DIARY OF A NUDIST

“Diary of a Nudist” is undoubtedly the most authentic nudist picture we have seen. Zelda Supplee, owner of Sunny Rest and Sunny Palms Lodge, appears with Norman Casserly, Sunny Rest manager, and a bevy of beauties whose sunburned bottoms indicate that this is their first appearance as nudists.

“Diary of a Nudist” is, briefly, the story of a newspaper editor who stumbles onto a nudist club while hunting and determines to write a series of articles exposing it and nudism as a whole. His best gal reporter fails him when she is converted to the nudist way of life, so he goes out to write the story he wants. But he too finds nudism different than he had imagined.

Besides Norman and Zelda there were other real nudists in this picture. They were as readily recognizable as the non-nudist beauties. Much of this slow moving picture reminds us of the old hand-cranked peep shows, but aside from the slow plot and this peep show characteristic the picture was an authentic reflection of nudist practice with one or two exceptions.

The care with which admissions were handled at Sunny Palms was in marked contrast to the ludicrous admission to the Garden of Eden some years ago of a middle-aged single without any interview at all. In fact Zelda leaned the other way in this picture, requiring a good looking single girl to go home and wait after having been to camp for her interview. We wonder if there is a camp in America THAT careful! One notable discrepancy in the picture was permitting a lone man to stroll about the grounds on his first day in a bathing suit. In fact he only had to hide behind a newspaper in one scene. Is there any club that permits that?

Otherwise the picture was beautiful, factual and an excellent piece for nudism. A believable piece of propaganda, but with a capital P. With this picture the ASA should have a spokesman travelling all over the country, speaking in the intermission, giving out information, and selling the Nudist Primer to make his expenses. It could do a lot of good.

Ray Connett

(Source: The Bulletin, Volume 12 No. 2, February, 1963)