There's been something of a Kiss Me Kate revival going on lately in the cyber-spanking world, with fanz123 sending us new information which we have posted on our Kate page, and Chross posting so much Kate stuff on his blog, that now would seem to be the time to remind everyone about another, far less well-known scene from the musical Gypsy (1959). In the 1962 film version, there is a brief scene set on the stage of a burlesque hall (seen from the wings in this shot). A slave-girl in ancient Rome is ordered by her master to pick up his violin:
However, he's got more than music on his devious mind. Once the unsuspecting girl bends over to pick up the violin, he quickly comes up behind her and gives her a swat with the most ludicrously-colored (and shaped) paddle we have ever seen, to the accompaniment of a perfectly-timed shot on the drums from the orchestra pit:
Yes, it's silly, but it sure is fun, and we remember the effect seeing it had on us way back when. One imagines that this kind of thing must have actually happened from time to time in ancient Rome. Then as now, there would have been some pretty kinky types around, including some wealthy slave-owners. Indeed, if the picture painted by a historians such as Suetonius (1st century) is accurate, there were a whole lot of kinky types around. Just imagine a slave girl who must assume the position when commanded to do so, waiting breathlessly for her master to apply the paddle... oh, those old Romans!
By the way, as part of the Lupercal, a fertility festival, Roman women without children would receive a good swat from the Pontifex Maximus (high priest) - really! Of course, modern science has established that a good paddling is more likely to cure brattiness than infertility, but our own Valentine's Day holiday is descended from the Lupercal, so be sure to keep the tradition going by spanking someone you love on Valentine's Day!
Here's an example of Roman spanking, taken from the ancient city of Pompeii. The spanking depicted is thought to have taken place in a brothel, but we're not sure.
