The Immoral Mr. Teas

The existential Mr.Teas represents to me: avant garde 'Beatnik Art' so well parodied in the pages of 'Playboy' magazine circa.1959.He is a free-thinker: 'searching' for the inner meanings & thoughts subdued by the forced conformity of the 1950s.The mental undressing of the ladies he encounters is his statement of individuality in the doomed pluralist mediocrity of the San Francisco he inhabits. Mr Teas retreats from the disillusioned dentist delivery-man to his licentious alter-ego; fishing in the lagoon , cavorting in 'The Raincheck Room' & a diner with the waitress.Then with 'Nana',a sensational burlesque dancer that even Russ Meyer himself applauds vigorously. He seems to represent the repressed everyman in all of us.Mr Meyer began his illustrious 'sex-ploitation' film catalogue with an 'Tati'-esque artistic creation.A total masterpiece!.

Russ Meyer's debut feature film caused a sensation on original release. It was incredibly risqué for its time and pushed the boundaries of what was permissible. What Meyer basically did with this film was to introduce breasts to the big screen. And for this at the very least many of us should be eternally grateful. Up until this point nudity was very scarce at the cinema, and when it did show up it usually consisted of people playing volleyball in nudist colonies. This movie brought in a much more overt eroticism to the mix. Needless to say, it made an absolute mint at the box office. Clearly these were more innocent times and The Immoral Mr. Teas isn't at all shocking now. Its nudity is really in fact somewhat charming. But historical context is everything in understanding the importance of this movie. And the fact is that this film was groundbreaking.

Unfortunately, it isn't an awful lot of fun to watch now. Its plot is simple – a man discovers that he can see women naked as the side effect of some medication he is given at the dentists. It's basically an excuse to see boobs. But the movie in actual fact is a drag as a result primarily of the lack of synchronized sound and awful endlessly repeated music. There is a narrator who just talks drivel quite frankly. He sounded strangely like Criswell the TV astrologist and star of a couple of Ed Wood flicks. Even Meyer's photography – normally a guaranteed strong point – is below average.

For me Meyer only became a good film-maker from Lorna onwards. Although it's a term I virtually never use, the early nudie-cuties are just a bit dated to really carry much impact. This one has historical importance for sure but it didn't do much for me otherwise unfortunately.

This is Russ Meyer's first venture into stimulating pleasantly adult films… For 1959, it was a big sensation… By today's standards, however, it is quite dull... It is a difficult film to rate because it is so delightful and adorable, but the story is almost nonexistent and certainly dated…

The story is about a dirty-minded voyeur... Through the course of a day, he sees a number of good-looking, big breasted ladies, and tries to attract them for long periods of time... On the weekend, he goes to the beach where he comes across a photographer and a topless model…

Russ Meyer was very careful not to place his characters in sexual situations, but concentrated on rousing the audience… Mr. Teas finds himself with a nude female analyst, for example, but does not try to seduce her…

Such tease was a matter of the film's survival... For the very moment nudity turned into a sexual encounter, it would have certainly been censored

This film is the first non-pornographic movie to feature gratuitous nudity with intended normal theater distribution. Before 'The Immoral Mr. Teas' (1959), the only way to film nudity was to create a 'nature documentary' or to be labeled 'pornographic' (which prevented distribution and was illegal in most places). For 'Mr. Teas', Russ Meyer softened both the nature and the pornographic aspects, combined them, and made a film that was approved for regular theater distribution. If you have ever enjoyed a sex scene in a film, or seeing your favorite actress or actor naked, then you owe a debt of gratitude to Russ Meyer and the creation of this film.

There is no sound track or dialog, so the narrator reads from an encyclopedia and makes bad puns over bad music. This isn't a perfect film, but it's fun for an hour and the ladies are beautiful. For the first 30 minutes, there really isn't any nudity, and I was starting to get irritated. The narrator began discussing the 'frustrations' that can occur from such things, and I began to understand the point of the movie. Don't let the silliness fool you - this is a smart film.

So, don't come in expecting 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998), and you will have a good time. Great for date night with 'the right girl'... wink, wink...

RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting - 0.5/1 (There really isn't much acting); Casting - 1/1; Directing - 1/1; Story - 1/1; Writing/Screenplay - 0/1 (There is no dialog.);

Total Base Score = 3.5

Modifiers (+ or -): Music Score/Soundtrack: -0.5 (it's funny narration, but it's irritating without a sound track);

Gratuitous Female Nudity: +1 (This is the O.G. of female nudity...);

Cultural Significance: +1 (Pioneer of nudity in film);

Total RealReview Rating: 5

This movie contains some nude scenes, but there is no frontal nudity, because of the time it was made (1959) Although the film has no dialogue , only narration, it's nice to see the way early adult films had to adhere to the strict codes of the 50's. The movie is about a dental parts salesman, who can't help but notice the sexy women in the dentist's office, at the bar and at the beach. Throughout the movie he imagines them nude, and pictures them in suggesting poses. Every time he daydreams about these women nude, he snaps out of it and goes about daily life. The movie is a must see for movie buffs and those interested in history or the American pop-culture of the 50's.