MERMAID IN A MEN'S MAG

Normally we see the most beautiful mermaid of Tiburon in a lot less than in these photos. That's okay, though, because it's easier to appreciate her natural beauty without all the "extras". This pictorial feature is from MAN'S ILLUSTRATED (February 1958).

If you're still not convinced, you can see more of Miss Weber HERE.

HIDDEN (HUMOROUS) HORRORS

CRACKED wasn't the only humor mag that used photos from monster movies for their jokes. The gag mag POPULAR JOKES (Visual Varieties, Inc., May 1968) was yet another in the slew of adult cartoon digests and regular-size 'zines that offered risque single panel strips, short humorous text stories and semi-nude to all-nude photos and pin-ups, usually accompanied by a suggestive gag-line.

This issue has a two-page spread titled, "Have You Enjoyed An Out-of-the-Way Holiday Recently?" It includes two photos from horror flicks: Maria Ouspenskya as Maleva, "The Gypsy Woman" from THE WOLFMAN and Otto Kruger and Gloria Holden in DRACULA'S DAUGHTER.

Also in this issue is a spot pic of nudist and pin-up model, Diane Webber, star of MERMAIDS OF TIBERION (1962). The recycled photo was first used in a pictorial of Miss Weber in the men's adventure magazine, MAN'S ILLUSTRATED (February 1958). The cartoon on the top right panel is by Archie's own Dan DeCarlo.

Included is this full-page pinup of Austrian actress, Marisa Mell, taken around the time she was seen in Mario Bava's crime thriller DANGER: DIABOLIK. The captivating Miss Mell appeared in European films, including the Umberto Lenzi's giallo, SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS (1972), VIOLENT BLOODBATH (1974),  PARAPSYCHO (1975), OBSCENE DESIRE (1978) and RING OF DARKNESS (1979), 

A MERMAID ON LAND

In the 50's and 60's it wasn't hard to find the lovely Diane Webber in any number of men's and nudist magazines. She was a sought-after model who wasn't afraid to bare it all in front of the photographer's camera. In this pictorial from BATTLE CRY (February 1964) she keeps her clothes on -- well, most of the time.

Two years earlier, Miss Webber starred in the fantasy/adventure film THE MERMAIDS OF TIBURON. She was in a few other genre films, SINTHIA, THE DEVIL'S DOLL for one, but besides being an unabashed nudist, her greatest achievement was becoming a world-class belly dancer.

Here's a lucky guy taking a swim with Diane and her mermaid friends in a clip from the movie:

JUNE IN OCTOBER + BONUS

During the 1950's and 1960's, ADAM was one of the most popular men's magazines on newsstands (and at liquor stores). Distinguishable by the striped background on the covers during its early years, it was a far cry from PLAYBOY contents-wise, but they did have a good camera staff and the models were a step above in looks and shape than a lot of the other competition.

Publishing almost five-hundred issues, ADAM ran from 1956 until 1996 -- not bad for a second-tier nudie mag. Somewhere around the early 1980's on, it morphed into just another full-on porno 'zine like SWANK and the scant few others that survived the vintage men's magazine era.

Like its big brother, PLAYBOY, ADAM published a calendar. The one shown here is the two-year calendar for the years 1959-1960. A lot of the gals were very popular during the day and you could see them in any number of girlie mags.

Of course we have June Wilkinson and Diane Webber to thank for appearing in films that were at least billed as horror/fantasy, otherwise I'd have to come up with another excuse for showing these photos. Then there's Margaret Scott, who was Marilyn Waltz when she wasn't posing nude in front of the camera. Scott is mostly noted for being the first of only two women who were PLAYBOY playmates in three different issues. And for no other reason than she was a top model during this period and quite the looker, singer and burlesque dancer Bonnie Logan (aka Laura Lee) is included (Hey, wait! She also modeled for pulp magazine covers!).

WARNING!

THE FOLLOWING IS FOR

MATURE MONSTERS ONLY!

STILL MY FAVORITE MERMAID

The seductive Diane Webber was a highly sought after photographer's model during the 1950's and 1960's. Besides being a dedicated nudist, she was also an accomplished ballerina and belly-dancer. She acted in films, most notably to genre fans in MERMAIDS OF TIBURON (1962).

Miss Webber appeared in scads of men's magazines, including the first issue of COURAGE (November 1957). This pictorial is one of the rare circumstances where Russ Meyer photographed his subject with clothes on!

See more of Diane Webber HERE.

BONUS! Danish actress Greta Thyssen starred in TERROR IS A MAN (1959) and JOURNEY TO THE 7TH PLANET (1962). Here she is as the pinup of the month in COURAGE #1 (November 1957).

See more of Greta Thyssen HERE.

MY FAVORITE MERMAID

As you have read time to time here on previous blogs (see the "Scream Queens" and "Horror Hotties" links on the sidebar to your left for more examples), many women who ended up acting in horror, fantasy and science-fiction films were previous showgirls, dancers, models and pinups. They were more often than not, hired for their good looks rather than their acting ability.

One of the most arresting examples of making the jump from glamour to film was the voluptuous Diane Webber. The 5' 2" (39C-23-37) brunette was born Marguerite Empey on July 27, 1932. Her mother was a Hollywood actress and former Miss Long Beach beauty queen who signed her daughter up for ballet classes when she was young.

Soon after graduating from Hollywood High School, Miss Empey embarked on a modelling career while holding down a job as a chorus girl at Bimbo's 365 Club (!) in San Francisco. She found herself in front of the lens of notable photographers such as Peter Gowland, Bunny Yeager and Russ Meyer, where her photos began to show up on many magazine covers and commercial art.

In 1955, she was selected as the PLAYBOY Playmate of the Month for the May issue and again in February, 1956. Following this exposure (no pun intended), she became a popular nude pinup model and appeared in numerous men's magazines and calendars as Diane Webber.

Playboy, May 1955.

..

Playboy, February 1956.

Photographer Russ Meyer is seen in the bottom left photo.

Favoring a natural lifestyle with her husband, Joe Webber, they joined a naturist's club that frequented nudist colonies. Webber discovered a secondary reason: to naturally cover her tan lines for photo shoots!

Jem, April 1957.

Fling Festival Calendar for 1962.

Even Frank Frazetta couldn't escape Diane's allure, as he used a photo of hers as reference for one of his illustrations.

Diane appeared in a handful of films and a few of them were in the horror/fantasy genres. Beside her pinup and nude photography, she is probably best known for her role as the Mermaid Queen in the MERMAIDS OF TIBURON (1982). She also had small roles in THE WITCHMAKER (1969) and SINTHIA, THE DEVIL'S DOLL (1970). Her TV appearances included VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA and ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS.

Diane Webber with David Hedison in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

In later years, Webber was a belly dance instructor and founded Perfumes of Araby, one of the first middle-eastern dance companies formed in the United States. The dances were traditional and not intended to be sexual. She organized a number of outdoor shows with other performers until 1980. Her knowledge and skill in belly-dancing helped her to land in two more roles. Her final film was as a belly-dance instructor in THE TRIAL OF BILLY JACK (1974). In her last years, she worked as a librarian and archivist for a Southern California law firm.

Unfortunately, her natural living lifestyle couldn't save her from a longer life. Miss Webber died on August 18, 2008 after complications from cancer surgery at the age of 76.

Click on the "Extras" tab at the top of this blog for more photos of the lovely Diane Webber.

RARE AUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS

Original Vintage Diane Webber at San Filipe Cantina (Not Nude), by Ed Lange This is a rare, one-of-a-kind production photographic print taken by Ed Lange for his groundbreaking nudist magazines of the 1950s and 1960s. There have been other nudist photographers and producers but none as fresh and spontaneous as Ed Lange. Ed photographed Diane Webber like no one else. The magnetism between the model and photographer is apparent in every print.Photo size: 8 x 10 inches. This is a production print for one of Ed Lange's many nudist magazines and books. Diane is NOT nude in this intimate portrait of the model relaxing after a long day of shooting on the beach at San Filipe, Baja California during her famous photo shoot in 1959.

Original Diane Webber with Joe Webber in their famous swimming pool "Creation" shot, by Ed Lange This is a rare and very popular picture taken by Ed Lange for his groundbreaking nudist magazines of the 1950s and 1960s. It was printed in the 1990s for a book catalog cover. There have been other nudist photographers and producers but none as fresh and spontaneous as Ed Lange. Ed photographed Diane Webber like no one else. The magnetism between the model and photographer is apparent in every print.Photo paper size: 8 x 10 inches on RC paper. Diane and her husband Joe are pictured inside a swimming pool in Los Angeles, early 1960s, with a huge orange parachute as a prop. Ed Lange was underwater with them. He shot many rolls of film and this was the finest of the bunch. It was alway's called the "Creation shot" because it reminded everyone of the Sistine Chapel God & Adam painting.

Another shot of Diane in San Filipe with Ed Lange's wife and daughter.

MERMAIDS OF TIBURON Trailer (in HD!):