business man who is shocked to discover that his 17 year-old son is the after school gigolo of a widowed young comtesse.

A'Conversion'

He is even more jolted to find out that his older son, a peroxided and bejewelled cheri, is not only a rising young couturier but a confirmed invert. Deftly enough, both he and his "ami" are kept off camera. But in five or ten years they will not be. This ostrich egg will be hatching indeed.

The point of the comedy lies in Papa's gradual reconsiliation to the situation. His conversion is aided immeasurably by realization of the commercial advantages of darling sonnys female fashion talents. M. Fresnay is supported smooth ly by Simone Renant, as his calm wife who has known all along, by Georges Poujouly as the normal if amoral younger son and by Marguerite Pierry as doting Grand❜mere.

The script by Sherban Sidry, Frederick Grendel and Andre Roussin is clever; it's based on the play by Roussin which was, we are informed, a hit in Paris and in London, too. The direction by Denys de la Patelliere tends, however, to be a bit static.

For the companion feature we have "His First Affair," one of France's older style boy and girl stories. It's confused. It's stereotyped. But at least c'est la nature.

UNDER

the

to spices, which lasts some time." Possibly this fact first suggested that semen might, when ingested possess valuable stimulant qualities... In rocks eighteenth century Europe, Schurig,

BY NOEL I. GARDE

MEDICINE, ANYONE?

When at length the semen is ejaculated, it contains various substances which may be separated from it, and possesses various qualities, some of which have only lately been investigated, while others have evidently been known to mankind from a very early period. "When held for some time in the mouth," remarked John Hunter (Essays and Observations, I, 189), "it produces a warmth similar 20

in his Spermatologia, still found it necessary to discuss at length the possible medical properties of human semen, giving many prescriptions which contained it. The stimulation produced by the ingestion of semen would appear to form in some cases a part of the attraction exerted by fellatio; De Sade emphasized this point; and in a case recorded by Howard semen appears to have acted as a stimulant for which the craving was as irresistible as is that for alcohol in deipsomania (Alienist and Neurologist, January, The 1896). (From Havelock Ellis, Mechanism of Detumescence, p. 172)

mattachine REVIEW

Calling

Shots

ANTI-CENSORSHIP GROUPS

START TO ORGANIZE

A wave of censorship activities fanned by the U.S. postoffice and groups crusading under the "Citizens for Decent Literature" banner has resulted in the inevitable: There are now two distinct anti-censorship movements under way in the nation, one of the East Coast, the other in California, Some comment about them has been

made here before.

In Washington, D. C., the League for the Abolition of Postal Censorship is now at work. Officers are H. Lynn Womack, Ph.D., director; Stanley M. Dietz, legal counsel; Donald F. Branca, vice president, and Angela G. Car lisle, secretary-treasurer. Address is P. O. Box 1647, Washington 13. An nual membership dues of five dollars per year entitle one to a newsletter and the annual financial statement. Dr. Womack, the director, has told us that a recent newspaper release printed nationally which declared that certain physique magazines had been declared obscene was false. It simply involved, he said, an attempt to obtain second

•

class mailing privileges which was denied, but this decision has been appealed and is pending before a higher court. This organization has issued a leaflet calling for help in fighting "the new McCarthyism." It challenges the authority of lay postal officials who have assumed the authority of national censors and who have declared that they must circum-. vent U. S. Supreme Court decisions which stand in their way.

In California, the "Freedom to Read Citizens Committee" has become more active and is now calling for workers from a growing number of interested. adults to provide speakers for clubs, to analyze proposed legislation which

may loosen the already vague obscenity definition, and to promote other activities designed to protect constitutional guarantees against the inroads censors would make. Prominent in the roster of those most inter ested in this San Francisco group are a number of leading attomeys.

PUBLICATIONS SEMINAR

NOW SET FOR JANUARY

Although early December has been. announced as the date for the 3rd annual Publications Day Seminar of the Mattachine Society at San Francisco, the date has been moved up to early next year-probably sometime in January. Reason for the postponement is the fact that some individuals desired as speakers will be unable to appear in December. As in the past, the prob lem of restrictions placed upon pub lications dealing with sex will be a main theme-with present plans call-