A Contemporary Review of the 1962 Classic Film:
Blaze Starr Goes Nudist
by Mike Southernsun
Through the power vested in this blog, we take you back to the year 1962. President John F. Kennedy was in the White House, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth, the New York Yankees won the World Series, and a gallon of milk would set you back a whopping $.40.
Something else happened that year, that for more than half of the century now -- for good or bad -- has given no doubt millions of people their first glimpse into what life might be like as a nudist.
At a time when TV couples were still sleeping in separate beds, film producer, writer, and director Doris Wishman teamed up with the legendary stripper of the day and released the film: Blaze Starr Goes Nudist.
Blaze, who is playing herself, is an actress at her wits end. Her fiancé, who is also her agent, is pushing her to live up to her commitments.
Alas.The meetings, the publicity shoots, the business cocktail parties, and all of the autograph seekers; enough already!
I don't know if the term "burned out" had been coined in 1962, but that would've been the perfect time to use it. Blaze storms out of the office in a bouncy huff. (Or, maybe it was a minute and a huff. Thanks Groucho.)
She ducks into the nearest movie theater just to get away from it all. There she is surrounded by men in business suits who occasionally gawk at her ample cleavage. The lady just can't catch a break!
She looks at the screen, and through her point of view, we see various scenes of nudists frolicking at the -- once real, but now defunct -- Sunny Palms Lodge in Homestead, Florida.
Something gets extremely stiff: the dialogue.
I believe Blaze deserves a special, special award for being able to pull off those campy lines with a breathy sexy voice, and most of all, a straight face.
"Why this is a film about nudists. How relaxed they all look."
Brace yourself.
"What a pleasure it must be to feel the sun burning into you instead of those hot lights at the studio. I wonder if it is really like that at a nudist camp."
No real spoiler alert here, she goes and it is a panacea for all of her problems except those relating to her being a Starr, uh, star.
But relax, in the movies there's nothing that a surprise ending can't fix!
This film dates back to a time when a dollar would get you 3 gallons of gas a first-class postage stamp and three cents in change. And. I think there is a value to this very campy film that transcends the decades and even the dismal dialogue. For more than half a century this film, in its own corny way, has painted the nudist lifestyle as being relaxing, friendly, neighborly,, and completely natural.
The way I see it, that's a pretty fair and respectful portrayal.
This film is many things. It is a study in how to discreetly hide genitalia, and it is to nudists what Reefer Madness is to marijuana smokers.
I think this campy, cult classic should be on the must-see list of every nudist. But be warmed. Once you see Leslie do her Siamese dance, your life may never be quite the same ever again.
On the highly scientific Mike Southernsun Tan Line rating scale of nudist films -- where five is the worst and zero is the best -- I give this film 1 Tan Line. After all, there were just some parts that didn't seem to get much exposure.
Blaze Starr Goes Nudist -DVD
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