ILSA , QUEEN OF THE GRIND HOUSE by Dave Goode

If you're a fan of  " men's sweat mags " then you might also be a fan of the Ilsa movie series starring Dyanne Thorne. ILSA SHE - WOLF OF THE SS (1975 ) , ILSA , HAREM KEEPER OF THE OIL SHIEKS ( 1976 ) and ILSA TIGRESS OF SIBERIA (1977 ). There was a fourth flick ILSA THE WICKED WARDEN ( 1977 ). But that was originally a movie titled GRETA THE WICKED WARDEN about another psychotic dominitrix. The title was obviously changed to capitalize on the success of the Ilsa movies.

Born Dorothy Ann Seib in Park Ridge , New Jersey Dyanne Thorne began her show biz career as a band vocalist and stage actress in New York. She appeared on comedy albums with Allen & Rossi , ,Loman & Barkley and Vaughn Meader. She would appear on a number of television variety  shows and television series. To fans of the original STAR TREK she is " Girl No. 1 " on the classic episode A Piece Of The Action. Her buxom figure would lead to roles in grind house  movie like SIN IN THE SUBURBS ( 1964 ) and nudie - cuties like THE EROTIC ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO ( 1971 ). And then in 1975 she would take on the role that would lead her to cult stardom.

Ms. Thorne standing 5' 7" 123 lb. ( 37 - 22 -35 ) figure looked like the embodiment of the Nazi she - devils that tortured captured American soldiers on the covers  of men's adventure mags in the 60s.

It got me to thinking that she would have been the perfect foil for Steve Holland and Eva Lynd in one of those alternate universe war movies I keep imaging that duo starring in.

FAN BOY FANTASY MOVIES by Dave Goode

When I first imagined a Mighty Samson movie based on the Gold Key comic book from the Silver Age I stunt casted Clint Walker or Denny Miller as the mutant superman of a post apopaletic future. Largely because of their physical stature. But since this was a fantasy anyway I reimagined Kirk Douglas in the role. After all the paintings on the covers of the comic books have Samson resembling Douglas as he appears in the movie THE VIKINGS ( 1958 ). Peter Cushing would be perfect as the scientist Mindor. And rounding out the cast as Sharmaine , Mindor's daughter and Samson's love interest , would be 60s fan boy favorite Deanna Lund. Of course the real star of the flick would have been Ray Harryhausen's special effect mutant monsters.

Sam Katzman was the type of producer you could imagine making movies based on the stories found in " men's sweat magazines ".The man who cast Johnny Weissmuller as Jungle Jim after the former Olympic champ became too old to be a believable Tarzan would see the potentialof casting Steve Holland as a jungle adventurer. Especially after realizing he could use the covers of the sweat mags as posters. Just write in a scene to match the action of the cover illustration.You could do the same with the WW Two covers Holland posed for as a two - fisted American fighting man.

Steve Holland was also the model for Jason Striker , the martial arts hero for a series of books written by Piers Antony and Roberto Fuentes. The series came out in the 1970s when everyone was " kung fu fighting ". And at the time I thought Jason Striker , the black belt judoka and karateka would have made a good subject for a series of movies. But not starring Holland. Though the covers featuring Holland would make great posters. The person playing Striker would have been American karate and kick - boxing champ Joe Lewis.

Pop Culture's No.1 Villains by Dave Goode

POP CULTURE'S NO.1 VILLAINS by Dave Goode

I remember discovering "men's sweat magazines" at thirteen. The perfect age. The attraction to these mags ,with their covers that looked like posters for B-Movie action flicks was immediate. Illustrated by artists like Norman Eastman, Norman Saunders, Al Rossi, Mort Kunstler, and James Bama they were like Sgt. Rock and Sgt. Fury comics on steroids. But with the added ingredient of sex. These covers and the illustrations inside showed vivid examples of Nazi brutality. To be sure there were plenty of examples of villainous Japanese. But it turns out the ones with Nazis are the most collectable. Nazis have been pop culture's No.1 villains for over 80 years. They've appeared in movies, television series, and comic books. For years they were "heels" in wrestling arenas across America.

The covers for these mags were the inspiration for grind house flicks like ILSA, SHE-WOLF OF THE SS (1975) starring Dyanne Thorne. Captured American GIs were stripped to the waist and tortured by sadistic Nazi she-wolves. Other covers featured damsels in distress at the mercy of brutal Nazi torturers and deranged doctors. Steve Holland and Eva Lynd are the two best known models for the characters on the cover of these mags. Both were equally adept at playing the hero/heroine or villain/villainess. Sometimes they would appear in the same illustration as both. But of course there were other actors and models who appeared in these illustrations. In her auto-biogaphy Sleeping With Bad Boys (2007) Alice Denham mentions posing for such illustrations.

When I created the character Miss Ginger Snaps with Vance Capley, I had the idea that "America's Foremost Burlesque Queen" would have posed for a few of these illustrations too.

You can order your printed edition (92 pages $7.99) here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/vance-capley/captain-z-ro-no1/paperback/product-24266934.html
You can order a digital edition ($3.99) here: https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/290721/Captain-Zro

ANOTHER STEVE HOLLAND AND EVA LYND MOVIE by Dave Goode

I was rereading my copy of IT'S A MAN'S WORLD by Adam Parfrey this past weekend. And it got me to thinking again of sweat magazine icons Steve Holland and Eva Lynd starring in low-budget action/adventure movies. Fighting Nazis and Commies (both Russian and Cuban). Or on safari in deepest , darkest Africa where Holland dressed in his Doc Savage togs would have Jungle Jim type adventures. So I got my buddy Vance Capley to photo-shop another faux movie poster starring the duo.

During the 1970s when " everybody was kung fu fighting " there was a series of books about judoka Jason Striker. The books were written by Piers Antony and Roberto Fuentes. And Steve Holland served as the model for Jason Striker on the covers of the paperbacks. It got me to wondering if Holland had any training. If he had been in the service he would have learned the basics at least.

Though Steve Holland was used as the model for Jason Stryker on the covers of the KIAI ! book series he might have been a little to old to play the character in a movie. And again we don't know if he had any judo or other martial arts training. My alternate suggestion for the actor to play the character would have been karate / kick-boxing champion Joe Lewis. There would have been no one better to portray the paperback hero in a martial arts mania era movie.

And now...OPERATION VALKYRIE

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Starring Steve Holland by Dave Goode

 

I was about twelve or so when I discovered "men's sweat mags". The attraction was immediate and obvious. Colorful covers with steely-eyed,square-jawed American servicemen rescuing lingerie-clad women from the hordes of Hitler and Hirohito. Or maybe an American G.I. stripped to the waist and threatened with torture by some SS She-Wolf. Then there were the jungle-themed covers. Rugged safari guides protecting blondes in torn blouses from savage tribesmen or untamed animals. This was wonderfully parodied by Frank Frazetta on a National Lampoon cover. Even better were the occasional covers that had intrepid explorers captured by a tribe of Amazons , stripped to the waist and again threatened with torture. Or better yet...a "fate worse than death".

 

 

 

 

 

Of course the model used for many of these heroic he-men was Steve Holland. A little while back I began imagining a parallel world where Steve Holland became a huge star in B-Movies based on the stories found in the pages of men's sweat mags. Movies like the Ilsa flicks starring Dyanne Thorne. But with less nudity and sex. Or like the Johnny Weissmuller Jungle Jim movies with a bit of implied nudity and sex. Flicks with titles like " Escape From The Torture Chamber of the SS She-Wolf ". Or "I Was The Love Slave of the Panther Women of Cozi-Cozi Island ".Talking about this with buddy Vance Capley we had the idea to give you some idea what that parallel world might look like with a few faux movie posters and lobby card.

 

 

 

 

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Swinging 60s Saturday Morning Space Opera by Dave Goode

When I was a kid I would wake up early on
Saturday mornings to catch the sci-fi series

FIREBALL XL-5. The show originated in the U.K. AND was syndicated here in the U.S from 1963 to 1965. It had a catchy theme song and was set in the far-flung future of the 21st century. It was the 3rd "Supermarionation" show (the 1st was FOUR FEATHER FALLS, 2nd  SUPERCAR) produced by the husband and wife team of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and followed the Flash Gordon-like adventures of Col.Steve Zodiac and his crew Dr.Venus,Robert the Robot and Prof.Matthew Matic.

The show was hugely popular. And with it's success there came a slew of Fireball XL-5 spin-off products. One of the coolest products was a lunchbox/thermos set designed by comic book artist supreme Wally Wood. Wood was a master illustrator and his work in the space opera genre is considered some of his finest and made him perfect for this job.

There was also a one-shot comic book from Gold Key in 1964 with a way-out cover by George Wilson.* Of course in that alternative universe that sometimes runs through my mind there was a live-action FIREBALL XL-5 movie starring Steve Holland and Eva Lynd. In fact the Steve Zodiac marionette looked quite a bit like Steve Holland. And I wouldn't at all be surprised if Holland had posed for the cover of that Gold Key comic book cover.After he and Wilson had worked together to produce some other striking comic book covers.

* In Britain, a two-page black-and-white Fireball XL5 comic strip appeared in the weekly TV Comic between 1962 and 1964 before moving to the newly launched weekly TV Century 21 comic in January 1965 for another five years. The strips that appeared between 1965 and 1968 were in color only reverting to black-and-white in 1969. Four hard cover Annual books were published in Britain by Collins between 1963 and 1966 featuring color and black and white comic strip and text stories.