Blaze Starr Goes Nudist

This film is from director Wishman's less interesting early period of nudist camp movies before she totally wigged out later in the 60s. The unintentionally experimental compositions and editing that Wishman later indulged in are rarely in evidence here. One typical Wishman device that is on display here is the repeated technique of focusing on the person being spoken to during dialogue scenes which makes dubbing a lot easier. Blaze is all physical presence, with little personality and way too much make-up. Look for a cameo appearance by Doris as one of Blaze's agents.

Unlike some of the other Wishman movies, this one has a plausible plot. Real-life stripper Blaze Starr plays a nightclub performer that is suffering from career burnout. One day when she wanders away from her pestering manager she enters a movie theater and sees a movie about a nudist colony. She visits the location and is very pleased when her application is accepted. From that point on she disappears from the view of her professional handlers and spends her weekends at the nudist camp. Blaze finds it very relaxing, but her absence infuriates her manager.

Beyond this plot, the action is pure Wishman and can be summed up with the phrase, "Show female breasts, perhaps some back crack and then show more female breasts." This is most evident in the scene where Blaze and two other women remove towels from a clothesline. They smile and nod their heads but there is no pretense at all that they are actually talking to each other.

Modern viewers will recognize the standard T & A principles of shooting, where the women are careful to keep one leg over the other to avoid any appearance of pubic hair. The shots of the men are even more rigid to avoid the appearance of what is now called "the junk." With activities among the naked people where no attempt was made to have them appear real, this movie was nevertheless a trailblazer in what could appear on film. It was made in 1962, when all but the mildest form of swearing was disallowed in movies and even the partial appearance of a breast due to a female bow was forbidden. If you view this movie with that understanding, then it becomes tolerable and perhaps even enjoyable.

...nudist camp movies. This genre has been due a come back for longer than I have been alive.

Here we have an OK template for film makers to start from.

First take a marginally famous media celebrity who the media is no longer interested in. Acting ability is irrelevant. Preferably female as the target audience is most likely going to be teenage boys who have never seen naked ladies before. (Sounds like a rather small audience in this cyber-age)

Then start shooting!

You'll figure out a story as you go but until you do we want the following shots:

-starlet walking places: to the car, to the kitchen, to the bathroom, down the street, back from the car, back from the kitchen, back from the bath room, back down the street, up and down stairs, etc.

-starlet brushing hair, standing around by herself, smiling at nothing, and especially shots where her eyes widen and narrow for no apparent reason.

-starlet sitting in a stationary car which you gently rock.

-same car driving up and down streets, (could be anyone driving)

These shots are very important because this is where you'll lay down your voice-over track later once you've figured out what you still need to hold your story together, once you've figured out a story.

Location sound is not an issue, you don't need to record any. You can edit around that but be clever, film the other actors responses then edit so everybody is listening and nodding and all the dialogue is off-screen, or shoot from behind the speaking actors so you can't see their mouths move, or from long shots. You could just have the actors alternately chew gum in the long shots and add dialogue later, no one will care.

Have lots of phone acting, you only need the one actor for that, they hold the phone in front of their mouth while they chew gum and you can add both sides of the conversation later.

Now the story. This isn't really important, it is just to get the starlet out of her real world and into that of the nudist camp. Character names aren't important either, just use the actors real names, they will be happy for the exposure.

Now we come to THE exposure. Get a bunch of young ladies who are trying really hard to get a break into movies, waitresses, and strippers are good. "Dancers" if that's what they want to call themselves, we know what I mean. They must have perky breasts who aren't shy, saggy butts are okay too. It doesn't matter if they are shaved or bushy because you are going to compose all your shots so we can't tell: all the actors will sit cross legged or will be seen from behind, throw in a couple of guys for the ladies, it's okay if they wear shorts, after all this is a nudist camp movie, not the discovery channel.

Now action!

The cast play chess, checkers, archery (with suction cup arrows very P.C.), volleyball, row boats, sit around posing, sit around some more, play accordion, siamese dance, pick fruit, and grass, swim, and walk around. Lots. Shoot as much of this stuff as you can as many takes as you can, you're going to use them all! Some of the shots several times.

Get some cut aways of the non-nudist actors just looking, frame with just the sky behind them, you can use these any where.

Play dodgy Musak over it all you should be able to pick up some really cheap copyright-free stuff, it will help captivate the viewer.

Throw in a twist: Like after the starlet's dirty little "I'm a nudist!" secret is exposed the only one who cares is the original love interset, ditch him, insert last minute new love interest here, roll credits, everybody else in the film is converted to nudity and they all live happily ever after.

Should fit nicely under 75 minutes.

Note: don't reveal too much too early or nobody will stick through to the end to see your clever twist.

I think there are enough untalented film makers out there today who could really give this a go. Or remake-happy Hollywood should (is there an echo in here?). Doris Wishman would sell the rights relatively cheap, probably offer her director services as a free bonus. Or... wait a few more years , it will become public domain and we can all rip it off.

Maybe a cross genre to make it more 2000's.... nudist camp meets slasher film...hmmm hang on I'd better copyright that idea.

Blaze Starr went nudist, all right, and it was a look that really suited this fit, 38-24-37 Burlesque topliner. Starr is a bountiful physical spectacle in this movie, and less the bizarro caricature (and stunningly inept actress) as otherwise similar Wishman compatriot Chesty Morgan (e.g. "Deadly Weapons," "Double Agent 73"). (Unlike Chesty, Starr was sizzling hot, and her ineptness as an actress is balanced by an endearing, even if hopeless, effort to be presentable). If you like campy acting, ridiculous dialog, and shamelessly naked people, this odd and somewhat charming sexploitation film is worth checking out. As a whole, this is probably Wishman's most polished movie, and the overall experience feels more the work of David Friedman ("Blood Feast," "She Freak," etc.), himself a friend of Wishman, than a typical Wishman film. Scenes flow naturally from one to the next, and the camera-work is heads-and-shoulder's above typical Wishman fare. (We're not talking high art, mind you, but at least scenes are framed and in focus). Similarly, Wishman's patent feet shots and bold-faced filler are largely absent. As expected, the story and acting are deplorable, but the film's innocent spirit and camp factor make for quaint sexploitation vintage. If you are curious about Doris Wishman, the "Female Ed Wood," as she is often heralded, "Blaze Starr Goes Nudist" is a solid choice. ---|--- Reviews by Flak Magnet

Doris Wishman (the film maker), in this film, managed to do the impossible, something that I thought couldn't be done. She made nudity *boring*! The movie is little more than scenes of naked people in the outdoors, doing mundane things like lounging around the swimming pool, strolling by the pond, playing chess... Zzzzzzzzzz. And since this was 1960, there's no full frontal nudity anywhere. The only part that really got me interested was "Leslie" demonstrating her swimming prowess in the pool. The rest of the film has the flimsiest of plots, something about Belle Starr wanting to get away from it all by escaping to the nudist camp every weekend, as her weasel-like fiancé/manager gets more and more irate. In the end, it all works out -- the final scene, the final meeting with the studio boss, was amusing (though I saw that one coming).