FetHistory: Irving Klaw's PLEASURE PARADE #1: Bettie Page, Eric Stanton, John Willie, Gene Bilbrew, Adolfo Marino Ruiz

Bettie Page, Eric Stanton, Eneg, John Willie, Ruiz, Richard Pérez Seves

Another knockout from Irving Klaw's Nutrix era (1958 - 1964) is this very cool 1959 digest: Pleasure Parade, the second such 5x7" booklet published by Klaw and the first anthology to feature an all-star Irving Klaw line-up. I mean everyone's in this one: Bettie Page (or "Betty" Page as she was known then), Eric Stanton, John Willie, Gene Bilbrew (a.k.a. "Eneg"), Adolfo Ruiz. I was happy to finally locate a copy. The artifact that I own (that you see above) is an original Nutrix ... not a "Mutrix" reprint from the 1970s. (In fact, I'm not sure if it was even reproduced as a Mutrix publication.) So whose idea was Pleasure Parade? According to publisher J.B. Rund, who first wrote about Pleasure Parade in 1975 (Swank, August), it was Eric Stanton who first suggested the idea of the anthology to Klaw. At the time it was Stanton who had the closest relationship of any artist to Klaw. It could be said, in fact, that in some ways Stanton was Klaw's protégé. Here's a cool illustration done by Stanton -- only one of several inside:

Eric Stanton, Irving Klaw's Pleasure Parade, Richard Pérez Seves

Another by Stanton:

A killer Bettie Page:

Pleasure Parade also features some rare, unsigned John Willie illustrations. The first looks like a sketch from his famous "Pony Girl" fantasy series ... done when/where? The jury is out. Maybe John Willie aficionados can weigh in with more specifics?

Now here's my favorite John Willie, mysteriously signed (and on the wrong side) "B":

Look at those garters. I love the delicacy conveyed in John Willie's fantasy women:

Fragile and beautiful:

Gene Bilbrew (a.k.a. "Eneg") art is also featured in the book. This particular pony girl illustration is very distinctive of his highly stylized '50s Klaw work:

The last I'll mention is Mexican artist Adolfo Marino Ruiz (simply known to Klaw fans as "Ruiz"). Love his good girl art and think he's under-appreciated:

Pleasure Parade #1 (formally known as Pleasure Parade, Volume One, No. One) is classic Nutrix.

Not to be left out in the cold, Edward Mishkin -- Times Square bookstore operator and publisher -- (then a thorn in Klaw's side) produced a piracy -- a poor substitute for the real thing, but interesting nevertheless. Here's my copy below. Such piracies can be identified by the white border (usually on the bottom), in addition to the murky quality of reproduced images:

Eddie Mishkin Piracy, Richard Pérez Seves

It so happens I prefer to handle the Mishkin piracy more than the original since I'm less concerned about keeping it in great condition. But here's a close-up of what you'd be missing from the less degraded Klaw original (... and this is not good scan):

Now that I have your attention with Bettie, allow me to post a pic of Irving Klaw.

Now this is Edward "Eddie" Mishkin, Times Square operator/publisher, nemesis of Klaw.

I'll be profiling Irving Klaw and Edward Mishkin (as well as Leonard Burtman, Stanley Malkin, Steve Ditko, Bettie page et al.), in my upcoming (2018) illustrated hardcover biography, Eric Stanton & the History of the Bizarre Underground.

Cheers!

—Richard Pérez Seves

=> Index ~ of FetHistory ~ From the Beginning:

http://fethistory.blogspot.com/p/1.html

>> Peek inside the Charles Guyette tribute <<

Charles Guyette: Godfather of American Fetish Art
** 2018 Expanded Second Edition **

>> HERE <<

* * * * * *

Peek inside with Dita Von Teese:

==>> HERE <<==

Dita Von Teese, Instagram, Charles Guyette: Godfather of American Fetish Art

Reviews:

"If New York collector, writer and fetish historian Richard Pérez Seves had not decided to assemble what he knew about Charles Guyette (along with a substantial selection of images) into this paperback, this influential forerunner of the genre's better known exponents would have continued a lot longer as the great unsung hero of American fetish art."—Tony Mitchell, thefetishistas.com

"If you're at all a fan of fetish art ... then this book will be right up your alley." —kinkweekly.com

"I've often cited John Willie's gals as my biggest fashion inspiration but I'll have to start tipping my hat to Guyette as well."—Dita Von Teese