Coincidence? I think not...

There are times when I shake off my atheist tendencies and think that there actually may be a higher power in the universe. That maybe those intelligent design proponents are right.

Of course, my higher power enjoys the films of Brad Grinter.

I came across a film I'd never heard of. Here it is below:




BARELY PROPER. Just what the fuck is a BARELY PROPER, I ask myself. Well, let's scoot on over to the IMDB.

BARELY PROPER is a Brad Grinter nudist film from 1975.

From 1975? Wow.

So anyway I look over the listing and find a post from somebody named misanthropic_666, who sounds like a reasonable fellow. I'm just going to copy his post to here to save you time:

" Does anyone out there have a copy of BARELY PROPER on video? I found out that Something Weird Video put it on video sometime in the mid 1990's but they no longer offer it anymore. I ordered it from them about 6 months ago and they sent me my money back and said it was not available. Someone out there must've purchased a copy of this film from SWV back when it was available. Anyhow, I have an original poster for BARELY PROPER which came out in 1975. It was a late-in-the game nudist camp film shot down in Florida and was directed by Brad Frank Grinter who was a nudist in real life. The film starred his favorite actress Heather Hughes who appears in most of Grinter's films. It also starred Gideon who is a well known artist who lives in Florida. If anyone out there has the film, an original pressbook, lobby cards, film stills, etc. please email me. I'd love to finally see this "lost" film on video and DVD someday!"

Google BARELY PROPER and you'll also find a link to the MySpace site of one Gavcrimson, who says he was once called "a latter day Sherlock Holmes of pornography". Which is way cool. Seems like a good guy. But Gavcrimson has a MySpace friend with the moniker Absinthe, who posted a comment on Gavcrimson's page which goes a little like this (I'm going to take the whole comment verbatim so you don't have to go there right at this point):

" Thanks for the add. I don't know if you remember me but years ago when I first started using the internet, I used to read your reviews of exploitation films on the Internet Movie Database website and I emailed you a few times about Brad F. Grinter's "lost" films. Supposedly, sometime in the mid-1990's Something Weird Video released Grinter's late-in-the-game nudist film, "Barely Proper" (1975) which I have an original poster for. Well, to make a long story short, I ordered the film from SWV and they gave me a credit refund and told me that the film was no longer available. After that I emailed Lisa Petrucci (Mike Vraney's wife) and she told me that Barely Proper was dropped because SWV didn't have the rights to it and that Mike was currently in contact with Randy Grinter (Brad's son) and attempting to purchase the rights from him. Lisa also went on to say that she didn't know the status of "Never The Twain" (the other Grinter nudist film from the same year which I also have an original poster for.) Needless to say, it's already half way through 2008 and SWV has yet to release neither film.

BTW, if you haven't already noticed, Andy Milligan is my favorite of all exploitation film makers. He's the BEST! Please don't believe all the lies posted about him all over the internet."

I'm thinking misanthropic_666 and Absinthe are the same guy. This dude is all about Brad Grinter. In fact, this guy should probably write a book on him. I'd fuckin' buy it.

But back to IMDB...

I find out about this movie I've never heard of. Then I find out it's a nudist movie made by Brad Grinter in 1975. Then it just so happens there's another post on the message board. From March 23, 2009. Here again, I'm just taking the post (attributed to ttribalfreak):

"Just posted this film on eBay...check it out, item# 230333072503".

Wow! I find out about this movie and now someone has a copy of it for sale on eBay? Cool! Poor misanthropic_666 has been looking for this movie forever. Well, at least since March 20, 2004, the date of his IMDB post.

So I head on over to eBay to check it out. And Holy Shit...

Are you sitting down? Okay, look:




Yeah. tribalfrek (how he's known on eBay) is actually selling a print of BARELY PROPER.

Here's his strange description:

"Very Rare Find!!! Never completed film by Brad Frank Grinter...written by Manny Dietz, Produced by B. Grinter and Chas Youngman. Stared: Gideon, Heather Hughes, Jan Livingston and Cindy Walker. This film was made in 1975, promo posters and all. I came across these reels at a friends house...he told me they were in the storage unit when he got there. After doing a little research I found these reels never made it to editing, they were being shiped from Brooklyn, NY. to Miami FL. I have 3 cases of film but the shipping lable says 3 of 4...I don't know if 1 more case is missing or made it to Miami. The company that made this film is no longer open...PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH ON THIS FILM. There is a cult flowing for B.F. Grinter If you have any questions...please write. Thank you.... Note: these cases are heavy, even shipping through UPS it will cost."

I don't know what never made it to editing means. He mentions the shipping label says 3 of 4 but there's eight reels. Unless this is the IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD of nudist films, it's safe to say that this is the whole movie. Or possibly an uncut work print, if tribalfrek is correct in saying this has never been edited.




$50? Hell yeah! $180 shipping? Fuck no! I work in a liquor store, man.

But in the film nerd business, coincidence happens like this all the time. And for somebody out there, or should I say, somebody with the funds to purchase a 35 mm print of a possibly unedited work print of BARELY PROPER, well...I'm envious.

You have until tomorrow to buy it. Get to work.


BARELY PROPER IMDB Entry

tribalfrek's BARELY PROPER eBay listing

Gavcrimson's MySpace page