For Members Only

Although preceded on Talking Pictures by the usual disclaimer that it was rated 18 as "it dealt with adult themes" 'The Nudist Story' is possessed of a childish innocence that today seems quite charming; apart from the industrial-strength consumption of tobacco by many of the cast.

The title serves as a warning, but at first it all seems to start quite innocently with the prim young heroine addressing a group of shareholders around a boardroom table. Although the fact it's in Technicolor already sets it apart it and the eccentric jazz score by Tony Crombie serves as warning that when she goes down to the woods that day she's sure of a big surprise in the form of a group of well-spoken gentlemen and young ladies engaged in the most innocent of pursuits - complete with singalongs - who just happened to wearing no clothes.

Naturally it's all done in the best POSSIBLE taste...!!

THE NUDIST STORY is your garden-variety nudie flick, with a threadbare plot of sorts to keep the momentum going and more than half the running time devoted to cinema verite-style footage of men and women going about their business at a nudist camp. It was made by the 'British Sunbathing Association' and feels at times like a propaganda flick; you can guess the kind of viewers this type of film attracted.

Lead actress Shelly Martin puts in a surprisingly good performance in the leading role as a prim and proper young woman who treats the idea of nudist camps with the usual prejudice. When she inherits one and begins to learn more about it, her eyes are opened to a very different world. A love triangle sub-plot of sorts serves to drag out the short running time a little further, while topless nudity from woman after woman - not all of them young and nubile either - is the order of the day. It's nothing more than a forgettable fluff piece in retrospect.

This title has been available for quite some time from Something Weird Video under the title For Members only, The Nudist Story. This was the original complete title in the UK. Film quality is excellent. The opening credits briefly switch from the original to the title page of "Pussycat Paradise" and then back to the original. That was a brief alternate title in the mid to later 60s.

I don't have any idea how long this movie has been available, but it was a happy shock to learn of it's original British title, Google it, and discovery that it has been here for some time.

Beyond the opening credits, the film remains complete and beautiful quality. There is even a film trailer after the end of the feature.

Shelly Martin, the actress in the lead role, she dealt with Miscellaneous Crew for "Deep Throat", the famous porn film from 1972. Here, 12 years before, she found a pretext to show us her tits and her ass. That's all!

This title popped up on youtube. I'm sure it was marketed for its titillating subject, a throwaway "adult" low-bill title. It's actually fairly well made, with decent acting and production values. The story is exactly what you might expect, but it's not bad. Except for the skin, this could be Disney film.

There is some padding in the middle, where we're treated to not one but two full-length songs. Maybe they were giving the drive-in audience a chance to go to the snack bar. Also, being very English and very 1960, it's extra shades of whiteness.