#330 - Orbit Premier Issue Selbee Associates Anita Ventura

Orbit, Premier Issue
Selbee Associates, Inc.
New York, New York
c. 1961

digital replica

The Premier Issue of Orbit shows no date of publication. According to Dr. Bienvenu's dissertation, Selbee Associates, Inc. was incorporated by the State of New York in July 1960. (L. Burtman is listed as president of Selbee Associates on page 55.) Mr. Burtman referred to Orbit magazine in a letter dated 1961.


In those days, one field of US-Soviet competition was the space race, and the title refers to hardware in the sky. Art Director Gene Bilbrew's logo shows “Astro-Gal” riding a rocket. She also appears in a three-panel comic strip with a Cold War twist.


Mr. Burtman had a practice of using aliases with his own initials. In the opening credits for the film Satan in High Heels, the producer is shown as L. Burton. In Orbit, the page-three masthead shows the editor as L. Benson, and Louis Benson signs an editorial statement on page 53.


In it, he describes the design of Orbit as a mix of content found in the most popular men's magazines and the off-beat and bizarre. Popular men's zines layered pictures of naked models between articles, short stories and cartoons.


On 56 pages, Orbit bares three models: Paulette Bornay, Model-of-the-Month Anita Ventura, and Lynne Carroll. One article shows pictures of New York's annual Beggars' Ball, where pretty dancers perform in glittery costumes. Carlson Wade contributes articles about masochism and black magic. Another article promotes Mr. Burtman's Satan in High Heels movie with photos of Sabrina and Meg Myles.


Illustrations by Mr. Bilbrew introduce two short stories. His cartoons appear on a few pages.


The tonality of photos was adjusted and spots re-touched. The page sequence was revised to achieve continuity of prose pieces. Some page layouts were changed to show pictures without reduction in size. All original scans.


The Premier Issue of Orbit began the second chapter in Mr. Burtman's publishing career. In the 1960s, he launched more than 20 nameplates with intermittent corporate partners, produced non-fiction books and booklets, and achieved national distribution.


Orbit reflects earnest effort to produce a full-sized magazine that compares, at least in concept, with contemporaneous men's magazines. The occasional appearance of high heels, gloves and corsets and consideration of esoteric subjects discloses interests of its publisher.


The large format digital replica presents all the content of the original, including ads, in an easy-to-see e-book mechanism that facilitates reading and zooming. There has never been a more convenient means for enjoying this obscure artifact of mid-century curiosa.

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