Caper is an American nudie mag that was launched in 1956 by Humor Magazines, Inc., of Derby, Connecticut, and ran until 1980. This issue published in January 1960 features cover model Judy LaPree, and interior models Beth Marlboro (in the centerfold), Jamie O’Neil, and the ubiquitous June Wilkinson. Some of the photography is by Ron Vogel, who we last saw contributing images to the Goodtime Weekly Calendar of 1963, and you also get some pretty nice art, numerous cartoons, and a bit of fiction. As always when we look at one of these magazines, we can't help but note the modern day shift away from gentleness in erotic imagery. It’s still out there, of course. There are hundreds of blogs alone, many run by women and focused on female desire, that remain faithful to ideas of imagination, mystery, and mutual pleasure. But those are simply trampled by the many gigantic outlets that feature near-violent insertions of every known object and organ into every known orifice and crevice.

To be clear, we aren’t knocking explicitness. Explicitness has a place, and in any case it was there long ago—modern porn has only just caught up to the 1930s Tijuana bibles we share here on occasion. No, when we say erotic material has shifted away from gentleness, we’re thinking of the actual, physical aggression of modern mainstream porn. It’s pervasive, and while a curious phenomenon in itself, when lumped with all modern media, we see that heightened aggression is a standard feature of today's America—from argumentative cable news to transgressive horror and procedural novels to the mega-slaughter of modern action movies. We could even go so far as to add non-media aspects of society to the equation. Seen from the wider perspective, nobody could reasonably expect porn to be an exception to the current wave of violent expression, though it would be nice if it were. This early Caper is an interesting—and welcome—reminder just how genteel erotic material used to be.  

We’re at the penultimate page of the Goodtime Weekly Calendar of 1963, and as promised last week here’s a great shot from Ron Vogel of an unidentified model getting her groove on. This just cries out to be repurposed as a 12-inch cover or some kind of concert poster, don’t you think? The image actually brings up lots of humorous possibilities, and we were contemplating something along these lines for a subhead: She’s not the only one who loves beating something between her legs. But then we decided that was just too much. We have some class here.

Ron Vogel, who has provided quite a few nice images for the Goodtime Weekly Calendar, makes yet another appearance this week with a nice shot of a woman offering a nightcap. We can’t identify the model, which isn’t unusual, but did we ever mention that Vogel himself is a bit of a mystery? The guy contributed an amazing amount to the field of photography, pin-ups, and erotica, but he doesn’t have a website or even a Wikipedia page. Seems a shame. Anyway, we get one more Vogel next week, and it’s a really nice one, so look forward to that. Quips below.

Feb 17: “A career girl is one who gets a man’s salary without marrying one.”—Peggie Castle

Feb 18: Mature women love the simpler things in life—men.

Feb 19: “She who thinks no man is good enough for her may be right but is more often left.”—He-who Who-he

Feb 20: “It takes two to make a marriage—a girl and her mother.”—Paul Gibson

Feb 21: “One thing that ruins a girl’s chance for a fur coat is to get married.”—Alex Dreier

Feb 22: A beatnik says, “A cannibal eats three squares a day.”

Feb 23: “Money doesn’t talk anymore. It goes without saying.”—Kai Winding 

Survived another year. And so have you. So let’s open 2013 by catching up with the Goodtime Weekly Calendar. We missed two weeks while we were in Morocco, and those pages are below. Above you see the January 1 page of this great publication, which also happens to be the cover, and it features model/actress/centerfold June Wilkinson shot by film director Russ Meyer. The photo is a variation of another Wilkinson image that appears inside the calendar later in the year. The images below are credited to Ron Vogel and L.W., whoever he is. Obviously, there's a three week backlog of jokes, but by now we’ve established that most of them are not in any way amusing, so rather than transcribe the entire collection, we’ve selected what we hope are the most interesting. Enjoy.

Above, the September 1 page from the Goodtime Weekly Calendar of 1963 with a photo by Ron Vogel of a petite model lounging in the garden in an unclothed state. She has two drinks because when you’re out in the hot sun you have to stay hydrated. Either that or she’s waiting for a friend. The observations this week include one from radio personality John Doremus, and another from Freddie Flintstone. We’re actually starting to think the Flintstone quotes are not actually from the television cartoon. We’ve seen the show, and we can’t imagine Fred making a quip that features the words “bonds” and “interest.” And besides, why refer to him as Freddie? He was always called Fred, as far as we know. Anyone with insight on this question, drop us a line. 

Sep 7: “Some people can trace their families back for centuries but don’t know where their kids were last night.”—Mitch Miller. 

The hottest days of summer bring some of the sultriest entries of the Goodtime Weekly Calendar of 1963. This week, Ron Vogel presents an unknown model giving what we’d say is a definite come hither stare. The quips are back to where they started—with basic observations about men and women, including one from Alex Dreier. An interesting fellow, Dreier was a seven time Emmy winning newsman who earned his most lasting fame for using his Chicago newscast in 1956 the slam the city’s bigots. It cost him his job, but put him on the right side of history. His quip doesn’t hold up quite as well, but nobody’s perfect.

Owing to the delicate nature of their jobs, glamour photographers are supposed to be completely professional at all times, but you have to think that at some point during this shoot, Ron Vogel broke down and cried tears of joy. Just saying. This week’s quips include a couple of unlikely entries from sixteenth century noblewoman Diane de Portiers and newsman Walter Winchell, and you can read those below and visit our entire collection of Goodtime Weekly Calendar pages, including others from Vogel, here.

Our fifth installment of the Good Time Weekly Calendar of 1963 features a model that is damnably familiar, but we just can’t come up with her name. We can tell you she was shot by renowned pin-up photog Ron Vogel, if that helps. Love the ornamental wine decanter, by the way. The week’s quips are below, and for a change a couple of them are actually clever.

Apr 7: “Girls who accept rings from men they don’t know are telephone operators.”—Sam Cowling

Apr 8: Why girls kiss and make up? Because the stuff rubs off.

Apr 9: Think now or pay later: Are your in-laws legalized charities?

Apr 10: “It doesn’t take much for a girl to hook a guy: He usually supplies the line himself.”—Tom Poston

Apr 11: “To a smart girl men are no problem—they’re the answer.”—Zsa Zsa Gabor

Apr 12: Three more days to decide either the debt is going to be the U.S.’s or yours.

Apr 13: “He who will gladly listen to both sides of an argument is a neighbor on the party line.”—He-who Who-he