Startling Detective Work for Genealogists! A Genius Tool from Patterson Smith

A group of Startling Detective Magazines I keep in a library periodical box behind me, just like in a real library! No, I do not keep them in date order. So that these were all published in the 1950s by Fawcett publications, a company founded by Wiliford "Captain Billy" Fawcett in 1919 is a good story, but I wanted a better one. So I fished around.


My definition of genius is putting something old to a new use. Patterson Smith qualifies. Why? He uses his enormous database of True Crime magazines to help family members, genealogists and collectors find grisly tidbits from the tons of pulp produced from the 1930s to the 1990s. Now personally, If I were doing some family research I would selectively NOT include this source. Some of the goobers in these tales don't belong in any family, certainly not mine. But there you go. An enormous resource, as just one issue here includes 14 lengthy stories, all true, and each has dozens of names, though I am going to guess Mr. Smith doesn't index the names with an asterisk. You know...the names changed to protect the innocent. Check THIS out.

Group of Startling Detective Magazines, 1956-1957 Collection Jim Linderman
DULL TOOL DIM BULB / VINTAGE SLEAZE BOOK CATALOG

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Sleaze Superman Style (!) Shuster's Sadomasochistic Side

Does this look a bit cleaner and more professional than most sleazy girly gags? It should. JOSH is in fact Joe Shuster, co-creator of Superman way back in the late 1930s. The story of how he was screwed out of royalties is familiar to most cartoonists and fans, but what was certainly NOT well-known until last year was his work as a fetishistic, sadomasochistic, bondage and sleaze illustrator in later years.
When I came across this drawing in an issue of "Snappy: Perky Pinups and Lively Man's Gags" (Yes, I have an issue of Snappy) from the 1960s I recognized the lines. Earlier in the year I had read Craig Yoe's astounding book "Secret Identity" linked at right and knew the story, but I was familiar only with the notorious Nights of Horror digests he produced. Sure enough, Yoe points out Shuster did some one-off cartoons and this is an example. YOWSA. If you are interested in vintage sleaze or Superman...the book is fascinating and goes to show what an artist can and will do to pay the bills. 35 years after giving away his rights to the billion dollar man of steel, Warner Communications (then parent company of DC Comics) belatedly granted Joe a near poverty level pension of $20,000 a year. "Josh" passed away, nearly blind, in 1992.

(A simultaneous post on my VINTAGE SLEAZE blog)

Jim Linderman Interview in The Bund Chinese Lifestyle, Art, Fashion Magazine

The Bund is a beautiful (TRULY beautiful) High-fashion / style / art / lifestyle weekly magazine published in Shanghai, China, and you will most certainly be surprised if you take the time to browse the current online edition HERE. The Jim Linderman interview is HERE in the issue of March 15, 2012. The circulation of The Bund has grown to 450,000 paid subscribers, and a flip though the online edition will show why. Lovely!

Niea Gu, Senior Fashion Editor did the with interview considerable grace and style.


Some of the introductory material was adapted from the recent New York Times article of 2/12/02, and the interview portion follows along with samples of things I have discussed in the blogs over the years. The Article translation (which is simply charming...what can I say?) follows based on the Google translate service. I have discovered some striking phrases from the translation I could not have created on my own but love, and believe me, this is one of the greatest honors of my life.

This is also a true experiment for me. I have no idea how many citizens will read this or have access to it. But it is lovely, fascinating and splendid. That I am able to play even this very, very small part of bringing together two great lands is an honor I never thought would be possible. Thank You The Bund. I am truly honored.


POP CULTURE MINER (Introductory Text based in NYT article)


Jim Linderman, may be the world's coolest book file administrator. Although he has retired, but looking for something, and his ability to still no one can, and still bored. His collection of all the bits and pieces of American folk art and popular culture, they are popular enough, but also interesting enough. Tens of thousands of his collections, as large as sculpture, as small as a postcard, all cheap. As he himself puts it: "I have no money to buy Andy Warhol, so I'm always looking for the poor 'Warhol,'.


Jim Linderman, accustomed to get up early every day, give yourself a cup of coffee, then turn on the computer to update the blog. He wrote not a morning news current affairs reporting or celebrity gossip, but those old, forgotten the wonderful things. Mr. 58-year-old Linderman is an art collector, most recently, his achievements even by the attention and coverage of the New York Times. He was living the small town of Lake Michigan, Grand Haven, when the lifetime of the Book File Manager. Identity mix sounds a little strange, and his collection: a variety of interesting bits and pieces of American folk art and popular culture. "I always collect a number of unusual, strange things do not fly." He said.


In 2008, he has set up three blog - Dull, Tool Dim Bulb, the Old Time Religion and the Vintage Sleaze - used to display and describe their favorites. As an all-encompassing network flea market is full of novelty is convulsed amazed found. On the blog, he will dig out the story behind every piece of the collection, and his right, as if a magical secret passageway leading to the past for the reader to open.

 Mr. Linderman, the blog is always an unexpected manner makes an eye-opener, for example, you know the pianist in the 1930s Baldy Wetzel, a record 48.5 hours of uninterrupted play record? Have you ever heard advertised himself as "hated woman world champion in the 1940s folk artists Albion, Clough,? Have you ever seen American porn comic Tijuana, Bibles "(Tijuana Bible).? As a senior File Manager, he loves books and writing in the past three years, he not only write a blog every day, also published a book of 14 content, the majority of their own money to publication. His latest book is called "the mysterious old photos (Vintage Photographs in of arcane Americana), a collection of his collection" the most bizarre photos ", such as the ventriloquism strippers. While his most famous publication was undoubtedly the 2009 Grammy Best Historical Album "nomination" take me to go in the water "(Take Me to the Water), although the book is only a thin 95, but a collection of 75 old photos of Christian water baptism scene, but also comes with an old gospel song LP.

Linderman Mr. lived in Manhattan for 28 years until 2008, was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) before deciding to move out of New York with his wife, Jenna, back to his hometown of Grand Haven breath of fresh air. Since then, he started writing a blog, in his words, "In order to give myself a bunch of digital footprint."



1980 the beginning of the year to Manhattan, Mr. Linderman, the first job is an international The discography finishing rock punk kind of music, and later worked in CBS's "60 Minutes" program and the evening news, as well as the BBDO advertising agency as file tidying up. Spare time, he launched an extraordinary collection of career. He has hundreds of Bob Dylan's private system of records, a few thousand copies of the book of John - John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theory. Dylan's fans, President Kennedy, he fell does not care who is assassinated. "I just love the books of such print-out in her garage. Those guys interested in UFOs, will also discuss the JFK incident but then no one will go to collect their masterpiece." He said.


In particular, he favored the self-taught artists, especially in the mostly South American artists and African artists. He gave the South African artist Howard Finster, write to discuss the painting, the other replied, "OK, ah, please send sheets check over." So he sent a check for $ 10, then really received a painting. He went to the southern United States Travel, met a lot of crazy and interesting painter, they put in front of his house to sell the painting, he was almost accept. "I have no money to buy Andy Warhol, so I'm always looking for the poor 'Warhol,'". He said.

Comical collectors 
 Mr. Linderman three blog "Vintage Sleaze" is the most popular. This blog is mainly a poster girl on his collecting research on the 1950s and 1960s male publications. Camera Club Girl "(Camera Club, Girls), a book, he tells the Harlem jazz singer Cass Carr anecdotes - in the early 1950s, she has organized a bold outdoor photo tour, participating members, including designed to beat the legendary crime scene photographer Weegee, and the wound has not yet been made a star of "Playboy" magazine sexy stunner of Bettie Page. Later, this group of people caught in a farm in suburban New York when shooting is to photograph the nude was illegal.


These little-known variety of baby from where? Mr. Linderman said that he usually drove to the not too far away from home more than a dozen antique market, see the story of stuff "will be shot. He also frequents eBay, looking for photos and prints, especially useful. Old photos of the Christian water baptism mentioned previously, almost all from eBay Go to flea markets to find a photo, you have to turn one year old shoebox. "He said on eBay may be a month will be able to procure. He collected all kinds of strange objects: "Diddley Bow" (a structure like stringed guitar, West African homemade blues musical instruments), hand-made slingshots, toy bulldozers, antique kimonos, Indian raw leather small bag ... once fell in love with a things, he will be blown out, until one day are tired, it sold, traded or donated out, and then find a new target. Before you move out of New York, Mr. Linderman, his collection of religious baptism photo, left Manhattan International Center of Photography last year, the latter on this theme organized an exhibition. He donated a Victorian-style slide is also the center included in the exhibition program. Center for Brian Wallis' praise in visual culture, "he has done is unprecedented, he excavated treasures at the edge of the popular culture, which requires a collect talent, but he is the world's greatest collection. always pay attention to strange things, and constantly come up with fun new ideas. "

 When asked about favorite era", Mr. Linderman, said, "This is really a strange question to me and everyone else can not do without the Internet. "Today, his blog click-through rate has been close to 2 million, which was unimaginable before the arrival of the digital age. "Of course, I miss the past years are sincere and reliable," he then said, "We always appreciate losing before, so we really should take the time to appreciate those around simple small things, because one day, they will disappear. technology is very beautiful, but a child, my night to listen to the radio very happy, and now the same child is afraid I do not think so, they have much choice ... However, I still think radio great. "

Whew! Interview follows:


B = "Bund" 
 J.L = Jim Linderman
B: You also wrote three blog, why? JL: I first began to write Dull, Tool, Dim Bulb, used to share my collection of strange photos and articles, this blog open for four years, has been updated over 1000. I will be regarded as the main blog, even though the other two seem to be more popular. Then I opened the Old-Time Religion, every Saturday night, I would choose a religion class from Dull, Tool, Dim Bulb, strange pictures posted up. Because over the weekend in the United States, some people are used to "crazy one", then go to church on Sunday morning repentance some. So I started on Saturday night posted one and church-related photos, so those guys wake up the next morning you can see, gradually developed into a new blog, a book. Dull, Tool, Dim Bulb original intention is to demonstrate to those who have been forgotten art form, unusual creation and the United States in the past some odd figure. Every now and then, I will introduce some of my respected artists and photographers, almost every one will be coupled with after years of a strange collection of articles or photos. I think, to write something it is necessary to its familiar enough with the job, is to personally in his hand playing experience. This is also my blog and other blog differences, I wrote every thing can be found shoebox yard behind me. Vintage Sleaze is a late start, but it is the highest page views. I found his collection there are many old photos of the "immoral", similar to the 1950s, men to buy sexy magazine. This is a category of popular culture rarely documented mention of everyone's basement can be dug out a few, but very few talk about. So I think the Vintage Sleaze to show their comical, although sexy, but also harmless, but also reveals some silly. Subscribe to this blog's women less than men, which made me very proud. 50 years ago "dirty pictures" very cute, and do this trip - those models, illustrators, writers, publishers - also very interesting, they walk the edge of the law, doing challenging and the sense of accomplishment. Every time I write their stories, laugh at least once. I like the challenge.

B: How often updated blog? JL: I as far as possible every day at least update a blog, sometimes three will be updated. Write an article or photo, I want to investigate for several days. I tried to proceed from each photo or article, write a thesis on the history. I work with a humorous tone to write. I like the ease and the pursuit of serious and precise at the same time, entertainment is also very important. I try to like reporters to remain objective, but occasionally melt into his own point of view. I always hope that your article can become a starting point of the in-depth study of other scholars. All these years I dig out the thousands of stories, I think every one deserves to be written in a book. Someday, the scholars will be curious about who this guy write Dull, Tool, Dim Bulb! Than a writer, I also see themselves as a visual artist, of course, have to depend on the readers' opinions.
B: Your collection must be very considerable, they account for where it is? JL: they just seem more than is good, because most of them are photos and paper, not of space. My house has not been large, but in good order. The collection is concentrated in a small room, one of the few big-ticket items (such as sculpture and handmade furniture) are placed into the garage or basement, all these years, many of the big guy has been I sold, replaced, or otherwise share out. I used to put a few special things in their own front, I like to see them at any time. The thing is not necessarily the bigger the better, little things often a vast reservoir of energy.
B: your collection is to spend money? JL: my life is a book file manager, no money. My favorites is the sense of smell, not like a child is eight by collectors as no money, but also buy the "excellent" work of art. I want to prove that everyone can gather to wonderful things, many small stones, and many nest, or transistor radios. Anything, as long as you allow them to became a scale through a lot, organize and share, they allow others to see their beauty, this is the collection. Although the whole process very time-consuming, but it does not cost money.

B: You grew like to collect things? JL: Yes, like any little boy, I also collect stamps and baseball cards, but then I made a solemn decision: a collection of things that others do not collection! It makes me feel different, I once again received attention for those who have been forgotten and ignored.
B: Do you think the librarian how the job? JL: I like the librarian job is that it allows me to be made now, this is one of the most remarkable career. A good librarian can equally help to anyone, regardless of the guests what to look for books, he can provide the services without the subjective judgment, encountered the controversial subject matter, he would know how to take into account, always harbor respected. Librarian every day to learn new knowledge, and ability to use their knowledge to help others people great satisfaction.
B: Do you collect things related to American popular culture, in this field who idolized? JL: I love Bob Dylan, because he was well received by the image of American culture. I also appreciate the southern United States, a painter named David Bates, depicting rural America a huge work, bright colors, humorous, and full of respect. However, the majority of my collection are anonymous works, the author has long been time to annihilation. I especially like the amateur for, like all mortal beings. From one work to dig out a piece of history or an artist is a great sense of accomplishment.

Vintage Sleaze reaches 50,000 Followers on Facebook

Just for the record, Vintage Sleaze the Blog, my daily examination into the gutters of smut from the 1950's will reach 50,000 followers on Facebook today.  The site tells a true story EVERY DAY about the publishers, artists, photographers, models, censors, scoundrels, gangsters, burlesquers, vaudevillian villains, writers, distributors, gag cartoonists and readers of soft-core sleaze from the golden age of smut.  Guess what?  It turns out "glamour" photography wasn't so glamorous!  It sounds bad, but it isn't...and like Dull Tool Dim Bulb, every word true.  Mostly.

"Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil, See no Evil" cover from Exotique Photo Album Number Three, circa 1958 (No Date in Publication) 


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Black Sleaze Rocking Raunchy Drawings! The work of Bill Alexander

I wrote an earlier post on Bill Alexander, one of only a few African-American vintage sleaze artists identified to date. Information on the artist is slight indeed, but examples of his striking work continue to emerge. First, Brittany Daley's great Sin-A-Rama book collected a number of his paperback cover illustrations from the 1960s...to which I was able to add a bit with my original post. Then, the Acrobat double CD reissued the tracks from Roy Mlton's record label revealing a number of the beautiful label illustrations Bill did in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Roy knew how to rock before there was rock, and he apparently also had the good/bad taste to hire the young Alexander for the art his label's 78 records. (Don't buy the download...buy the discs! They come with a 35 page BOOK! for gawd's sake)

The drawings are great (as is the music)... if you didn't know they were done by a Black man, you might think them a tiny bit racist, but then the label wasn't releasing gospel, it was raw rhythm and blues of the most raucous kind.

Here is a sample of Bill Alexander's wonderful label illustrations, and a few of his later drawings for Eddie Mishkin's mob-run paperback imprint from the 1960s. Both, as good/bad as it gets!

(Also posted on Vintage Sleaze Art the blog)

Bill Ward Artist of Vintage Sleaze (part five)

Finally the last of the "fun fetish four" who drew covers for Eddie Miskin's mob-run paperback house in the 1960's.

Bill Ward is probably the most recognizable of the group, and I doubt there is a man over 40 in the United States who hasn't seen his work dozens of times. Ward ruled the girlie magazines of the 1950's and 1960's, producing literally thousands of drawings, one estimate places the number at TEN thousand. Double that figure for the number of breasts he drew. As boy, Ward enrolled in the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, I am sure they are quite proud of that today. What set him apart from the other sleazy artists titillating returning WW2 vets as they relaxed in their suburban dens was his use of the conte crayon. It highlighted his black and white illustrations with great effect. He was paid less than ten dollars each for the most part, and because he was prolific, his original drawings are easily found today. A 350 page compilation with over 600 examples of his work was published by redoubtable Taschen. Like all the Satellite artists, he worked for many publishers and freelanced, but the covers he did for these paperbacks are not only among his best work, they have vivid color which brings them to life. If you study early American folk art, both paintings and carvings, you'll see that the feet are often too small...it lends a charming, naive quality. In Ward's case, all it does is produce a tottering, somewhat gargantuan icon which lives in the minds of every randy man. They might LOOK sexist, absurd and grotesque to you females out there, but if you enlarge an image and place that Barbie doll you grew up with over it, the silhouettes are remarkably similar. I guess you could say Ward did for the top what R. Crumb did for the bottom.
This concludes my minor contribution to vintage sleaze paperback culture. For those of you who would like to obtain your own examples, the Satellite house had five imprints under their sleaze umbrella. From 1963 to 1969 they published several hundred titles with the following imprints: After Hours, First Niter, Nitey Nite, Unique Books and Wee Hours. For the most part, there is little reason to READ them, although numerous well-known struggling authors paid their NYC rent churning them out with fake names. Bilbrew also drew a dozen or more covers for the imprint Satan.

PREVIEW the book TIMES SQUARE SMUT  AND PURCHASE(and instant affordable download as well) HERE

Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books HERE

Important Long Post for Fans, Friends and Followers!

A personal note...I suspect I am going to be slowing down the posts on DULL TOOL DIM BULB. Many of you know I have breathing problems...living in Times Square gave me 25 years of diesel flavored air, running in the park every night after rush hour sucked in plenty more, and 9/11 gave me another solid dose of minuscule lung fibers, so only I'm good about half-a day. I do the posts and take my medicine but it's been a long winter, I'm wore out and hung to dry. Plus, I am having such a wonderful time putting together the VINTAGE SLEAZE blog, which is going very very well indeed.

I also have to do a few other things. Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books while unprofitable, deserves attention...and another book is on the way. I have an EXTRAORDINARY story to research, it will take some time and effort but I am anxious to get started. It's almost time to start growing the tomaters. Plus, somehow I'm going to scrape up the energy to scrape down the house and paint it. I'm going to do one square inch a day...unless it rains.

I am NOT abandoning the site! Merely devoting a bit more time to the OTHER sites. I expect to post at least once a week at Dull Tool Dim Bulb, so not to fear.

In the meantime, follow the following! Just like this blog, they are "all killer, no filler."
Vintage Sleaze
Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books
old time religion
Wondrous World of Wendt
The Painted Backdrop

Jim

Bill Kresse Modern Master of Vintage Sleaze

A tribute and profile to the late and much missed inker Bill Kresse, who drew work over 50 years ago that looks pretty darn good today.

Jim











If ever there was a vintage sleaze cartoonist from the 1950s deserving a retrospective showing at the Drawing Center, it would be Bill Kresse. As modern as a Herman Miller Eames chair and just as timeless, his early gag work for sleazy digests stands out for many reasons. Lush and creative, the women all sharp, angular shoulders and heavily detailed dress, the fellas all whirring, confused and excited motion, fevered and flushed. All players in a Kresse panel are happy to be alive and participating in this retro-human game. Fingers and heels like spikes on the dames, gunboats as wide as shoeboxes on the guys. Several things distinguish a Kresse cartoon from the 1950s...One, he always took time to put glass over the modern art on the wall (as if he aspired to the same treatment, which he now deserves) and the large, undulating ribbons of bold black ink which surround his characters in elegant swerves. Surprisingly, his work has not been anthologized much that I can tell. Bill Kresse published a book way back entitled "An Introduction to Cartooning" with the subtitle "It's a Magic World" and in his case, it must have been. Although drawn and sold to over the counter girly cartoon pulp digests, these figures are always clothed (in dresses Lady Gaga could only imagine, if that) and although emotions are at a peak, for the guys anyway, the gags are always harmless, human and honest. Great work from a great artist. Kresse went on to do panel work for New York Daily Papers and had a series for which he became well-known, "Super Duper" and even worked with Terrytoons. An under appreciated master who created work which looks better today than it did 50 years ago.


A nice note from DEVLIN adds the following : Kresse also did work in ARCHIE'S MADHOUSE in the mid-'60s, which stuck out like a sore thumb stylistically. I never learned his name until reading an article about his newspaper work in an issue of HOGAN'S ALLEY

Gene Bilbrew African-American Artist of Vintage Sleaze (follow-up)

For those of you who enjoyed my articles on the illustrators for Eddie Miskin's 1960's sleazy paperback book line, in particular the strikingly demented work of Gene Bilbrew...someone is selling two covers I've never seen before on Ebay. It gives me an opportunity to crib the images and use up a days post. I pass...if you bid, good luck! If you haven't seen the earlier posts, click on label Vintage Sleaze below.

Eugene Bilbrew A Return Visit to the Studio on West 42nd Street

Of all the posts on this blog, the ones generating the most hits are the series I did on vintage sleaze illustrators of the 1960's, in particular the profile and pictures of work by Eugene Bilbrew. So much for my attempts to uplift the masses. I aim to please, ALL ARE NOW COLLECTED ON THE SITE VINTAGE SLEAZE

Bilbrew, an African-American School of Visual Arts student (!) fell into bad company and even worse habits. As he slipped into heroin addiction, his work became even more bizarre. He moved to the rear of a porno bookshop on the deuce. The mob-run publisher he worked for was busted out of business, so he sold his drawings to no less sleazy publishers such as Wizard, Satan and Chevron. Most of these are from Satan. A pall-bearer hits on the widow. An unlikely prison visitor tempts caged psychopaths. A rogue cop harasses an amorous couple out on the beach too late. A shop-class goggles wearing professor aims his student's motorcycle "headlights" into the wind. And of course, the extra-flamboyant dancer against a lime green wall "trips" and falls into the lap of his modern art loving suitor. Never mind that the text had absolutely nothing to do with the cover illustration, this is kitsch of the highest order. These all date to the late 1960's. Several have "saw-cut" slashes, which means they were returned to the distributor unsold. I can not imagine why.

To his credit, I suppose...Bilbrew was one of the few artists doing multi-racial covers at the time. (and the hair-impaired, for that matter) I don't think it helped sales.

Group of 1960's paperback cover illustrations by Eugene Bilbrew. Formerly collection Jim Linderman

Cheescake Charlie Carries Click on Coney Island

Charlie proudly Carries Click! It isn't often one finds a picture of vintage sleaze "in situ" but here we find a happy consumer proudly displaying his August, 1938 issue of CLICK, a monthly photo pulp which put girls in cheescake on the cover. Now we know why. It worked! Maybe Charlie hopes he won't seem out of place in his duds on the beach if his reading material has a swimsuit? Summer in New York. A beautiful thing.

Also posted on VINTAGE SLEAZE the blog

Original Snapshot, Anonymous 1938 Collection Jim Linderman

Popular Culture Perceptions of the ARTIST Studio tour of Vintage Sleaze Paperbacks with Depictions of an Artist

Over the years while collecting obscure Vintage Sleaze paperbacks for a project, I accumulated a whole pallette of cruddy books based on the public perception of the passionate pleasures available to painters. Here are a few from the 1950s and 1960s...Share them all with your artist friends! See available books and affordable ebooks by Jim Linderman on BLURB.COM