Vintage Pulp

August 24 2016

ADVENTURES IN NUDITY

Men's magazine explores the wide world of warm female bodies.

True Adventures may be one of the least adventurous mens magazines we’ve ever come across. While there is some action presented, mostly the focus in this August 1963 issue is on skin. From France’s nudist mecca Île du Levant to the world’s wildest bar in Tahiti to the “Belles of Baja” and stops in Greece and Peru the magazine endeavors to combine globe-trotting with just plain globes. It even offers up a feature on Alaskan eskimos—their term not ours—that features that old favorite of b-rate fiction: the girl who strips naked in order to share her body heat with a freezing man. All the tales in this magazine are entertaining and there’s also very nice art by Basil Gogos and others. You’ll find about thirty scans below. While you’re enjoying those we’re going to try to convince the Pulp Intl. girlfriends we’re freezing.

Mexico, France, Greece, Peru, Tahiti, Baja, ÐŽle du Levant, True Adventures, Basil Gogos, Walter Richards, magazine art, literature, nudity, nudism

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.

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

August 1 2015

CALENDAR EVENT

Diane Webber brings a bit of warmth to winter in Baltimore.

Today’s Technicolor lithograph features a recognizable figure for once—the much adored Diane Webber, a California born model, dancer, and actress who was also known as Marguerite Empey and became one of the most important fixtures of the 1950s and 1960s nudist magazine scene. You can see a few examples of those here. Webber was also a two-time Playboy centerfold under her Empey persona, in May 1955 and February 1956. We’ve mentioned before that the blank spaces at the tops of these Technicolor prints were made for the insertion of advertising, and at right you see how that worked with a calendar for a Baltimore, Maryland establishment called Stanley’s Drive-In. The original image came from the A. Scheer Company, was called Exclusively Yours, and appeared in 1955. The calendar came out in the winter of 1958.

Maryland, California, Baltimore, Playboy, A. Scheer Co., Technicolor pin-up, Diane Webber, Marguerite Empey, nudity, nudism

Vintage Pulp

June 5 2015

EASY LIVING

Lifestyles of the naked and unashamed.

We’ve done a few posts on nudist magazines, because we consider them to be related to the racy men’s mags that proliferated during the 1950s. A nudist would most likely disagree, but they’d be wrong—if they were to look inside a typical mid-century men’s magazine they’d very likely see a photo or journalism feature on the naturist movement. Yes, men’s magazine always portrayed nudism as sexual, while real nudists would say sex has nothing to do with it, but the men’s magazine link is undeniable, even if they sensationalized the lifestyle.

One of the countries where naturism was and remains a strong social undercurrent is Germany—in fact, at our local beach, which isn’t officially nudist but is generally accepting of the practice, unclothed sunbathers are almost stereotypically German, though French visitors give them a run for their money. Above you see the cover of one of the most popular naturist magazines of the mid-century era—West Germany’s Humana. Below are thirteen scans showing a lot of naked people having a very nice time—no sensationalism needed. You can see our previous post on the magazine here.

Germany, West Germany, Humana, nudism, naturist, nudity

Intl. Notebook

April 1 2015

UNCENSORED AND UNCUT

Times may change but sex always sells.

Above is the front of a copy of Uncensored magazine that appeared today in 1965 with cover stars Jackie O., Blaze Starr, and—in a sign of changing times—the Beatles. Inside the magazine you get sin and skin in the form of East German sex camps, nudity in international cinema, exotic dancer Marlene MacLane, transgender entertainer Christine Jorgensen, and call girl Christine Keeler, who, Uncensored reminds readers yet again, had lovers with skin darker than hers. And according to journalist Bill Jeffree, so did thousands of other British women. What had the world come to? These old tabloids often contain photos that haven’t made it online yet, and from this one we’re happy to upload a cool shot of Keeler, a snap of John F. Kennedy, Jr. as a toddler, and a rare vision of Elizabeth Taylor strolling a Mediterranean boardwalk in her bikini. We have about twenty scans below and more from Uncensored to come.

Vintage Pulp

December 11 2014

AMONG FRIENDS

Amis du Soleil makes nudism look like paradise on Earth. Now just wait until the guys show up to ruin it all.

Is it pulp? Of course it is, nos amis. There are countless mid-century novels about nudism. So, we couldn’t pass this up. It’s a special issue of the French nudist magazine Amis du soleil. This appeared around 1950, but the magazine went on for a long while, publishing hundreds of issues well into the late 1960s, so we’re told. We’re also told it was actually a satellite publication of Sonnenfreunde, which was the official publication of the German, Swiss and Austrian Nudist Federations. We’ve talked once or twice about how the Germans feel about this stuff, remember?

France, Germany, Amis de soleil, Sonnenfreunde, nudity, nudism

Sex Files

October 25 2014

THE REICH APPROACH

Goliath Books exposes Third Reich porn to the light of day.

Of all the books Berlin-based publishing company Goliath has produced, perhaps none is more essentially pulp in nature than Private Pornography in the Third Reich. 1950s and 1960s men’s adventure magazines were obsessed with Nazis, and Third Reich spies littered post-war pulp fiction. The stories and art were often sexual in nature, such as here and here, sometimes hinting at or portraying depravity behind closed doors. With Private Pornography in the Third Reich the doors are closed no more. Stepping into forbidden salons, we’re presented not only with challenging images, but the social questions pornography raises, plus the specter of Third Reich authoritarianism and eventual war.

According to Hitler’s formulation, the perfect Aryan female was a mother. His Nazi state gave medals to women who had eight children or more, as long as mother, father and offspring were of perfect Aryan stock. It bears mentioning at this point that increasing numbers of modern day scientists have done away with race because it seems less and less to exist biologically. It is, evidence suggests more each day, an entirely social construct into which humans willingly and unwillingly self-organize. Hence there was never a master race. The theory makes as much sense scientifically as the theory of a master wizard.

But racial purity was Hitler’s obsession, and to force procreative sex on a country he felt needed to replace millions of military age men killed in the Great War his regime repressed the idea of recreational sex, driving sexual freedom and sexual expression underground. Prostitution

was banned, sending an estimated 100,000 women and 35,000 men into the shadows. But as always, the rich, powerful, and connected could obtain whatever they wished. Secret dens of sexual performance and prostitution sprang up, and a black market in pornography blossomed, gaining momentum once it became clear that selling it outside Germany was an efficient means of accessing foreign currency.

Private Pornography in the Third Reich is sliced into ten sections: postcards/portraits, nudism, petting, oral sex, heterosexual intercourse, lesbian couples, lesbianism with toys, sado-masochism, and threesomes. If that sounds like a lot of photos, it is—200 images in digest size from a collection originally put together by Hans von Bockhain. The book contains only a brief introduction then presents its photos without captions or explanations. But none are needed—if pornography is the sexual id of a society then what we see is a pornographic subculture in a bread-and-circuses moment, indulging in wild diversions as the grip of an authoritarian state tightens.

In another few years the Reich would have near total control of life in Germany, and operate a chain of concentration camps in which those deemed sexual deviants could be imprisoned. As a historical document of the sex industry during the anti-lust years leading up to that period,

Private Pornography in the Third Reich is fascinating. The subject is taboo, the photos perhaps more so. They range from artful salon compositions to raunchy reverse cowgirl penetration shots, which means it may not be coffee table material for everyone, but for the adventurous it’s certain to live up to aesthetic expectations, and provoke vigorous debates as well. Read more at Goliath Books.

Germany, Berlin, World War II, World War I, Goliath Books, Hans von Bockhain, nudism, nudity, bdsm, nazis

Vintage Pulp

January 31 2014

SUNSHINE PEOPLE

American Sunbather uses its 1960 calendar and twelve nude women to sell the idea of paradise.

Yes, we still have a few items from that trip to the U.S. we took a couple of years ago, and today we’re finally getting around to this baby. It’s a calendar put together by American Sunbather in 1960. We were actually going to post it on January 1, but we were still too busy fuming over our bank snafu to get it done. So instead you get it on the last day of January. All the tri-toned images are great, but sadly the January page is missing—that must have been a very good month. American Sunbather magazine was one of the main nudist publications. It was published by the Outdoor American Corporation of Spokane, Washington, and ran from the 1950s until about 1967. Like other nudist magazines, it espoused a rationale for why nudism was a desirable lifestyle and you can get a sense of their philosophy from each month’s accompanying text. If it’s too small to read, here’s an example from September:

When men begin to think that the Golden Age belongs solely to ancient history, that the future holds no radiant beauty, no effulgence of glory for the human race, mankind will be in a state of dotage. We nudists know the joy of conviction that “the best is yet to be,” and we feel certain that our preachment and program will contribute much to the sum-total of human welfare and earthly happiness.

There’s so much we could say about this. For instance, in 1960 we seriously doubt that everyone was actually welcome in American Sunbather’s utopia, but leaving that aside, we basically agree with the calendar’s sentiments. In fact, there’s no need to get mystical—it feels good when nature comes into contact with the body. That’s really the long and short of it. Where we live most people don’t get too bothered about naked bodies on the beach, which is nice, even if we don’t typically join in. American Sunbather believed humanity would become more uninhibited as time went by, and its beliefs were underpinned by an idea that we would all have more time, more money, and more freedom. But a funny thing happened on the way to utopia—once the 1970s ended there was suddenly less time, less money, and less freedom for about 90% of Americans. And now—for the moment at least—utopia is just a speck in the distance.

Washington, Spokane, Outdoor American Corporation, American Sunbather, nudism, nudity

Vintage Pulp

November 7 2013

FREUNDE WITH BENEFITS

What do Germans do better than just about anyone?

Based on what we saw, the supposedly serious Germans are as capable of wild partying as any other people you care to name. We are highly intrigued by their blasé approach to nudity. In fact, when someone recently claimed to have unearthed a nude photo of a youthful Angela Merkel parading her bush around a summery German seafront, the news was greeted in her home country with a collective shrug. Even if it were true, Merkel would have been merely part of a longstanding nudist tradition. That tradition was well represented in print. Through the 1950s and 1960s reams of naturist publications such as Sonnenstrahl, O Humana, and Unser Dasein appeared in West Germany. The above cover is from Sonnenfreunde (Sun Friends), one of the earliest and most popular of such magazines, launching way back in 1949. We have a few scans below, and if you think you see Angela Merkel, well, we disavow any such suggestion.

Germany, West Germany, Berlin, Sonnenfreunde, nudity, nudism

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

October 5

1945—Hollywood Black Friday

A six month strike by Hollywood set decorators becomes a riot at the gates of Warner Brothers Studios when strikers and replacement workers clash. The event helps bring about the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, which, among other things, prohibits unions from contributing to political campaigns and requires union leaders to affirm they are not supporters of the Communist Party.

October 4

1957—Sputnik Circles Earth

The Soviet Union launches the satellite Sputnik I, which becomes the first artificial object to orbit the Earth. It orbits for two months and provides valuable information about the density of the upper atmosphere. It also panics the United States into a space race that eventually culminates in the U.S. moon landing.

October 4

1970—Janis Joplin Overdoses

American blues singer Janis Joplin is found dead on the floor of her motel room in Los Angeles. The cause of death is determined to be an overdose of heroin, possibly combined with the effects of alcohol.

October 3

1908—Pravda Founded

The newspaper Pravda is founded by Leon Trotsky, Adolph Joffe, Matvey Skobelev and other Russian exiles living in Vienna. The name means “truth” and the paper serves as an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991.

October 3

1957—Ferlinghetti Wins Obscenity Case

An obscenity trial brought against Lawrence Ferlinghetti, owner of the counterculture City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, reaches its conclusion when Judge Clayton Horn rules that Allen Ginsberg’s poetry collection Howl is not obscene.

October 3

1995—Simpson Acquitted

After a long trial watched by millions of people worldwide, former football star O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson subsequently loses a civil suit and is ordered to pay millions in damages.

October 2

1919—Wilson Suffers Stroke

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson suffers a massive stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed. He is confined to bed for weeks, but eventually resumes his duties, though his participation is little more than perfunctory. Wilson remains disabled throughout the remainder of his term in office, and the rest of his life.