Movies - The Immoral Mr. Teas

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	Movies - The Immoral Mr. Teas

The Immoral Mr. Teas (1959) is the first commercially successful film of director Russ Meyer.

Etymology

The name "Teas" is of course a homophone of the word tease, and one of the meanings of tease includes to sexually excite another person by subtle means, usually explicitly avoiding advancement to more potentially consequential erotic situations. The title character is played by Meyer's army buddy, Bill Teas, whose homophonic name Meyer happily exploits.

Background

Before this film was released the only moving pictures exhibiting extensive nudity were either underground (covertly produced and distributed) pornographic films, typically distributed "under the counter" in 16 mm black and white movies, or naturist pictures, openly displayed in specialized movie theaters, usually under the cover of exhibiting the fun and freedom of nudism in naturist reserves (nudist camps). These "ASA approved" (American Sunbathing Association) pictures always included at least one professional actress, always a beautiful (but not overly busty) woman—usually a character being newly introduced to the joys of naked communal camp living by a friend—naked swimming, naked canoeing, naked volleyball, naked etcetera, with the emphasis on how free and natural the lifestyle is. The extras appeared to be genuine naturists—especially considering how out of shape most of them were.

A breakthrough

The Immoral Mr. Teas was the first "above ground" movie to show female nudity without the pretext of naturism. It is considered to be the first commercially viable "skin flick." This movie exhibited a wry humor and an admirable respect for and appreciation of the beauty of the female form—comparable to that of sculptors and painters throughout the ages.

The movie consists of a series of short scenes. In a sense, no one is actually naked; we only see the nudity through the viewpoint and vivid imagination of Mr. Teas. Mr. Teas' mental constructions extend beyond the nudity (always exclusively of female characters)—there is an underlying surrealism in Mr. Teas' imagination that results in a number of genuinely bizarre situations.

It is arguable that the nudity seen in The Immoral Mr. Teas is now considered completely unremarkable by modern Hollywood R-rated movie standards and as things are progressing may soon be considered to be only PG-13 (suitable for all teenagers with parental guidance).

A typical scene

Mr. Teas attends an appointment with his dentist, who must unfortunately perform an extraction of a major molar. Naturally, the dentist has an assistant—a stunningly beautiful and not-quite modestly dressed assistant. The application of analgesics appropriate to the procedure quickly releases Mr. Teas' fertile imagination. We now see the scene through this viewpoint. Rather than the typical equipment–cluttered dental office we are on a set—only a dentist, a dental chair, Mr. Teas, and the assistant are present—against a stark and simple background. Only now, the assistant is completely nude. As the procedure is completed the dentist removes the molar from Mr. Teas' mouth—but rather than only a small object in the extraction pliers the molar has the appearance of a single large staghorn (deer antler) with a number of points. The body of the "molar" is white, while each tip (representing the roots of the molar) is colored a bloody red. Mr. Teas has paid a price for his lustful imagination.

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