Vintage Pulp

November 29 2024

THE DYING TRAPEZE

One of them is about to fly through the air with the greatest of unease.

Today’s issue of Adam magazine was published this month in 1960, with cover art meant to illustrate an interesting short story titled, “Yellow Isn’t for Cowards,” by Damon Mills. He wrote often for Adam during the early 1960s. In fact, this is the fourth tale of his we’ve run across, and his best, we think. It’s about an experienced circus aerialist, his younger competition in both love and acrobatics, and the triple somersault the younger one can perform but the older one can’t—usually. Yellow is said to be bad luck in the aerialist community, so the scene above shows the love interest jinxing one of the flyers. The tales in Adam varied greatly in quality, but Mills had talent.

Back around 1960 Adam was using pretty poor paper stock, which accounts for the grainy scans below. There was also not as much beautiful art as later, which accounts for the smaller than usual number of pages uploaded. Furthermore, humidity got to the magazine in the eighty or so years it was in storage. The bottom line is today’s share will consist of only nineteen panels. But one of those has famed nudist model Diane Webber, so that’s something anyway. Plus, though there aren’t many art pieces, a few are nice, including one by the hard working Jack Waugh. A final note: this is the eighty-eighth issue we’ve shared. Hey, we’re impressed by that. Adam will return, as always.

Australia, Adam Magazine, Damon Mills, Diane Webber, Marguerite Empey, Jack Waugh, magazine art, literature

Vintage Pulp

March 20 2023

PAPER TIGER

Obscure men's magazine roars but has no bite

Tiger was a Chicago based men’s magazine launched in 1956 by George Fox, Jr. that had as its premise the dubious idea that great men are tigers. It had features on “tigers of the past,” and “modern tigers,” and we suppose this was Fox’s attempt at clever branding. Sounds a bit forced, right? It didn’t seem to work for the public, because though Wikipedia claims that the publication lasted into the mid-sixties, we found no evidence anywhere that it lived past 1957. But we’ll keep an eye out and see if we’re wrong about that.

In the meantime, above you see the front of an issue that hit newsstands this month in 1957, and the cover star is famed nudist and model Diane Webber, aka Marguerite Empey, who we’ve seen a whole lot of around here. She’s also featured in four pages at the back of the issue, and along with her are photos of Zahra Norbo, Gunnar Gustafson, obscure actress Melinda Markey, an unknown model lensed by Russ Meyer, and shots of Nona Van Tosh by Earl Leaf.

In the writing department, Fox swapped out his editor/publisher hat for a journalist’s fedora and contributed a profile on George S. Patton, one of those so-called tigers of the past. If Tiger was anything like the magazine we once ran, Fox probably wrote the story in a panic to fill space after one of his writers torched a deadline. His writing is fine, but overall the magazine doesn’t have any spark, literarily, artistically, or pictorially. We hate to say it, but it’s a pretty tame tiger. But it’s worth a look just because of Webber’s presence. You’ll find thirty-some scans below.

Chicago, Tiger Magazine, Diane Webber, Marguerite Empey, Zahra Norbo, Gunnar Gustafson, Melinda Markey, Nona Van Tosh, George Fox Jr., James Axelrod, Earl Leaf, Russ Meyer, magazine art, literature

Vintage Pulp

October 19 2019

FRENCH FROU AND FROU

Parisian publisher does erotica as only the French can.

Today we have for your enjoyment an issue of Paris Frou Frou, #46, published in 1956. This was the brainchild of S.N.E.T.P., which decoded is Société Nouvelle D’editions Théâtrales Parisiennes. See, the French understood that smut must wear a fig leaf of intellectualism, which is exactly why we write so much on Pulp Intl. rather than just publish reams of nude photos. Hah, just kidding (did we mention the Pulp Intl. girlfriends are out of town?). The eroticism is just a bonus that comes with all the fiction, film, and art. And it’s a bonus that helps our traffic.

Anyway, on the cover of this mag is Austrian actress Nadja Tiller, and the rear features a nice shot pairing yanks Lori Nelson and Mamie Van Doren. With a wrapper like that the inside must be nice, and indeed it is. You’ll see Sabrina, the one-name star time has forgotten, as well as U.S. nudist model Diane Webber, aka Marguerite Empey. If your memory is very sharp you’ll recall one of the same Webber photos appearing in an issue of the U.S. magazine Male from 1958 we shared a while back. Mixed in with the celebs is the usual assortment of Parisian showgirls. We’ll revisit Paris Frou Frou later.

France, Austria, S.N.E.T.P., Société Nouvelle D'editions Théâtrales Parisiennes, Paris Frou Frou, Nadja Tiller, Lori Nelson, Mamie Van Doren, Diane Webber, Marguerite Empey, Sabrina, Norma Ann Sykes, Tina Marshall, Zaza Brooks, Nadine Tallier, burlesque

Vintage Pulp

July 12 2017

DI FAIR LADY

As soon as I hear, “That's a wrap, Diane,” the clothes are coming off and I'm streaking out of this joint.

Yes, it’s Diane Webber on the cover of this Horwitz second edition of Carter Brown’s No Future Fair Lady, and amazingly, she’s fully clothed, a phenomenon we’ve never seen from the most famous nudist model of her generation. Looking closer, though, the dress could be painted on. Wouldn’t surprise us. You don’t become a nudist icon in the buttoned down 1950s by letting the Man tell you what to do. At any rate, this is yet another example of Horwitz using unlicensed (we suspect) celeb photos on their Carter Brown paperbacks. Since we feature a lot of tabloids on Pulp Intl., we have to point out that the protagonist in this story works for a tab called Smear. We love that. The copyright here is 1960, and we have several other examples of Horwitz celeb covers you can see by clicking this link.

Australia, Horwitz Publications, Carter Brown, Diane Webber, Marguerite Empey, cover art, literature

Vintage Pulp

May 14 2017

SLOOPING AROUND

First you need my shirt, now my pants? I believe you when you say we'll go faster. My question is faster at what?

Technicolor lithograph queen and nudist icon Diane Webber, aka Marguerite Empey returns on this print from A Fox. Corp from 1957 entitled “Clear Sailing Ahead.” We’ve shared three other lithos of hers, which you can see here, here, and here, and we have a couple more in reserve we’ll get up later.

A. Fox Corp., Corp. A. Fox, Technicolor pin-up, Diane Webber, Marguerite Empey

Musiquarium

November 28 2016

OUT FOR A SPIN

Webber and friend go for a dip—in the style of their dresses.

On the cover of Looks Like Fun!, a Café Society Series album by comedian Cliff Ferré, both models have decided to test the far limits of 1956 fashion with their dresses. Diane Webber, on the right, gets all Vikki Dougan with her asscrack, while her unidentified friend goes the more conventional route with a neckline that plunges so far it becomes a navel line. Not that we’re complaining. The only thing we’re unhappy about is not being able to name the model on the left. She’s the same person as in this Technicolor lithograph, and we know that the photo was made by Tom Kelley. Beyond that we got nada. We would love to know who she is because we have her on three more lithographs we’re reluctant to share without info.

As far as the content of the record goes, what you get is a collection of comical musical pieces. Sample titles: “A Cocky Cowboy” and “Fifi’s Got the Biggest One in France.” Yeah. It’s really bad. But you don’t have to take our word for it—if you’re the courageous type you can have a listen here. At least the platter is made from red vinyl, as you see at right. That’s almost worth the purchase price. Almost. If you have any ideas on the unidentified model please drop us a line at the usual place: [email protected].

Cliff Ferré, Diane Webber, Marguerite Empey, Tom Kelley, album art

Intl. Notebook

June 21 2016

SEE YOU ON THE FLIPSIDE

There's nothing standard about this model.

This 1953 wall calendar from the Standard Parts Co. of Memphis, Tennessee features a lovely painting from famed pin-up artist Bill Medcalf. While it looks as if the painting featuring a golfer with a perfect follow through has been pinned to a sunny wall for ages and the colors faded as a result—an assumption seemingly confirmed by looking at Medcalf’s original lithograph at right—the image isn’t actually faded. A glance at the orange border, which is as vibrant as something harvested by Sunkist, proves it. The makers simply decided for stylistic reasons to go with a monochromatic sepia for the color. Why? We don’t know. Maybe because golf is an exercise in serial failure that sucks all the vitality out of you.

The real bonus with this piece, though, comes when you flip it over. There on the other side of the Standard Parts calendar is none other than anything-but-standard model Diane Webber, aka Marguerite Empey, who was America’s most famous nudist from the mid-century period. She’s popped up on our site several times, usually in rare treasures we’ve had the pleasure of putting online for the first time, like here, here, and especially here. We’re happy to add another find to the collection, and we’ll have more from her a bit later.

Tennessee, Memphis, Bill Medcalf, Diane Webber, Marguerite Empey, nudism

Vintage Pulp

January 14 2016

U.S. MALE

Delivering thrills all year round.

Stan Borack painted the cover of this issue of Male from January 1958, and the interior art comes from Samson Pollen, Bob Schultz, John Leone, James Bama, Bob Stanley, John Kuller, and Tom Ryan. Not a slouch in the bunch. The magazine contains a preview of Shane author Jack Schaefer’s novel Company of Cowards, the Civil War tale of a group of Union officers who have all been busted down to the rank of private, but who are formed into a special unit and given a chance to earn back their honor. That chance takes them into Comanche country where they face an assortment of deadly challenges.

Also in this issue you get famed model Diane Webber/Marguerite Empey—who we’ve been seeing a lot of recently—doing a nice photo feature and complaining that since being elected Queen of the Nudists by a national sunbathing association all anyone wants to talk about is her naked lifestyle. But we think that’s just the editors trying to come up with an angle for the text. Webber was an official advocate of nudist lifestyle and even promoted her special brand of spiritual nudism in television interviews, so we doubt she was fed up with it at this point. The photos were shot by Russ Meyer, and we’re pretty sure they’ve never been on the internet before, which is always a fun moment for us. Please enjoy. Twenty scans below.

U.S. Civil War, Shane, Male Magazine, Jack Schaefer, Stan Borack, Samson Pollen, Bob Schultz, John Leone, James Bama, Tom Ryan, Bob Stanley, John Kuller, Diane Webber, Marguerite Empey, Russ Meyer, magazine art, literature, nudism

Vintage Pulp

January 8 2016

THE HEAT IS ON

I don't care what kind of bathing suit you paint—just make her look hot.

We’re guessing some underpaid artist was tasked with painting a bikini atop Diane Webber’s nude body, and after the acid kicked in he produced this concept that looks like all her naughty bits are on fire. Luckily it’s just an acetate overlay, and you lift the top layer to get original Webber in her altogether, at right. If it looks familiar that’s because we showed you this exact print in August without the overlay as an A. Scheer pin-up, and as part of a drive-in calendar. So we’ve pretty much milked this image for all it’s worth. We’ve also shown you a few other overlays, for instance here and here, and noted that we think the practice began with the déshabillables of the French magazine Paris-Hollywood. All those other examples are nice, but for pure weirdness this one wins.

A. Scheer Co., Technicolor pin-up, Diane Webber, Marguerite Empey

Vintage Pulp

November 17 2015

WEBBER WEATHER

This is the second time a warm front like this has passed through.

You may be thinking we already showed you this Diane Webber Technicolor lithograph, but nope. While it is almost identical at first glance, and Webber is even posing for the same company—A. Scheer—it’s a completely different photo shot in a different place at a different time. Don’t believe us? Compare and contrast here.

Technicolor pin-up, A. Scheer Co., Diane Webber, Marguerite Empey, nudity

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

December 10

1935—Downtown Athletic Club Awards First Trophy

The Downtown Athletic Club in New York City awards its first trophy for athletic achievement to University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger. The prize is later renamed the Heisman Trophy, and becomes the most prestigious award in college athletics.

December 10

1968—Japan's Biggest Heist Occurs

300 million yen is stolen from four employees of the Nihon Shintaku Ginko bank in Tokyo when a man dressed as a police officer blocks traffic due to a bomb threat, makes them exit their bank car while he checks it for a bomb, and then drives away in it. Under Japanese statute of limitations laws, the thief could come forward today with no repercussions, but nobody has ever taken credit for the crime.

December 9

1965—UFO Reported by Thousands of Witnesses

A large, brilliant fireball is seen by thousands in at least six U.S. states and Ontario, Canada as it streaks across the sky, reportedly dropping hot metal debris, starting grass fires, and causing sonic booms. It is generally assumed and reported by the press to be a meteor, however some witnesses claim to have approached the fallen object and seen an alien craft.

December 8

1980—John Lennon Killed

Ex-Beatle John Lennon is shot four times in the back and killed by Mark David Chapman in front of The Dakota apartment building in New York City. Chapman had been stalking Lennon since October, and earlier that evening Lennon had autographed a copy of his album Double Fantasy for him.

December 7

1941—Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor

The Imperial Japanese Navy sends aircraft to attack the U.S. Pacific Fleet and its defending air forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. While the U.S. lost battleships and other vessels, its aircraft carriers were not at Pearl Harbor and survived intact, robbing the Japanese of the total destruction of the Pacific Fleet they had hoped to achieve.