We shared an interesting photo of the French nuclear test Canopus a few years ago, and today we have another image showing the blast from many miles away. Even more than the numerous close quarters photos we’ve posted here, this really shows the titanic and awful power of the weapons that may eventually destroy us.

You know when you get hit on the head real hard and your hear bells and see stars? Today, you don’t have to risk a concussion—this issue of Folies de Paris et de Hollywood, which is number 200 and was published in 1960, has rare photos of burlesque dancers Virginia Bell and Blaze Starr. Both women rose to prominence in the 1950s, both appeared in movies, and Starr then became entangled in a political scandal by bedding the governor of Louisiana. We talked about that a few years ago when we shared a cover of Hush-Hush that featured her. We also had something quite interesting about her sent in by a visitor to Pulp Intl. and we recommend you take a look at it here. Folies de Paris et de Hollywood also offers a great but unidentified cover model, and the usual assortment of showgirls and models in the interior, whom you can see along with Bell and Starr below.

This amazing Italian poster is for a cuddly little piece of nazisploitation called Perversion, which was originally made in France as Nathalie rescapée de l'enfer, and known in the English speaking world as Nathalie: Escape from Hell. A poster like this cries out for us to watch the film, and luckily we were able to track it down and screen it. The art pretty much nails it. A French farmer’s daughter is captured by the Nazis and sent to a castle brothel, where she endures the usual sexploitation degradations—gropings, whippings, and uninvited advances from a domineering, leather-clad queen bee named Helga Hortz. A love connection develops between Nathalie and a German officer, and when the affair comes to light Helga decides it’s time to hortz poor Nathalie. This is a really bad movie. It’s the type of flick that includes lengthy sequences of the villains going Mwah hah hah hah hah hah! All it needed was Monty Burns rubbing his gnarled hands together and intoning, “Smithers, release the hounds.” On the plus side, star Patrizia Gori gives it her all, and the supporting cast includes Barbara Moose and Brigitte Lahaie. Perversion aka Nathalie rescapée de l'enfer premiered in France today in 1978.

Sigh. How on Earth did I end up in this clusterfuck of a movie?

I once did Molière at the Comédie-Française. That was a great summer.

Oh God, who am I kidding? That was the best summer of my life.

This is my agent’s fault. I’m going to push him off the top of the Sacré-Cœur.

Shit—did I remember to put cat food in the bowl this morning?

Well, it’ll have a short, deeply embarrassing run in cinemas, and then maybe I’ll spend a few years in Canada, and when I get back this abomination will have been forgotten forever.

Wait—so this internet thing you’re talking about will be globally available and filled with every shitty old movie ever made?

We’ve shared five or six Paris-Hollywood magazines, including a few last year, but it’s been since 2012 that we found an issue with one of its trademark déshabillable—or undressable—centerfolds. Not surprising, since the magazine featured them for only a year or so. Anyway, we have an especially charming one inside this 1950 issue, painted by pin-up master Roger Brard, whose clever work we’ve shown you before. The issue also has an unrecognizable photo-illustration or painting of Lana Turner playing with soapsuds on the cover. We’d never have thought it was her, but it says so at lower right. Ten scans below, and more issues if you follow the links starting with this one. 

 

Above, a great piece from Aslan, aka Alain Gourdon, fronting Le pays de l’amour perdu, aka Country of Lost Love, written by Y. Patrick for France Euro Presse’s series Le Roman de Minuit. Y. Patrick was in reality Jacques-Henri Juillet, and he was aka Roland Yann Patrick, Henri Chamelet, Carol Paterson, and others. Basically, you’re nobody in French pulp if you don’t write under an entire phone book of pseudonyms. 1959 is the publication year on this.