| Vintage Pulp | May 18 2019 |
Looks like she forgot to wear something green.
This Champion Line Technicolor lithograph entitled “Sultry Charm” features U.S. model Shirley Kilpatrick getting cuddly with a fur wrap. Kilpatrick was featured in pretty much every men's magazine of her era, in a decade-plus appearing sexily clothed or nude in Caper, Gent, Scamp, Bold, Frolic, Stare, Gala, Tempo... Really, just make up a name and at some point it was probably a magazine and she got naked in it. Or semi-naked. Her heyday was during the pubic-hair-is-obscenity era. In recent years, though, sets of full nudes have been unearthed, and guess what? She doesn't show pubic hair in those either. Ahem. But while the photos are nice, we appreciate Kilpatrick most for playing the she-monster in The Astounding She-Monster, a cheeseball sci-fi b-picture from 1957 that gave us a considerable amount of enjoyment. It's a terrible movie, make no mistake—but in that good terrible way. Kilpatrick, on the other hand, is just good good.
| Vintage Pulp | Sep 16 2018 |
Hi! Yes, the gloves fit perfectly but the rest of my order didn't arrive.
Above, a Technicolor lithograph featuring an unknown model—anyone? anyone?—posing with opera gloves and nothing else. Which will certainly make a splash when she actually goes to the opera. The print is titled “Perfection,” and it came from Champion Line around 1955.
Update: This is June 1954 Playboy centerfold Margie Harrison. Thanks, Bob.
| Vintage Pulp | Dec 2 2017 |
Never say Neva when it comes to tigerskin rugs.
This Technicolor lithograph, which is titled “Tiger Lil” and was printed by Champion Line, shows Neva Gilbert, a Playboy model who was the magazine's July 1954 centerfold. The litho, which also dates from 1954, is generally identified as originating with Playboy, but it actually came from a group of photos first owned by the Baumgarth Calendar Company. Back then Hugh Hefner often paid outside photographers for images. For that reason it's possible the photo is pre-1954, but if so, not by much.Gilbert herself had forgotten about the shots. She was busy trying to establish an acting career and never saw her own centerfold until 1979. She had no idea Hefner had culled some shots for Playboy. In fact, she had no idea what Playboy was until someone told her she was in it. Speaking of culling, we are not fans of killing rare animals to turn into gaudy home decorations, but we imagine that if you had one of these on your floor back then they greatly increased your odds of a woman doing exactly what Gilbert has done. The Pulp Intl. girlfriends doubt it, but they always do. And of course, we want to prove them wrong. Anyone got an extra tiger rug they want to sell?
| Vintage Pulp | Oct 25 2017 |
Sigh. Just pose and get paid. And remember—nobody I know will ever see these photos.
This Technicolor lithograph published by Champion Line features Dolores Del Monte, Playboy magazine's centerfold for March 1954, in a shot entitled “Radiant Beauty.” Del Monte began her modeling career posing for the legendary photographer Bruno Bernard and the acclaimed pin-up painter Zoe Mozert, at times making as much as $50 a day. That was in 1951, when that pay rate was the equivalent of about $500 in today's money. A year later Del Monte quit modeling. In 1954 the above photo was offered to Playboy. Though Bruno Bernard shot it, the centerfold credited the John Baumgarth Company of Melrose Park, Illinois. Such are the entanglements of copyright. When Del Monte received a letter asking permission to use her likeness she assumed Playboy was a standard pin-up magazine, and the images requested were from a shoot she recalled where she wore a leopard pattern bathing suit. Wrong on both counts, and one can only imagine her reaction when the centerfold hit newsstands, since she was not only married but a mother by then. Well, at least she got the $50. And the world? It got something priceless. We have lots more classic Technicolor lithos, and you can see those by clicking here.
Melrose ParkTechnicolor pin-upPlayboyJohn Baumgarth CompanyChampion LineDolores Del MonteZoe MozertBruno Bernardnudity
| Vintage Pulp | Mar 6 2017 |
You wouldn't know it, but hair once covered this entire part of my face. I owe my modeling career to depilatories.
It's been awhile since we've shared a Technicolor lithograph, and the main impression we have of this one is that in glamour photography some of the poses display the body in a nice way while still looking, objectively speaking, totally ridiculous. Like this one. But that's an important aspect of professional photography—knowing what works and what doesn't. We can just hear the lensman behind this shot telling the model, “No, believe me. It'll look good. Elbows higher. That's it. Now give me a biiiig smile.” And she's thinking, “What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” But the pose works. The image, titled “Just Teasing,” is from Champion Line and the model is unknown—though no doubt very trusting. No date on this, but figure around 1960. You can see about fifty more of these colorful lithos. Just click the keywords below then scroll down.
2019 Update: Thanks to our friend Herman we now know this is Vangie Johns, a model who posed for Knight and other men's magazines. You see? It just takes time, is all. Sometimes even two and a half years.
| Vintage Pulp | Nov 5 2016 |
She's the pause that refreshes.
This Technicolor lithograph shows Arline Hunter, who was a Playboy centerfold in August 1954 and an actress on television and in movies. Her first brush with show business was in the 1948 erotic reel Apple Knockers and the Coke. Yeah. That's a real title. And a literal one, too—the reel shows a topless Hunter suggestively playing with an apple and drinking a Coke. It's available for the moment on YouTube as an age restricted upload and you can watch it in all its grainy goodness there, or just get the gist from the photos below. If you think she looks a bit like Marilyn Monroe you aren't the only one. The resemblance helped propel Hunter to recognition, and in fact her Playboy appearance was what you might call a revisitation of Monroe's famous centerfold from the previous year, featuring similar poses and a similar red velvet background. The above image comes from Champion Line and dates from 1952.
| Vintage Pulp | Jun 23 2015 |
Golden Ekberg spruces up a patch of green.
We haven’t had luck identifying the models in our last several Technicolor lithographs, so today we’re going with one we know—Swedish icon Anita Ekberg. This one comes from Champion Line, is entitled “Golden Siren,” and dates from around 1960. Are you good with obscure 1960s celebs? See if you recognize her, her, and her.
| Vintage Pulp | Mar 4 2015 |
We have no idea what she’s doing, but she’s really good at it.
This Technicolor lithograph from Champion Line is entitled “Practice Session.” We don’t know what the unidentified model is practicing, though. The panca pose from Ashtanga yoga? The funky worm? Whatever she’s doing she looks good. No year on this one, but figure around 1960 (actually 1953 or 1954 on the original shot, with the print coming sometime later—see below).
Update: We got an e-mail from Marcos: "I just wanted to say that the woman in your post is American model and former Playmate Diane Hunter. She was first known as Donna Hunter, and her real name is Gale Rita Morin. She appeared two times in Playboy magazine. She was first featured in the last page of the debut issue of the magazine in 1953 (the iconic Marilyn Monroe issue). She also posed as the centerfold in 1954, becoming the first Miss November ever. She is still alive and she is a wonderful woman.
