I remember this film hitting the theatres when I was a kid but of course I couldn't go to see it much to my disappointment. Having recently got a copy on DVD I found it a refreshing change from other "nudies" of the period, for one thing most of the people in it could act, including the little girl who later went on to be a regular in a TV series. Also it was great to see they didn't utilise the method commonly used in other films of the genre of people walking around with a beach ball or magazine held in front of there lower regions which frankly always made the scenes laughable, with the exception of a brief frontal shot of the little girl no one was filmed full frontal which took away the comic aspect and gave a more serious impression. One thing I wonder though is in today's so called liberated society would they still be allowed to show a man pick up a little naked girl and run his hand up and down her back while talking to her? I doubt it.
8 Reviews
Naked
BandSAboutMovies13 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Made at the Lake Como Family Nudist Resort in Lutz, Florida, this is all about J. Randolph Latimore (R. G. Armstrong), his daughter-in-law Susan (Jamie O'Hara) and his granddaughter (Karen Sue Trent) coming to terms with the death of his son and her falling in love with Johnny Patterson (Mickey Knox) as well as the elder man coming to grips with the growing need for people to be nude in public.
While this film seems silly today, it was part of a court case, Excelsior Pictures vs. New York Board of Regents. The New York State Court of Appeals ruled that onscreen nudity was not obscene and this movie is why others can depict nakedness on screen. Everyone in this is a nudist by the end. In movies like this, if you had a nude woman appear at a nudist camp, it was legal. Anywhere else she was naked, it wasn't. That's why there were so many of these films.
Director and co-writer Max Nosseck always seemed to make exploitation in the U. S. like Dillinger - starring Lawrence Tierney and written by William Castle and Philip Yordan - as well as Girls Under 21. Then again, he also made The Return of Rin Tin Tin.
Nudist camp movies may seem goofy and perhaps even boring today. When this debuted in Tampa, a 20 year old woman wasn't allowed in to see it, as she was too young. She was in the movie, so she was old enough to be nude at a camp.
While this film seems silly today, it was part of a court case, Excelsior Pictures vs. New York Board of Regents. The New York State Court of Appeals ruled that onscreen nudity was not obscene and this movie is why others can depict nakedness on screen. Everyone in this is a nudist by the end. In movies like this, if you had a nude woman appear at a nudist camp, it was legal. Anywhere else she was naked, it wasn't. That's why there were so many of these films.
Director and co-writer Max Nosseck always seemed to make exploitation in the U. S. like Dillinger - starring Lawrence Tierney and written by William Castle and Philip Yordan - as well as Girls Under 21. Then again, he also made The Return of Rin Tin Tin.
Nudist camp movies may seem goofy and perhaps even boring today. When this debuted in Tampa, a 20 year old woman wasn't allowed in to see it, as she was too young. She was in the movie, so she was old enough to be nude at a camp.
Even by the low standards of this sub-genre, this film's a dud
Leofwine_draca16 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
GARDEN OF EDEN is one of those obscure exploitation movies partially filmed at a real-life nudist camp and revelling in the fact. It plays out as a completely predictable family drama in which the prim and proper upbringing of the main characters is shaken up by the usual nudist camp visit, complete with volleyball games and the like. It's a dull little thing, near plot less, without much in the way of actual nudity, loaded with wooden acting from the non-performers, although some amusement is raised by the presence of future Hollywood actor R.G. Armstrong in a supporting role.
Delightful for this senior citizen
easychairjohn24 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I maybe full of BS but I like this movie. I remember the old "Art House" movies in the 60's and this film had even less nudity than those grind-house epics...But I like it. My goodness, a family torn apart and totally repaired by some sunshine? Wonderful. And some stars are part of this movie. R G Armstrong can probably best be remembered as the father whose one son was shot and another killed in the classic El Dorado. Someone sunk some money into this film as the Song "lets go sunning" is currently used on fallout New Vegas. The song was musically well done in that old 50's TV theme style. Sometime its good to turn your brain off and watch and old guilty pleasure. And It is currently on Amazon Prime for free!
Good effort, but needs more conflict
tlyoung8818 June 2003
I'm sure for its time it was very innovative, but no one took this subject matter seriously in the '50's. Take for instance the scene where Jamie O'Hara remarks how "delightful" it feels to watch her little daughter playing nude with other children, but balks when she sees other adults.
Nowadays the situation is reversed. With the proliferation of Girls Gone Wild, Hedonism and HBO & Playboy documentaries, mainstream audiences now see nudism as an adult hobby, and parents who involve their children are facing criminal investigations.
I expected more of the writer to make use of R.G. Armstrong. He's a very nice man. Met him at Dupar's four years ago. But such a talented actor who really should have been given more to do as the uptight old father figure.
Nowadays the situation is reversed. With the proliferation of Girls Gone Wild, Hedonism and HBO & Playboy documentaries, mainstream audiences now see nudism as an adult hobby, and parents who involve their children are facing criminal investigations.
I expected more of the writer to make use of R.G. Armstrong. He's a very nice man. Met him at Dupar's four years ago. But such a talented actor who really should have been given more to do as the uptight old father figure.
Am in love
ah-2111315 July 2020
Entertaining Nudist Film
Michael_Elliott13 September 2017
Garden of Eden (1954)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Susan (Jamie O'Hara) wants to get away from her awful father-in-law (R.G. Armstrong) so she packs up her young daughter (Karen Sue Trent) and heads off. Their car breaks down in Tampa and they are rescued by Johnny (Mickey Knox) who takes them back to his home. His "home" turns out to be a nudist colony where the conservative Susan learns a few things.
GARDEN OF EDEN wasn't the first nudist movie ever made but it is believed to be the first one that was actually shot in color. In fact, this really isn't your typical nudist film as there are professional actors here and the main point of the film is actually it's plot. Yes, there's actually a plot here. You'll also be interested in knowing that many of the cast members would go onto appear on television shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Leave It to Beaver as well as movies like THE GODFATHER PART III, PREDATOR and THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY among others.
This film actually turned out to be pretty good as there's a nice little story at the center of it. The lead female character's husband was killed in the war and she's having to deal with the rather annoying father-in-law. She then leaves town, ends up at this joint and has a lot to think about the future of her life. I thought all of this was handled quite well and it certainly helped that we were given some real actors and they turned in nice performances. This was especially true of O'Hara and Armstrong who was making his film debut.
As far as the exploitation nature, yes, the film was originally sold because of its nudity and it faced various legal issues in nearly each state that it tried to play. The nudist scenes are what you'd expect as we see people walking around, swimming and of course there's the volleyball sequence. The people are all of the attractive nature and there's no doubt that the nudity and the setting mix well with the story and in the end it really helps the picture.
There are some obviously flaws with the movie including some of the pacing as well as some of the moral preaching but for the most part I can comfortably say that GARDEN OF EDEN is the best nudist movie that I've seen.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Susan (Jamie O'Hara) wants to get away from her awful father-in-law (R.G. Armstrong) so she packs up her young daughter (Karen Sue Trent) and heads off. Their car breaks down in Tampa and they are rescued by Johnny (Mickey Knox) who takes them back to his home. His "home" turns out to be a nudist colony where the conservative Susan learns a few things.
GARDEN OF EDEN wasn't the first nudist movie ever made but it is believed to be the first one that was actually shot in color. In fact, this really isn't your typical nudist film as there are professional actors here and the main point of the film is actually it's plot. Yes, there's actually a plot here. You'll also be interested in knowing that many of the cast members would go onto appear on television shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Leave It to Beaver as well as movies like THE GODFATHER PART III, PREDATOR and THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY among others.
This film actually turned out to be pretty good as there's a nice little story at the center of it. The lead female character's husband was killed in the war and she's having to deal with the rather annoying father-in-law. She then leaves town, ends up at this joint and has a lot to think about the future of her life. I thought all of this was handled quite well and it certainly helped that we were given some real actors and they turned in nice performances. This was especially true of O'Hara and Armstrong who was making his film debut.
As far as the exploitation nature, yes, the film was originally sold because of its nudity and it faced various legal issues in nearly each state that it tried to play. The nudist scenes are what you'd expect as we see people walking around, swimming and of course there's the volleyball sequence. The people are all of the attractive nature and there's no doubt that the nudity and the setting mix well with the story and in the end it really helps the picture.
There are some obviously flaws with the movie including some of the pacing as well as some of the moral preaching but for the most part I can comfortably say that GARDEN OF EDEN is the best nudist movie that I've seen.
HOT
RainbowVic12 December 2022
What a stunning, sharp, modern, provocative, brilliantly acted, excellently shot, suspenseful, dark, excruciatingly honest and extremely beautiful to watch timeless masterpiece!
A great movie that gradually piles up the suspense and the psychological relationships between the characters and elevates the whole story way beyond the boundaries of a simple set of events.
There's drama, action, suspense, sex, and full nudity. All in a perfect movie surprise. He will make you laugh, cry and see sometimes you have never know about the world.
Too much hate towards this film, I loved it. The message is beautiful and worth every minute of the movie. I can't help but think that the negative reviews are mostly from those people who say that females have to stay home and cook while running their movies. This is a movie that helps little girls know that all women are powerful and strong and being a minority won't determine how far you go unless you let them. A MUST VIEW!
Dm me for a hot chat, on kik if you want.
A great movie that gradually piles up the suspense and the psychological relationships between the characters and elevates the whole story way beyond the boundaries of a simple set of events.
There's drama, action, suspense, sex, and full nudity. All in a perfect movie surprise. He will make you laugh, cry and see sometimes you have never know about the world.
Too much hate towards this film, I loved it. The message is beautiful and worth every minute of the movie. I can't help but think that the negative reviews are mostly from those people who say that females have to stay home and cook while running their movies. This is a movie that helps little girls know that all women are powerful and strong and being a minority won't determine how far you go unless you let them. A MUST VIEW!
Dm me for a hot chat, on kik if you want.
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