vintage and modern pulp fiction; noir, schlock and exploitation films; scandals, swindles and news
The medical sleaze keeps on coming. We fought and won against the urge to make a rectal thermometer joke, but the possibilities were legion. Above you see Andrew Shaw’s 1966 novel Willing Intern, which is from Greenleaf Classics. Shaw was a pseudonym, but in this case the actual author is unknown. The art is by—once again—Robert Bonfils.
Celebrities on paperback fronts are a (yet another) weakness of ours. We’ve been seduced into reading books by cover imagery from the likes of Kitty Swan, Elke Sommer, and Christina Lindberg, among others. Greenleaf Classics put Spanish star Soledad Miranda on the cover of Alan Marshall’s 1974 novel Wild Young Flesh. The shot is a variation of an image of Miranda we shared years back. You may remember she died young in an automobile accident in 1970 at age twenty-seven, but left behind a few interesting movies, such as El diablo que vinó de Akasawa and 100 Rifles. And now, this cover.
Alan Marshall was a pseudonym, and while it was sometimes used by known authors such as Donald Westlake, in this case the actual writer remains unknown. The story deals with the carnal goings-on among a group of high schoolers. In addition to it being a creepy experience reading its explicit underaged sex, about a quarter of the story takes place in a utility closet. If you know anything about sleaze novels and the talent level involved, the fact that the author couldn’t be bothered to set scenes outside of a single small room tells you that the narrative is extremely minimal. But we couldn’t resist Soledad. We’ll just try to put this one behind us, though, and we recommend that you don’t put it in front of you.
Above: another cover from artist Robert Bonfils, this time for Richard B. Long’s 1970 piece of fluff Swapper Power, which is about a woman who starts sleeping around to help her husband in business. Wait—didn’t we just read one like that? Of course we did—it’s a well worn plotline, and that’s why we didn’t buy this particular iteration. Plus we have several sleaze novels stacked up waiting to be read. Richard B. Long is an obvious pseudonym, likely used by numerous authors, but we don’t know which ones. And they probably don’t want us to find out, so it’s all good.
Above: a nice sleaze cover from Greenleaf Classics’ Nightstand imprint for 1960’s lesbian novel Sin Girls by Marlene Longman. This has the look of a photo-illustration, but it’s credited to Harold W. McCauley.
Above: Swap Psychiatrist, from 1968, with art by Robert Bonfils. The author, John Dexter, was credited with three-hundred and fifty books, according to the comprehensive website Greenleaf Classics Books. His name was used as a pseudonym by many, including Lawrence Block, Vivien Kern, Harry Whittington, and others. We have more than a few Dexter covers in the website, but our favorites are here and here.
We can’t resist carny novels, even if they look as dubious as 1964’s Carny Girl by “John Dexter.” The quotations are because Dexter was a pseudonym used by many authors, none of whom are attributable in this case. The book is about beautiful young Julie, who, when readers meet her one late night, is naked and fleeing along a Florida beach from an unknown terror, before taking refuge in a trailer belonging to a traveling carnival. She’s found the next day and has no memory of who she is, nor what she fled. The carnies take her along with them and she proves to have an insatiable sexual appetite that leads to all kinds of trouble in their mobile enclave, particularly when she takes a job as one of their strippers. When her memory returns, what awful secrets are revealed? Several, though none that adequately explain why she’s such a horny freak, we can promise you. No problem, though—Carny Girl is a sleaze novel, and horny freaks are stock in trade. Of its ilk, it was fine.
This is, once again, Robert Silverberg hiding behind his usual pen name Don Elliott for 1965’s Only the Depraved from sleaze imprint Greenleaf Classics. This is the second time we’ve seen a domestic staffer delivering his employer two drinks at once. That’s how we order them too. The cover is uncredited.
A few days ago we shared a book cover inspired by a 1948 Life magazine photo. We wanted to show you a more direct inspiration from that shot. Here you see Tony Calvano’s The Hellions, from 1965 for Greenleaf Classics, published by its sub-imprint Leisure Books. Calvano was in actuality Thomas P. Ramirez.
The art on this is by Robert Bonfils, and he basically copied the dynamic figure in the Life photo, and did so brilliantly, making changes to her hair (more and wilder) and bikini (smaller and flimsier). The result is an illustration that’s a real eye-catcher. You can scroll down a few posts if you want to see the Life shot in a larger size. It was part of a photo essay on a performative youth movement called Activationism, centered in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Above: a cover for Every Bed Her Own, by Don Elliott for Greenleaf Classics’ imprint Leisure Books, 1966. Elliott, in this case, is actually sci-fi author Robert Silverberg, and the art is by Robert Bonfils, the titan of mid-century sleaze illustrators. This is another cover that fits with our collection of cheaters caught red-handed.
Frank Eugene Corder tries to crash a stolen Cessna 150 into the White House, but strikes the lawn before skidding into the building. The incident causes minor damage to the White House, but the plane is totaled and Corder is killed.
With the help of the CIA, General Augusto Pinochet topples democratically elected President Salvador Allende in Chile. Pinochet’s regime serves as a testing ground for Chicago School of Economics radical pro-business policies that later are applied to other countries, including the United States.
The attacks that would become known as 9-11 take place in the United States. Airplane hijackings lead to catastrophic crashes resulting in the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York City, the destruction of a portion of The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a passenger airliner crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Approximately 36% of Americans doubt the official 9-11 story.
Governor of Louisiana Huey Long, one of the few truly leftist politicians in American history, is shot by Carl Austin Weiss in Baton Rouge. Long dies after two days in the hospital.
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, performing his hit song “Don’t Be Cruel.” Ironically, a car accident prevented Sullivan from being present that night, and the show was guest-hosted by British actor Charles Laughton.
