Vixen Books of the 1950s. Vintage Sleaze from Greenwich Village and Gil Fox. (en excerpt from Times Square Smut by Jim Linderman)

Vixen Press founder Gilbert (Gil) Fox was a Greenwich Village denizen. Mr. Fox had quite a circle of friends. Perhaps no one has paid attention to the Vixen books because they are hardbacks, and the only hardcovers here. Most of the vintage sleaze action is in lurid paperbacks, but this line of spicy stories certainly qualify.Though hardcovers, they are still cheap,tawdry and one hundred percent grade-A certified sleaze. They are also (when and if you can find them) quite affordable since no one cares. Al are now nearly 60 years old, and even harder to find in their book jackets. Gil Fox was one of the most prolific of sleaze writers. From his early books around 1950 to a massive output of Midwood books in the 1960s. He had pseudonyms such as Kim Savage, Peter Willow, Leda Starr, Kimberly Kemp, Dallas Mayo, Paul Russo, Violet Loring and more. Paperback book scholar Lynn Monroe interviewed Gil once, and I hope there are more chats coming. He certainly has stories to share. The interview is essential for any scholar interested in popular culture of the 1950s. Fox was born in 1917, served in the Air Force during the WW2 and married a female swinger whose swing went both ways. Next thing you know, he is living in Greenwich Village and itis 1950. At some point Gil met John Willie (real name was John Alexander Scott Coutts) who published the Bizarre series digests. Willie had his drawings published by Robert Harrison and is even rumored to have been responsible for asking Bettie Page to pose in bondage get-ups. Apocryphal tale, I think. Not long after meeting Willie, Gil Fox began writing his own books for Woodford Press. Fox also wrote for Stanley Malkan. Some time around 1953, Gil set up Vixen Press at 125 Christopher Street in New York City. 125 Christopher Street was also the location of the Alfred Hitchcock's film Rear Window(!) At least before they changed the address to 125 West the Street in the movie. There is an understanding in the film business that murder films use phony addresses for the same reason every big screen telephone number starts with 555.There is no 125 West 9th Street, but Gil's place still sits at 125 Christopher. Today apartments in the building rent for several thousand dollars a month and it remains a pre-war 6-story residential building. You can find real-estate listings online if you would like to relive the glory days of Greenwich Village... but it looks to me like they re-did the floors and I don't see any of Gil's ink stains.It is,however, nice to think of Gil typing while peering into same courtyard as James Stewart and Grace Kelly. Vixen Books was an apartment operation and an outlet for writers other than Gil. Barry Devlin, one of the most prolific Vixen writers, was selling work which was published as Beacon paperbacks at the same time. Another was the mysterious Justin Kent, the pseudonym of a writer who testified against mobster Edward Mishkin in an obscenity case. They apparently put out a book a month. They were likely distributed in the Times Square bookshops, but they were also distributed by Associated Booksellers in Westport, CT. and at least one other outside of the Tri- state area. Several of the copies here have stickers from "Capitol Book Store" in Indiana, so they got out to the Midwest too. No wonder New York City has a bad reputation. The cover price was $2.50. Each title, regardless of who receives credit for writing, has a hoity-toity quote from Shakespeare or an ancient learned philosopher following the title page, and each is dedicated to a dame or a couple. Hmmm. As you would imagine from the titles and covers, the Vixen line was not noted for fine literature. All the books were written as soft-core pornography. Limp-core. The characters drank and had torrid sexual adventures, even if they acted like soap opera scripts of the day. Remember, these were written in the early 1950s. Some have girl on girl action at a time it was most taboo. Plenty of lingerie too, and being taken off slowly. Some of the original Vixen titles were subsequently published as paperbacks with new titles. Moon-kissed by Barry Devlin came out under the title Forbidden Pleasures as a Berkley book. Kim Savage also had a paperback titled Helen's House published by Beacon. Mark Tryon's The Fire That Burns came out as a paperback with the byline "Girls who pose for anything" on the cover. It is more than possible others were republished in paper with entirely new titles and authors credited. For that matter, and for all I know, AL of them were written by Fox, but in particular I have seen a reference somewhere that Kim Savage was Gil Fox, though I am not sure. File under speculation. In the notes to Girls Lie Back Everywhere: The Law of Obscenity and the Assault on Genius by Edward de Grazia (1972) one Vixen book (Sweeter Than Life by Mark Tryon) was called "the forerunner of the sex pulp novels so numerous in the sixties; It contained a prominent lesbian theme and it seems to have had no appreciable literary value. (The book) is described in some detail in Felice Flannery Lewis, Literature, Obscenity and Law (1976) 180-181." Fair enough. There WAS an obscenity case brought against Gil Fox...U.S vs. Gilbert Fox, Vixen Press et al, involving four of the titles. I am not sure the outcome, nor do I know if Mr. Fox spent any time in pokey. I certainly hope not. The list of Vixen books following is the first one compiled as far as I know. The sleeve they came wrapped in is worth as much as the book. Which reminds me..the jacket illustrations are credited to NJD, de Persis, Patrika, Don Rico, who follows, and sometimes nobody. (An excerpt from the book TIMES SQUARE SMUT by Jim Linderman available from Blurb.com Helena's House Kim Savage 1960 Madame Big Barry Devlin 1953 Chains of Silk Barry Devlin 1954 Golf Widow ? 1953 Boss Lady Rick Lucas 1954 No Holds Barred Barry Devlin Carnal Cargo Barry Devlin 1952 Baby Makes Three Kim Savage (Gil Fox?) 1953 Desolate Sands Michael Norday 1955 The Sinning Lens Mark Tryon 1953 Joanne Scott Stone 1955 Mask of Night Michael Norday 1954 Dreamboat Rick Lucas 1955 Lazylegs Kim Savage 1953 Gold-plated Sin Barry Devlin 1953 Fire and Ice Barry Devlin 1952 Complex Mother Rick Lucas 1955 Take tI Off! Mark Tryon 1953 Fast Curve Justin Kent 1953 Bent to Evil Kim Savage 1952 Weekend Kim Savage 1952 Rogues and Riches Rick Lucas 1954 Blaze Scott Stone 1954 Sweet and Twenty Don Morro 1955 The Fire that Burns Mark Tryon 1954 Devil's Web Scott Stone 1955 Other Loves Barry Devlin 1955 Countess Margo Scott Stone 1955 This Paris Barry Devlin 1955 Sweeter than Life Mark Tryon Acapulco Nocturne Barry Devlin 1952 Mavis Justin Kent 1953 Dark Magic Michael Norday 1954 Strange Journey Rick Lucas 1954 On with the Dance Michael Norday 1954 Gold-plated Sin Barry Devlin 1953 Lovers and Madmen Barry Devlin 1953 Hellion Kim Savage 1951 Moon-kissed Barry Devlin 1953

Justin McCarthy “Jitney Jessie the Episode of Bessie the Beautiful Bandit” by Justin McCarthy c. 1920 - 1925

“Jitney Jessie the Episode of Bessie the Beautiful Bandit” by Justin McCarthy c. 1920 - 1925 In a serial format of 13 drawings Justin McCarthy tells the story of Jitney Jessie packing a parachute to foil Bessie the Bold and Beautiful Bandit’s attempt to rob G. Hard Boyle. Jitney Jessie was Hard Boyle’s chauffeur. In these early works, McCarthy apparently used a homemade paste of flour and water to mount them on colored cardboard. Shown is a detail of four drawings and the entire piece. ex-Phyllis Kind. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Big Nipper the RCA Dog

Giant “Nipper” the RCA dog stands guard over the Kalamazoo Humane Society building in 1979. (Standing with him is my dog Crispus…RIP) Nipper was 150 pounds of fiberglass, and originally part of a RCA marketing campaign in 1950. Nipper has knocked around since… he was once stolen and thrown in a river. Apparently he has been restored, tucked away and makes appearances at various events since. Original Snapshot 1979 by Jim Linderman

Dr. Locke Famous Phony Faith Healer? Nah...Foot Doctor! 1933

I'm a little busy today, so no story, though I am sure there is a good one. Just a few real photo postcards of a "faith healer" at work who turns out to be a Canadian Foot Doctor. NOTE: This post is also on the blog old-time-religion, where miracles such as this occur on a regular basis.

Pair of Real Photo Postcards 1933 "Dr. Locke, Faith Healer" Collection Jim Linderman

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Bettie Page unseen amateur stereoview photographs c. 1955

When I was doing research for my now out of print book Camera Club Girls (mostly the story of Bettie Page and the plethora of women who posed for amateur photographers in the 1950s) one of the notable discoveries was a small group of anonymous stereoview slides of Ms. Page taken in the mid-1950s. They were largely unseen before, if at all. The group were sold in auction some 10 years ago. They were mounted in “Craftsman Guild Easy Mount” blank stereoview holders sold to hobbyists. The photographs were taken 1955 - 1958. Collection Jim Linderman and Private Collection .

George Laithwaite of Canada Concrete Sculptures Folk Art Environment

It’s the cement garden of George Laithwaite in Canada created from 1912 to 1952. At the garden, historical figures consort with figures from the Bible, Jack and Jill and Maggie and Jiggs. The masterpiece is depicted on my real photo postcard. It’s The Plough. The angry looking fellow is apparently the artist, while the figure behind the oxen team is the first Canadian Prime Minister Sir John Macdonald. The best source on the mysterious conglomeration of concrete figures is the book / pamphlet of Ralph Smith, fortunately available in full text online. Real Photo Postcard of The Plough by George Laithwaite c. 1940. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb. A Laithwaite Legacy by Ralph Smith available in full at https://www.ruralroutes.com/8125.html

Halloween Antique Gauze Masks

A fine group of antique halloween masks. The story of the manufacturers is told on a post on the Blog with more pictures. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb. Thanks and a tip "o" the mask to BOXLOT on Facebook. Full post is at https://dulltooldimbulb.blogspot.com/2016/08/vintage-antique-gauze-linen-muslin.html

Famous Monsters of Filmland the DRAWINGS submitted by a boy. Forrest J. Ackerman Private Collection

Original Drawings for Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine submitted by a boy. Famous Monsters was started in 1958. These were contest drawings sent for publication in a "submitted by fans" section of the magazine. Editor Forrest J. Ackerman kept these for decades in his private collection. There are some 50 drawings revealing a young talent under the spell of prominent monsters(and monster films) of the 1950s and 1960s. Each drawing refers to a specific film. They were likely inspired by the numerous illustrations from press kits the magazine relied on for content. The works were drawn on 9.5 x 12 inch manilla paper. I created a blog which illustrates them all at the link here. All collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb https://monsters-of-filmland.blogspot.com/2024/10/

A Cactus Pebble Sculpture by Visionary Artist Ben Hartman Folk Art Environment

It’s Ben Hartman posing with a pebble masterpiece. I guess I would call it a cactus thingamajig for birds. Not only is his amazing environment saved, it looks fantastic! Original Real Photo Postcard circa 1930 Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb. See More at www.hartmanrockgarden.org #outsiderart #visionaryart #folkart #yardart #jimlinderman #dulltooldimbulb

Totem Pole Park in Crescent City CA is a bit of a mystery. There is little written about it. This, and a dozen other RPPC images of the place were taken by Frank Patterson, who worked the area with his camera 1920 to the 1950s. His archives are held at Oregon State University Libraries. There is a photo of the apparently non-indigenous artist in this 1941 issue of Popular Mechanics…but unless my eyes fail me they don’t list his name! The piece claims the artist made 2800 pieces with his Boy Scout ax, and that “hundreds of his samples can be seen…along highways of the west coast.” Well, I dunno. I posted another of his works (a gorilla in chains) on a previous blog post. The set of cards don’t reveal anything on the reverse. A few other carvings which make no sense are included. I believe the place is gone. Totem Pole Park formerly I Cresent City, CA. Painted Stump Octopus collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb. Other images from various sources.

Circus Carnival Back Half of a Zebra Man ? Original Photograph c. 1930

Bonus Post. Zebra and back half of a zebra man? Original snapshot c. 1930ish? Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Lillian M. Trafton Schoolgirl Folk Art Handmade booklet with Drawings c. 1900 Collection Jim Linderman

Four pages from the lovely handmade and hand drawn book of Lillian M. Trafton. I was able to find one girl with that name born 1892 in Massachusetts. There are eight pages of illustrations including the cover with original ribbon tie, but I scanned my favorites. Booklet made by Lillian M. Grafton c. 1900 Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Large Folk Art Sculpture / Bust.

Large folk art sculpture I've had around 20 years. I'm not sure how old he is, but the bark fell off not long after I found him and put him inside. 18 inches tall and as big around as a telephone pole. Carved Folk Art bust 20th C. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Antique Folk Art Bird Whirligig

Antique Folk Art Whirligig. A simple abstracted bird original paddles. Circa 1940 or so. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

A real Yellow Submarine for One!

A real Yellow Submarine! It's only about ten feet long,looks homemade. I think Ringo could fit in. Yellow Submarine Michigan. Photo Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Apple Antique Die Cut Forms for cutting Victorian Scrapbook stickers

Apple Antique Die Cut Forms. Victorian lithograph paper “scraps” were originally sold in gummed sheets which had to be hand cut with scissors. A bit Later, factory cutting tools of razor sharp metal with wooden centers sheared them out. Two examples of apple cutters. There was no reason for anyone to dapple paint one of these apples…I don’t know if it was done in the factory or later for the antique aftermarket. The sticker scraps are still being made…Seen any apple computer stickers lately?

Moon Mullins and his little brother Kayo Folk Art Sculpture from Florida. RPPC

Moon and Kayo cartoon characters Moon Mullins and his little brother Kayo Mullins. Moon is my kind of guy, his name derives from Moonshine…during prohibition. Kayo is his little brother, named after a “K.0.” which is slang for a knockout punch. Tough guys with stogies and plenty of big schemes. They were created by Frank Henry Willard (1893 - 1965) The strip debuts in 1923 and ran for 67 years. An images of the fellas follows here with the real photo postcard from Sun City, Florida. A hand written note atop appears to date the figures to a 1947 trip to the Little Manatee River. I like their shadows too…must have been a sunny day in Sun City. Moon Mullins Real Photo Postcard 1947. Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bu

Goofy Mid-Century Drawing of a Man inventing the Internet

Check out this cool mid-century guy who invented the internet so he could look up teeth! Well…maybe he invented the iPad. An original drawing and an accompanying 8 x 10 photograph with a skull being investigated. Dated 1966, I think these could have been, like, patent drawings or something for the future which is here! Goofy drawing 1966 and goofy photo by visionary “Williams” with no other information. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Visible Pumps and the American Dream. Petroliana Vintage Photograph

A photo of the American Dream. Note on the reverse indicates this is “Mother, Dad and Kay”. No location, but somewhere between places. Cities Service Oil Company started in 1910 and became Citgo around 1980. The gas pumps are a type known as “Visible” pumps which were the standard around 1927 until the late 40s. Mom made the sandwiches and I presume Kay added the blue. Original photograph c. 1930. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb #gas. #petroleum. #petroliana. #dulltooldimbulb. #vintagephoto. #Visablepump

Bettie Page with Bangs and without Bangs.

From a scrapbook circa 1955 - 1960 it’s Bettie Page with and without bangs. There is no original source, but I believe the adjacent photos appeared in one of Robert Harrison’s magazines like Wink or Titter. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb