GOODE STUFF: men's sweat mags

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

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.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

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.