Vintage Pulp

December 6 2022

HOLE LOTTA HAT

Fashion accessory or rift in the space-time continuum?

These two Technicolor lithographs feature the one and only Evelyn West, model and burlesque dancer extraordinaire, bearer of interesting nicknames, and pioneer in erotic craft. The top litho is called “Soft and Lovely,” and the one where it looks like a hole has opened in the fabric of space-time is called “Cleo,” for some reason. And while we know what we’re seeing in that second litho is a hat, it’s weirdly and disconcertingly featureless. But whether dangerously large fashion accessory or voracious cosmic gullet, bystanders would have needed to stand well clear. It’s a great shot, though. Both lithos probably date from late 1950s.

Technicolor pin-up, Evelyn West, Tom Kelley, nudity

Vintage Pulp

October 17 2022

CURL UP WITH A GOOD BOOK

Is this an example of that pulp stuff you read all the time? Geez, it scared the pants right off me.

Above: an unknown model stars on a Technicolor lithograph titled “Solid Comfort,” which we think was printed around 1950. This has happened with the Pulp Intl. girlfriends a few times when we left an interesting book sitting around, but now they don’t open them because they assume someone will be betrayed or murdered in short order. We’ll try to get them to read David Dodge’s To Catch a Thief. If there’s such a thing as gateway drugs for crime fiction that’s certainly one of them.

In another case of vintage art being shoddily repurposed for modern usage, we found this litho for sale on a few websites as a poster, which you see above. The reproduction is absolute crap, but “so many books, so little time” is a sentiment we can get behind. A book definitely makes an afternoon more enjoyable, and we’d add that a nice glass of wine is a further improvement. Which is why we always have (at least) one close by when we read. We have a lot more Technicolor lithos in the website, so just click the keywords and have a look if you’re curious.

Technicolor pin-up

Vintage Pulp

September 4 2022

MOOD SWING

It's a woman's prerogative to change her backdrop.

Above are two Technicolor lithos of popular model Terry Higgins, who we also saw years ago in the Goodtime Weekly Calendar of 1963. You’ve noticed that these two shots are from the same session, but that the background color has miraculously changed. That was common with pin-up lithographs. We suspect they did it in pre-press, rather than in the photography studio with lighting, but either way it’s a neat trick. Higgins made appearances on the covers of men’s magazines such as Adam (U.S.A.), Candid, Tip Top, Folies de Paris et de Hollywood, and many others. She also starred in some nudie loops and had an uncredited appearance in 1963’s The Nutty Professor. The above shots are by famed lensman Ron Vogel, and date from around 1960.

The Nutty Professor, Technicolor pin-up, Terry Higgins

Vintage Pulp

May 15 2022

STACKED DECK

You ever get the feeling the game is rigged?

Above is a 1950s Technicolor lithograph with an unknown model losing her shirt and more in a poker game. The litho is titled “Out of Luck,” and it came from the company KLM. There are about eighty of these in the site, but we have a few favorites. See if this selection doesn’t grab you: here, here, and here.

Technicolor pin-up, KLM

Vintage Pulp

February 21 2022

RECREATION AND REST

I asked for a double room so we can use one bed for action, and the other for recovery.

Above is a 1960 Technicolor lithograph starring Jayne Mansfield. It’s called, “Good Morning,” which we suppose it might be if you woke up with her. The shot originated from 1956 and was first used on a cover of Cabaret Quarterly. It was later used on Modern Man in 1960, Beau magazine in 1966, and even—with the background changed to pink—Mark Gabor’s 1984’s Illustrated History of Girlie Magazines. It probably showed up elsewhere too, and why not? It’s one of Mansfield’s best shots.

It’s been a while since we shared one of these Technicolor lithos, so as a reminder we’ll mention that they were made as a potential market replacement for the painted pin-ups of earlier years, such as those produced by Gil Elvgren, Art Frahm, and Zoe Mozert. That’s why these have such painterly compositions. You can see for yourself, because we have a bunch of examples going back years, and some of them are amazing. Just click here and scroll.

Cabaret Magazine, Modern Man, Beau Magazine, Technicolor pin-up, Jayne Mansfield, Mark Gabor

Vintage Pulp

July 20 2021

FASHION TIPS

I'm wearing Cartier jewels, a Borbonese fur, and Halston opera gloves. Am I mesmerizing or what?

Above, a 1955 Technicolor lithograph featuring an unknown but very beautiful model. A piece of well known fashion advice states that, in order to avoid overdressing, a woman should face away from a mirror, then turn quickly and see what catches her eye first. Remove that item and she’s good to go. That must have been one garish blouse.

Technicolor pin-up, nudity

Vintage Pulp

May 31 2021

CRACK DETECTIVES

We'll get to the bottom of this even if it takes forever.

Above you see a Technicolor lithograph titled “The Right Exposure.” We’re still seeking the identity of this buttcrack flashing model, who we have on half a dozen lithos, including this one we posted back in 2014. Even more so than paperback cover artists, these lithos are our most difficult sleuthing jobs. We’ve had many successes and we won’t quit until we put this model’s case to bed too. Have any ideas? Let us know. But be forewarned, here’s who she isn’t—Marilyn Waltz. We mention that because a couple of readers have suggested this is her, but we’re positive she isn’t Waltz. We know because, like we said, we have six more images that remove any doubt, but of course we haven’t shared those on the website because we’re hoping to write posts on them. So you’ll have to trust us that she’s not Waltz. While you’re ruminating over who she really is, consider clicking the keywords “Technicolor pin-up” below, and you’ll be taken to see many more beautiful mid-century models.

Technicolor pin-up

Vintage Pulp

April 20 2021

ABUNDANTLY CLEAR

Since you obviously don't get the point of why I'm wearing this, it's not so we can go outside.

This Technicolor lithograph is entitled “Prepared,” but while the model is prepared for hot fun and games, her off-frame male friend seems to want to go for a wet walk. Well, men can be dense. Once, the Pulp Intl. girlfriends dressed up sexy and gave us homemade coupons that said “Tonight—redeemable for anything you want,” and we made them watch the NFL division championships with us. Not what they had in mind, but anyone could make that mistake. Circa 1960 on this litho.

Technicolor pin-up, nudity

Vintage Pulp

March 16 2021

NATURALLY DE LEECIOUS

Answer me honestly. Do men actually like this kind of cumbersome lingerie? No? Me neither. Ahh... that's better.

For a couple of years we were mystified by the identity of the above model, but recently learned that she’s Virginia De Lee. There’s actually some information out there about her, some of it quite interesting. For example, in June 1957, according to Hollywood columnist Erskine Johnson, she walked into his office dressed as a harem girl, accompanied by a “225-pound giant of a fellow and a four-foot [little person],” unrolled a rug, served him a cup of Egyptian coffee, and announced, “We are here to remind you that the Tyrone Power movie Suez will be on television tomorrow night. It’s the premiere performance of a series of Twentieth Century Fox movies on KTTV.”

That’s what’s called an old fashioned publicity stunt and as far as we know stuff like that doesn’t happen these days. De Lee also popped up in the press when famed Hungarian sculptor Sepy Dobronyi said she had a perfectly formed body, so it’s possible she modeled for him at some point. She obviously sought stardom, but her only movie role was a minor appearance as a stripper in the b-drama Hell Bound. Whatever fame she has these days mainly derives from the many collectible Technicolor lithographs in which she and that quirky right eyebrow of hers were featured. We showed you a few lithos already, and we have one or two more sitting around. You may see them later.

Twentieth Century Fox, Hell Bound, Virginia De Lee, Tyrone Power, Sepy Dobronyi, Erskine Johnson, Technicolor pin-up, television, nudity

Intl. Notebook

February 19 2021

MASKED FOR PROTECTION

Only her ex-boyfriends recognize her.

We keep sharing Technicolor lithographs and pleading ignorance of the models’ identities. Today we have an excuse. She’s wearing a mask—a much more interesting and fun mask than the rest of us have been wearing through the last year. We won’t bother to ask for help with her identity—unless someone recognizes her from her body alone. In which case—you lucky devil! This is from the early ’60s.

Technicolor pin-up, nudity

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

October 16

1964—China Detonates Nuke

At the Lop Nur test site located between the Taklamakan and Kuruktag deserts, the People’s Republic of China detonates its first nuclear weapon, codenamed 596 after the month of June 1959, which is when the program was initiated.

October 16

1996—Handgun Ban in the UK

In response to a mass shooting in Dunblane, Scotland that kills 16 children, the British Conservative government announces a law to ban all handguns, with the exception .22 caliber target pistols. When Labor takes power several months later, they extend the ban to all handguns.

October 15

1945—Laval Executed

Pierre Laval, who was the premier of Vichy, France, which had collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, is shot by a firing squad for treason. In subsequent years it emerges that Laval may have considered himself a patriot whose goal was to publicly submit to the Germans while doing everything possible behind the scenes to thwart them. In at least one respect he may have succeeded: fifty percent of French Jews survived the war, whereas in other territories about ninety percent perished.

October 15

1966—Black Panthers Form

In the U.S., in Oakland, California, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale form the Black Panther political party. The Panthers are active in American politics throughout the 1960s and 1970s, but eventually legal troubles combined with a schism over the direction of the party lead to its dissolution.

October 14

1962—Cuban Missile Crisis Begins

A U-2 spy plane flight over the island of Cuba produces photographs of Soviet nuclear missiles being installed. Though American missiles have been installed near Russia, the U.S. decides that no such weapons will be tolerated in Cuba. The resultant standoff brings the U.S. and the Soviet Union to the brink of war. The crisis finally ends with a secret deal in which the U.S. removes its missiles from Turkey in exchange for the Soviets removing the Cuban weapons.

October 13

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.