Pulp International

vintage and modern pulp fiction; noir, schlock and exploitation films; scandals, swindles and news

PLAYING FOR KEEPS

In this game everybody gives their all.

Above, a poster for Kôkôsei banchô: Bôtate asobi, aka The All-Out Game, the second film in the High School Gang Leader franchise. The movie stars Kimisaburo Onogawa, Kei Wakakura, and Saburo Shindo, but Eiko Yanami stars on the poster. Basically, a high school boxing group comes into conflict with a high school judo club thanks to differences between their two leaders, one of whom is a top student and the other of whom is a moron. When we were in high school smart kids couldn’t fight but maybe Japan is different. This premiered there today in 1970. See two more posters from the series here and here.

Japan, Daiei Film Co., Kôkôsei banchô: Bôtate asobi, The All-Out Game, Kimisaburo Onogawa, Kei Wakakura, Saburo Shindo, Eiko Yanami, poster art, cinema, pinku

ANEMONOUS ADMIRER

There's nothing not to like about Mari Atsumi.

Above is another poster for Zoku Imokinchaku, aka Sea Anemone Girl Continued, starring Mari Atsumi. We shared the tateken sized promo earlier this year, and this is the hansai promo, which we tend to call merely standard sized. The movie premiered in Japan today in 1970, and you can see the other poster here. 

Japan, Daiei Film Co., Zoku Imokinchaku, 続・いããŽã‚“ちゃく, Sea Anemone Girl Continued, Mari Atsumi, pinku, poster art, cinema

MAKING MARI

Everybody wants a piece of Mari Atsumi.

The movie Hadaka de Dakko, aka Be Naked premiered in Japan today in 1970, and as you can see from the promo poster, it starred the prolific Mari Atsumi. She made twenty-six films by our count, which means we’ve talked about her a lot. Here she plays a snack bar employee who dreams of bigger things, and who, along with her friends, try to accumulate 3 million yen they can use to buy a yacht. The reason it’s called Be Naked is because every moneymaking scheme hinges on using Atsumi’s body. The beauty shop needs her face to draw customers, the gambling house needs her sex appeal for the same reason, and when she becomes an artist’s nude model, well, ditto. And in fact, the same can be said of the movie itself, and we’re pretty sure its makers knew it too. Want to see more Atsumi? Start here.

Japan, Daiei Film Co., Hadaka de Dakko, Be Naked, Mari Atsumi, pinku. poster art, cinema

RADIO ACTIVITY

This is a test of delinquency broadcast system. In the event of a real emergency you'd be royally screwed.


This poster was made to promote the Japanese pinku flick Kôkôsei banchô: Shin’ya hôsô, aka High School Boss 3: Midnight Broadcasting, starring Eiko Yanami and Keiko Matsuzaka. Third in a tetrology, the film is exactly as the title suggests—a tale of delinquency, prostitution, and revenge, with the extra twist of being centered around a radio station. Basically, one of the deejays on the program “All Night Music” reads a letter over the air from a young prostitute, who is later found to have committed suicide while three months pregnant. A search for the people responsible for the tragedy reveals that a prostitution racket is being run out of the local high school. Revenge follows. The tagline for this film is top notch: “When the town goes to bed, we get up!” Kôkôsei banchô: Shin’ya hôsô premiered in Japan today in 1970. 

Japan, Daiei Film Co., Kôkôsei banchô: Shin'ya hôsô, High School Boss 3: Midnight Broadcasting, Eiko Yanami, Keiko Matsuzaka, poster art, cinema, pinku

LOVE AND MARI

Go together like hurt and damage.


Above, a pair of posters for Imokinchaku, which in English was retitled (we think) Woman Like a Sea Anemone or Sea Anemone Girl. The movie starred Mari Atsumi, Toshio Takahara, and Shimeji Shogako, and it deals with a country girl who arrives in Tokyo, gets a job in a laundry, and becomes embroiled in a series of complications that all begin with a missing pair of panties. One thing these Japanese pinku films do not lack for is weirdness. Audiences certainly responded to this one, despite the fact that it was in black and white, and it spawned a series that in English might be referred to as the “Mollusk Series.” We’ve already shown you a few posters from the franchise, such as here and here. This one premiered in Japan today in 1969.
Japan, Daiei Film Co., Imokinchaku, Woman Like a Sea Anemone, Sea Anemone Girl, Mari Atsumi, poster art, cinema, pinku

PRETTY COOL

Mari Atsumi shows her stripes.

We’ve already shared two posters for Mari Atsumi’s 1970 pinku flick Denki kurage, aka Play It Cool, aka Electric Medusa. Today we have a promo for her film Denki kurage: kawaii akuma, aka The Good Little Bad Girl, with Atsumi looking good, bad, and a few other things, all of them fun. The movie premiered today in 1970. Atsumi was a big star in her day. She appeared in twenty-eight films, guested on a number of television shows, and released a couple of popular albums. Like many pinku actresses, though, her current whereabouts are basically a mystery. One Japanese webpage literally says nobody knows where she is. But that’s okay—she gave us plenty to remember her by.

Japan, Daiei Film Co., Denki kurage: kawaii akuma, The Good Little Bad Girl, Mari Atsumi, pinku, poster art, cinema

FAMILY PLOT

If anybody can recover the ancestral farm it's Mari.

Zoku Imokinchaku*, for which you see the poster above and which premiered in Japan today in 1970, was the sequel to the previous year’s Imokinchaku, but shot in color. Atsumi plays a high school girl named Hamako who tries to save enough money to buy her family’s ancestral land. Her plan to obtain it through work seems sound enough, but trouble in finances and love, including the theft of her money and a doomed infatuation with a dreamboat who happens to be gay, present serious obstacles. Of course, if the previous film taught Mari anything it was to persevere, and she makes forays into nude modeling and singing in efforts to cobble together a sufficiently large nest egg to buy the land. Do any of these schemes actually work? You’ll have to add this one to your queue if you want to find out.

On a related note, we learned that Daiei Co. released an Atsumi record in conjunction with this film, and that it also engineered the publication of a photo book. Cross promotion of pinku films was a common tactic back then. In fact, many stars performed live in cinemas between double features, either singing, dancing, or reenacting bits from the films. Japanese law was strict about nudity onscreen, but we’ve been told these live performances sometimes featured full nudity, which is interesting to contemplate. Atsumi made a lot of public appearances. Below, for example, she’s in Shimizu Park in Chiba, where a gaggle of photographers shot pictures of her in her undies. We have images from another Atsumi public appearance we’ll share later.

*We can’t find a romanized title for this film anywhere, but Zoku Imokinchaku is probably right. It’s at least close. If anyone wants to correct us feel free. The official title is 続・いそぎんちゃく.  

Japan, Chiba, Daiei Film Co., Zoku Imokinchaku, Sea Anemone Girl Continued, Mari Atsumi, pinku, poster art, cinema

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

Motorcycle? I don’t own one. The helmet is for protection when I crash the Pulp guys’ picnic over there.

Only a little time today, but we love sharing this Japanese material, so above you see an alternate poster in panel length for Yoshio Inoue’s pinku film Kawaii Akuma: Iimono ageru, aka Just for You, which premiered today in 1970 starring Mari Atsumi. It’s completely different from the standard sized version, which we showed you here, and better too, we think. Now we are off—our holiday involves lobster, crab, and other oceanic yummies eaten picnic style in a hilltop park. Hope your day is excellent. 

Japan, Daiei Film Co., Kawaii Akuma: Iimono ageru, Just for You, Yoshio Inoue, Mari Atsumi, Keiko Takahashi, poster art, pinku, cinema
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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

1970—Angela Davis Arrested

After two months of evading police and federal authorities, Angela Davis is arrested in New York City by the FBI. She had been sought in connection with a kidnapping and murder because one of the guns used in the crime had been bought under her name. But after a trial a jury agreed that owning the weapon did not automatically make her complicit in the crimes.

1978—Sid Vicious Arrested for Murder

Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious is arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen is found in their room at New York City’s Chelsea Hotel. Vicious and Spungen had a famously stormy relationship, but Vicious proclaims he is innocent. He is released on bail and dies of a heroin overdose before a trial takes place.

1979—Adams Publishes First Hitchhiker's Book

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the first of five books in a series, is published by Douglas Adams. The novels follow on the heels of the tremendously successful British television series of the same name.

1976—China Coup Thwarted

The new head of the Chinese Communist Party, Hua Goufeng, snuffs out a coup led by Chairman Mao’s widow Jiang Qing and three other party members. They become known as the Gang of Four, and are tried, found guilty of treason, and receive death sentences that are later commuted to lengthy prison terms.

1987—Loch Ness Expedition Ends

A sonar exploration of Scotland’s Loch Ness, called Operation Deepscan, ends after a week without finding evidence that the legendary Loch Ness Monster exists. While the flotilla of boats had picked up three sonar contacts indicating something large in the waters, these are considered to be detections of salmon schools or possibly seals.

1971—London Bridge Goes Up

After being sold, dismantled and moved to the United States, London Bridge reopens in the resort town of Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

1975—Burton and Taylor Marry Again

British actor Richard Burton and American screen star Elizabeth Taylor secretly remarry sixteen months after their divorce, then jet away to a second honeymoon in Chobe Game Park in Botswana.

  • FEATUREd PULP

BUTTERFACE

Classic science fiction from James Grazier with uncredited cover art.

COOL UNDER FIRE

Hammond Innes volcano tale features Italian intrigue and Mitchell Hooks cover art.

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