Followers of the Sun

Valley of the Nudes

"This picture was photographed at the largest nudist camp in California, located ten miles from Lake Elsinore, one of the many garden spots in California, Elysian Fields. Our purpose is to show the benefits derived from bathing the body in the sun and air. We hope to show that the rapid growth of the Nudist Movement throughout the world is based on health, both of the body and mind." "James Mack, a reporter for the International News Bureau, is assigned by his editor to do a story on the phenomenon of nudist colonies. Mack goes to a bookstore looking for information on the subject and is told to see a Dr. King whose office is nearby. Mack sees King, who tells him of the ancient origins of the nudist movement and how famous Americans, like Benjamin Franklin, believed in the healthful benefits of nudism. With the help of his assistant, Miss Prudence Kemp, King shows Mack a film about nudism in Africa, which the doctor narrates. After the film, Mack asks King to take him to a nudist colony, but King is unable to do so at that time. Instead King asks Miss Kemp to take Mack out to the Elysian Fields Nudist Colony, just seventy-one miles outside Hollywood near Lake Elsinore. Near the camp, the two spy on the summer home of Aimee Semple McPherson. Arriving at the camp, they are met by its director, Hobart Glassey, who welcomes them but requires Mack to sign a pledge requiring him to conduct himself correctly inside the camp. Glassey becomes Mack¿s chaperon for the evening, and at the campfire that night, Glassey gives a speech concerning the benefits of nudism, which he argues is natural and beneficial to both mind and body. The next morning, Mack gets dressed, only to be met by the nude Miss Kemp, who chastises him for wearing his clothes. Dr. King arrives and convinces Mack to try nudism for the day. As the two men wander the camp, they find the nudists in numerous activities: exercising, sun bathing, playing baseball, playing volleyball, bathing, etc. Mack is captivated by the lifestyle, as well as the doctor¿s secretary, as he continually asks: "Where is Miss Kemp?" At the end of the day, Mack prepares to leave, telling King that he has found the camp a wonderful experience and will write a glowing article about it. As he leaves with Miss Kemp, the nudists wave goodbye to their newest convert"--AFI catalog, 1931-1940.