This issue of The National Tattler hit newsstands today in 1974, and as you can see, it lacks a certain something compared to issues of the 1960s. The earlier Tattler featured fantastically exploitative stories conjured from the darkest reaches of the editors' imaginations, while the 1974 version has content that is—amazingly—mostly true. Mostly. We're not sure about Richard Burton turning to a faith healer to help with his drinking problem, and if he did, it didn't work. Alcohol problems plagued him until his death.

Above, a typically text-heavy cover of The National Tattler from today in 1964. Inside, the editors report on the sexual deviations of American women, basically echoing the famous Kinsey Report that in 1953 completely upended what the public thought they knew about female sexual behavior. Check out our other Tattlers by clicking the keywords below.  

We’ve got quite a backlog of tabloids here, so we’re officially designating March tabloid month at Pulp Intl., and we’re starting with this issue of The National Tattler, published today in 1970. It features tales about Charles Manson’s revenge fantasies, Dean Martin’s partying lifestyle, and Jackie O’s problems with poltergeists. Stories about Kennedy ghosts were rampant during the early ’70s, and we actually have a few other tabs we’ll show you later that riff on the same chord. Also of note is a story about America reaching its pollution doomsday in 1980. Again with that year? We just don’t get it. Perhaps in the other tabloids we share this month we’ll find an answer. Expect appearances from The National Police Gazette, Hush-Hush, Confidential, Whisper and all the other heavy hitters of the era, as well as a few obscure finds we’ve made during the last year. See the Tattler in rare form here and here, and check the website badmags.com for even more. 

The National Tattler is truly one of our favorite tabloids. How could it not be, when its editors had so few qualms about leaving reality coughing in a cloud of dust by the roadside? Plus, we have a soft spot for it because it was the first tabloid we ever posted. The Tattler’s niche was shock, and when they couldn’t find images of decomposing bodies or mutilated accident victims for their covers, they resorted to old-fashioned paste-up, as in this image of a human caterpillar who has a wife and family. Some would see his condition as a handicap, but certainly there are advantages to being born a caterpillar. For one thing, by the time you get married you’ve already learned to crawl. 

National Tattler cover, 1 November, 1964. We suspect they have a different kind of meal in mind than we do, but in any case it must have been an awfully slow news day.