Fox’s cinematic pass at character. You see a brilliant poster for the movie adaptation above by Bob Peak, who seems to be reminding people that Robert McGinnis wasn’t the only painter capable of working in this style. Two more versions of the poster appear below, and you can another example of his work here.

We’d heard for years that Modesty Blaise is a terrible movie, but it isn’t—lightweight might be a better description. It’s based on the debut novel, and while author Peter O’Donnell plays it straight apart from the affable relationship between Blaise and her partner Willie Garvin, here in the movie Blaise has a space age apartment, a sentient computer, a huge lobster tattoo on her thigh, an adoptive father, and a referential theme song. The villain, meanwhile, drinks goldfish water, wears a chauffeur’s cap, and uses a Japanese pai pai fan. At a couple of points Blaise and Garvin burst into song together. All these touches must have baffled fans of the book, and indeed the additions are pointless in our opinion, but that’s cinema. Filmmakers are not transcribers—they’re translators, and if you know anything about translation you know it’s not done literally.

The main question is whether star Monica Vitti does the legendary main character justice. It was a lot to ask, after Modesty became popular thanks to three years of popular daily comic strips followed by a well received novel. We think she manages fine with the material she’s given, but there’s the rub. While the screenplay follows the basic thread of the novel, the flow is clunky and the dialogue is cluttered with non-sequitur asides and attempts to be cute that make Vitti resemble Emma Peel from The Avengers rather than the lethal woman O’Donnell created. In terms of the actual story, Modesty is tasked with stopping a master criminal from stealing a cache of diamonds meant for her father (we know, we know—she’s an orphan in the books, and it defines her character). She’s had dealings with this quirky crook before and would like to settle matters between them permanently. That means traveling from London to Amsterdam to his rocky stronghold on Sicily for a final showdown—in good pumps and a diaphanous haute couture a-line dress.

The action, which is central to the books and written with deadly seriousness, is mostly played for laughs. We mean even to the extent of villains crashing into each other to the accompaniment of circus music. We think this is probably the movie’s only unforgivable sin. O’Donnell took pride in his action sequences, underpinning them with ingenious forethought by Blaise and Garvin and violent precision in execution. All the humor and cuteness would have been fine if the movie had thrilled where it most needed to, but no such luck. So in the end what you get is a cutesy spy caper of a type that was all too commonplace during the 1960s, but even goofier than most. We think the movie should have been something fresh and surprising, and in ways that go beyond its glossy high fashion aesthetic. Unfortunately, the final result is no better than watchable, though it becomes progressively more enjoyable the more booze that’s ingested. Hit the liquor store before screening it and you’ll find out for yourself. Modesty Blaise premiered in London today in 1966.

Italy, Britain, Sicily, Amsterdam, Modesty Blaise, Monica Vitti, Terence Stamp, Peter O'Donnell, Dirk Bogarde, Harry Andrews, Rosella Falk, Scilla Gabel, Tina Aumont, Bob Peak, poster art, cinema, movie review

Vintage Pulp

September 12 2021

TEASER TRAILER

Hallo everyone! I am from Holland, I am waanzinnig for seks, and I am told I can find very trashy people here.

Above you see a cool little treat—a colorful cover for Zonde op wielen from Amsterdam based publisher Uitgeverij Orion. It’s a Dutch translation of the 1962 Midwood Books sleaze novel Sin on Wheels (larger image for laptop and desktop users here), written by Loren Beauchamp, who was in reality sci-fi legend Robert Silverberg.

The art is a translation too, sort of. It’s a new angle on Paul Rader’s painting for the Midwood original—and as you can see, it features the same character in the same groovy outfit standing in front of the same trailer, but painted from a different angle. It’s the first time we’ve seen this—an artist painting what another artist painted, but changing the viewpoint. We think the Uitgeverij cover is even better than Rader’s. We know—sacrilege, but we really like it. Or maybe we’re responding to the impact of its novelty. Let’s just say they’re both excellent efforts.

The brush responsible for the Uitgeverij art belonged to Dutch illustrator J.H. Moriën, whose distinctive signature you see at the righthand edge. He was born in 1897 and was active during the 1920s and ’30s, then after a mid-life hiatus began producing a lot of art again during the ’50s and ’60s. Maybe he wanted an RV of his own in retirement, but realized he didn’t have enough cash. We found other pieces by him, so maybe we’ll get back to him later. Though this one will be very hard to top.

Netherlands, Amsterdam, Uitgeverij Orion, Loren Beauchamp, Robert Silverberg, J.H. Moriën, cover art, literature

Vintage Pulp

March 11 2016

DUTCH LOVIN’

Parolee skips the halfway house and goes straight to the all-the-way house.

Yes, we’re doubling up on the ’70s sexploitation today because we have this nice poster for a movie that premiered in Japan today in 1972—Blue Movie, aka Das Porno-Haus von Amsterdam, aka Blue Movie Session in Amsterdam. Dutch produced and initially released in Germany as Das nackte Gesicht der Pornographie during the summer of 1971, it starred Hugo Metsers in a tale that mirrors the above-mentioned Vanessa.

Instead of a sex starved woman released from a nunnery, this one features a sex starved man released from prison. He moves into an apartment building and gets to know the resident women intimately, a process helped by the fact that they’re all desperately horny. We’re talking about Cary Tefsen, Ursula Blauth, and the lovely Ine Veen, so this is a pretty sweet deal for a new parolee. Eventually he goes from single sexual encounters to arranging orgiastic parties, complete with interpretive dance performances.

When the film hit Holland in the fall of ’71 viewers were shocked by its subject matter and frankness, but it was a huge hit and it’s still remembered as a groundbreaker today. It’s also a bit of a bore. Director/co-writer Wim Verstappen had serious intentions, and those show in the social commentary and abundance of dialogue he’s loaded into the movie. We’ll say this, though—the Dutch don’t do sexploitation one-way, which means there are plenty of swinging dicks here, literally, along with chest hair and pork chop sideburns. We’re fine with all that, but we’re not fine with the movie being such a yawner. Pass.

West Germany, Netherlands, Japan, Amsterdam, Das Porno-Haus von Amsterdam, Blue Movie Session in Amsterdam, Hugo Metsers, Carry Tefsen, Ine Veen, Ursula Blauth, Wim Verstappen, poster art, cinema, sexploitation, movie review

Vintage Pulp

February 18 2016

LIGHTS OUT

When the sun goes down in the city.

Hotels, museums, and restaurants are all important aspects of travel, but what you really need to know is where to score hookers and cocaine, right? Or is that just us? Above, assorted covers from MacFadden-Bartell’s famed sleaze series After Dark, published late 1960s and early 1970s, and which purports to tell readers where and how vice can be found in different cities, as well as the unique variations that exist in each place. Don’t leave home without one. And a pack of condoms.

Musiquarium

October 16 2014

SEXUAL HEARING

Spread-eagled Aslan art helped cure the guilt of buying pirated music.

We said we were done with France for the moment, but we’re veering back there briefly today to show you this Cure album sleeve featuring art from the French painter Aslan. Live at Paradiso is a bootleg, same as the other Aslan-fronted Cure record we showed you back in January. The people who pressed this weren’t messing around, either—they opted for one of the artist’s more explicit paintings. No complaints here, but we bet Aslan was a bit annoyed when he saw his work appropriated yet again. It wouldn’t be the last time. We’ll get to more bootleg sleeves a bit later.

France, Netherlands, Amsterdam, The Cure, Aslan, Alain Gourdon, album art

Femmes Fatales

July 14 2012

KRISTEL VISION

Her photo is in the dictionary under "unforgettable." Seriously. We just checked.

Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel was without a doubt one of the most divine women to ever appear on a movie screen. She gained fame with her starring role in 1974’s erotic classic Emmanuelle, which ran in one French cinema for thirteen uninterrupted years. Kristel has had health problems, including a bout with throat cancer. Today she’s fighting for her life in an Amsterdam hospital after a stroke in late June and the revelation that she had developed liver cancer. Only time will tell if she’ll recover, but the above photo, which came from the same session as these, shows her timeless beauty.

Netherlands, France, Amsterdam, Emmanuelle, Sylvia Kristel, nudity

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

April 29

1945—Hitler Marries Braun

During the last days of the Third Reich, as Russia’s Red Army closes in from the east, Adolf Hitler marries his long-time partner Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker during a brief civil ceremony witnessed by Joseph Goebbels and Martin Bormann. Both Hitler and Braun commit suicide the next day, and their corpses are burned in the Reich Chancellery garden.

April 29

1967—Ali Is Stripped of His Title

After refusing induction into the United States Army the day before due to religious reasons, Muhammad Ali is stripped of his heavyweight boxing title. He is found guilty of a felony in refusing to be drafted for service in Vietnam, but he does not serve prison time, and on June 28, 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court reverses his conviction. His stand against the war had made him a hated figure in mainstream America, but in the black community and the rest of the world he had become an icon.

April 28

1947—Heyerdahl Embarks on Kon-Tiki

Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl and his five man crew set out from Peru on a giant balsa wood raft called the Kon-Tiki in order to prove that Peruvian natives could have settled Polynesia. After a 101 day, 4,300 mile (8,000 km) journey, Kon-Tiki smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands on August 7, 1947, thus demonstrating that it is possible for a primitive craft to survive a Pacific crossing.

April 28

1989—Soviets Acknowledge Chernobyl Accident

After two days of rumors and denials the Soviet Union admits there was an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Reactor number four had suffered a meltdown, sending a plume of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area. Today the abandoned radioactive area surrounding Chernobyl is rife with local wildlife and has been converted into a wildlife sanctuary, one of the largest in Europe.

April 27

1945—Mussolini Is Arrested

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, his mistress Clara Petacci, and fifteen supporters are arrested by Italian partisans in Dongo, Italy while attempting to escape the region in the wake of the collapse of Mussolini’s fascist government. The next day, Mussolini and his mistress are both executed, along with most of the members of their group. Their bodies are then trucked to Milan where they are hung upside down on meathooks from the roof of a gas station, then spat upon and stoned until they are unrecognizable.

April 26

1933—The Gestapo Is Formed

The Geheime Staatspolizei, aka Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established. It begins under the administration of SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police, but by 1939 is administered by the Reichssicherheitshauptamt, or Reich Main Security Office, and is a feared entity in every corner of Germany and beyond.

April 26

1937—Guernica Is Bombed

In Spain during the Spanish Civil War, the Basque town of Guernica is bombed by the German Luftwaffe, resulting in widespread destruction and casualties. The Basque government reports 1,654 people killed, while later research suggests far fewer deaths, but regardless, Guernica is viewed as an example of terror bombing and other countries learn that Nazi Germany is committed to that tactic. The bombing also becomes inspiration for Pablo Picasso, resulting in a protest painting that is not only his most famous work, but one the most important pieces of art ever produced.