Cause what's better than mini-skirts and knee-high boots...

The return of FringePop...XXX Movie Posters!

A sneak preview of what's to come
if you take the time to scroll down this post!
(ABOVE)

After a long--okay VERY long--hiatus, FringePop is back. I will not shower you with excuses as to why I've been gone. I will not give you "this reason" or "that reason." I have no good excuses, unless you think lack of discipline and an extended battle with apathy count as good excuses. I don't.

One of my biggest struggles will be trying to remember what I've posted already and what I've not posted. When you're swimming in antiques and tschotskes like I am, this is no easy task. Hopefully my archives with assist.

Let's start with a recent collecting obsession: x-rated movie posters. A few months ago, I read a fantastic book called "The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry." Authored by Legs McNeil (who did a great history book on punk rock, I'm told), this 400+ page tome consisted of interview transcripts that the author compiled together to tell various stories about the industry and the people within it, spanning from the early days of the nudie cuties to the modern days of cum fart cocktails. Yes, those last three words are crass but they illustrate the shift that has occurred in the X-rated industry. While there's been a shift, things haven't really changed that much. Modern day porn may not be the beaver mags you found under your dad's mattress, but it still has the same intent-- getting people (mostly men) off.

Why am I attracted to this collecting genre? Easy answer: for as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to the subversive, not necessarily as a participant but as a voyeur. However, as a sex-positive feminist, my feelings about porn are mixed. I've written personal blogs in which I've ruminated extensively on the topic. I won't get into them here, but I will say that I ultimately come out on the side of freedom of speech. And I ultimately decided that I find it patriarchal to over-protect adult women from their choices. I do not want a "daddy state" that tells women what to do with their bodies nor do I want a "daddy state" that tells me what I can and cannot view in the privacy of my own home.

Besides, pornography is defined as "the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement" (Websters). Pornography, as defined, is not inherently bad. If you don't like what you see (and I don't always like that I see), you have two choices: a.) don't watch it; and/or b.) talk about the issue in a way that will spread discourse and debate. I recommend doing both! We can make BETTER porn, people. Porn that *gasp* maybe even men AND women would enjoy?

With that, I get off my soap box and present some recent acquisitions to my x-rated movie poster collection. What does that rant have to do with these posters? Depending on your perspective, very little or everything.

This fits right in with the likes of a Paul Rader or Robert Maguire
(ABOVE)

All the posters shown date from the late 1960's into the 1970's. I love that illustration art was still a big thing on x-rated movie posters even into the 1970's. The ones with illustration art look like giant versions of vintage sleaze paperbacks! And what makes me happier than a good vintage sleaze paperback illustration? Not a whole hell of a lot.


A few of the illustrated ones are signed by the artist, although I haven't been able to identify them beyond their last names. For example, the "Heat Wave" poster (my fave-- I heart Satan) is signed "Weston." Another one, "Starlet", is signed "E. Calerz." Now, with that one, I'm really not sure if I'm reading the signature right.


You know what else is fun? Watching the actual movies. While I haven't seen any of these, I did have the pleasure of having a VCX subscription on the Fyre TV Box. I got to see many films from the 1970's and know quite a few of the actors from their films AND from Legs McNeil's book. And did I mention, I once got to meet Ron Jeremy. Ah, the joys of being a nerd.

I prefer illustrated poster art over photos
but these are still good, campy fun
(ABOVE)

I'd love to know the identity of these artists. If anyone can help, there's a free lollipop in it for you...


More X-Rated goodness to come in another post!

"Jack the Ripper" One Sheet

Original one-sheet film poster from the movie "Jack the Ripper" (1959). I so prefer the term "ladies of the night" when referring to prostitutes. It's so much friendly than our lingo today. You know, "bottom bitch," "ho," that sort of thing.

Racing P.R. aka Pre-Redneck

Car racing used to make you a bad ass rather than Cletus the Redneck who likes to watch cars go "vroom."

"Teenage Bride" (1970) Sexploitation One-Sheet

"The line forms at the rear..." Gotta love that tagline. I looked up the movie on IMDB, and it sounds like it has less to do with a teenage bride and more to do with taping people having sex. From the reviews on IMDB and based on the fact that it starred a porn actress named Colleen Brennan, I'm guessing this was closer to hardcore porn than sexploitation tease.

NOTE Sorry it's hard to read those taglines at the top. The poster had to be photographed, because it wouldn't fit in the scanner. My camera isn't the greatest.

When Prison Was Sexy

I have been running around like crazy, trying to prepare to move to a new apartment this Friday--hence, my lack of posts. I did, however, catch a moment to watch an old women in prison flick that I had on my DVR. Let's just say that "Black Mama, White Mama" might have been a good sexploitation flick, but I wouldn't know, because the channel I taped it on sucks and cut out/blurred all the juicy parts. But, in the spirit of things, here's a classic prison sexploitation one-sheet from our collection. Haven't seen this one, but it looks like a winner. It reminds me of the days when I was a kid, and my brother and I watched movies on USA Up-All Night with Gilbert Gottfried and then Rhonda Shear. We probably weren't supposed to watch those flicks, but I remember being entranced by both "Reform School Girl" (80's version with Wendy O'Williams) and "Barbarella." I still love Barbarella to this day. She is so "pretty, pretty", that Barbarella.

"She Devil" Half-Sheet

Just a little exploitation for you on this fine Wednesday morning. The "She Devil" (1957) half-sheet was a nice, little campy edition to our collection. Enjoy!

"Unholy Wife" One-Sheet

Well, duh, if I'm going to write about watching "Unholy Wife," I really should feature the one-sheet from our collection.

"Wicked Wife" One Sheet

I watched "The Unholy Wife" the other night with Diana Dors and Rod Steiger. It wasn't the greatest noir, but the costuming was beautiful and of course DD looked stunning. So, having watched a noir about a femme fatale wife, I thought I'd post this one-sheet for "Wicked Wife."

One-sheet for "Sisters in Leather"

One-sheet for "Sisters in Leather."

Pressbook for 60's Sexploitation Flick "Sisters in Leather"

Haven't seen this 60's sexploitation flick, but it looks like a pretty wild "ride." According to Internet Movie Database, the plot concerns a husband who is "blackmailed by three lesbian bikers after they spot him having sex with another woman in a convertible." It goes on that they "then take the man's wife out for a picnic and some nude motorcycle riding." Eventually, the husband gets some male bikers to join him and "together they try to save his wife from becoming a lesbian biker."

"Al Capone" One Sheet

We've acquired three pieces of Al Capone ephemera recently. This is a one-sheet from a movie about Al Capone. The other pieces are a pulp paperback and an exploitation magazine. I think the "adult entertainment" sticker that some censor added only gives this poster more character. Enjoy!

Just in Time for the Holidays...

...it's "Holiday Hookers"!

Pajama Party Madness!

I think I'm seeing double. The makers of 70's sexploitation flick "Swedish Sorority Girls" ripped off the cover painting of the Midwood book "Pajama Party" to make for one helluva poster. I can't say I blame them for ripping it off. The 60's paperback cover was painted by the great Paul Rader and is considered one of his classic works.

If you thought teenagers were scary, here comes "Teenage Zombies"!

You just can't go wrong with gorillas AND zombies...You can't!

Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress

Nothing more to it than good ole juvie camp!

Cry, Baby, Cry

Juvenile delinquent movie, most notable for being the film debut of Jack Nicholson.

Now Don't Get So Catty...

Once we'd gotten most of the juvenile delinquent posters we wanted, we started looking for other genres to collect. 1970's sexploitation posters seemed like a natural collecting interest. After all, we already collected 60's and 70's sexploitation paperbacks, and the posters were surprisingly, very cheap, many of them $20 or under. Thus began our foray into the genre.

When I was a kid, my brother and I would watch USA Up All Night, whenever we got the opportunity. Usually our parents were gone, and although they were pretty liberal, I'm not sure they'd have allowed it had they known. Most of the stuff hosted by Gilbert Gottfried, and then later Rhonda Shear, would probably seem extremely tame if I watched it now. But back then, movies like "Ski School," "Barbarella," and "The Toxic Avenger" seemed pretty risque. I'm still a fan of "Barbarella" today, but it would hardly make me blush. Then again, I'm pretty desensitized so not much does. Getting to the point, my sexploitation poster interest is also fueled by these early memories I have of watching similar fare on USA Up All Night. Awww, thinking about all this is making me feel pretty nostalgic. "Monstervision" with Joe Bob Briggs was also a favorite in the horror vein. I don't feel like there's a TV outlet for stuff like this anymore, what with the internet and Netflix and all the other resources.

So, enjoy the nostalgia that may or may not be induced by fare like "Tomcats." After all, they are "free, white, and twenty-one, and don't give a damn about anyone!"

What a Dope Poster

When we first started collecting antique ephemera, drug related vintage paperbacks were one of our first loves. Of course, we moved on from there to any drug related detective or men's magazines and then to drug-related vintage movie posters. We don't own the elusive "Reefer Madness" poster, but this is pretty cool.

Parents Just Don't Understand

More juvenile delinquent posters from our collection. Of these, my hands-down favorite is "Girls on the Loose."