Russ Meyer Movies
American filmmaker Russ Meyer channelled his youthful energies into photography, winning several awards for his amateur films before he was 15. Experience under more grueling circumstances came when he worked as a newsreel cameraman in Europe during World War II. As a civilian, Meyer at first specialized in glamour photos of beautiful models, then found that the money came quicker and the work was more plentiful in the world of male-oriented "nudie" magazines; he was among the first and most prolific of the centerfold photographers for Hugh Hefner's Playboy magazine. From there, Meyer moved on to nudie films, a field in which he managed to strike a happy medium, titillating the audience while remaining within the boundaries of local censor boards. His first film, 1959's The Immoral Mr. Teas, has a plenitude of female flesh, but the story line -- a man subjected to a powerful anesthetic discovers that he can see through the clothes of every woman who walks past him -- precluded any physical contact between man and woman. Arguing that nudity in and of itself is not obscene so long as it is kept at arm's length, Meyer was able to circumvent the bluenoses and get his film booked into theaters. Shot silent on a budget of 24,000 dollars, The Immoral Mr. Teas made over 40 times its cost. When other producers began muscling in on his territory, Meyer decided to move beyond mere voyeurism, and with Lorna (1964) added elements of sexual contact (always stopping short of actual fornication) and violence. The director's excesses in terms of blood and carnality reached a peak with his "classics:" Motor Psycho (1965), Faster, Pussycat, Kill! Kill! (1966), and Harry, Cherry and Raquel (1969). With the 71-minute Vixen (1969), Meyer deliberately courted obscenity charges, reasoning that the best way to keep one's head above water in the sexually liberated movie scene of the late '60s was to stir up as much publicity as possible. Suddenly the director was making appearances on such conservative TV programs as The Art Linkletter Show, defending the artistic merits of Vixen -- and as a result, the film, put together for a mere 76,000 dollars, was a hit to the tune of six million dollars. 20th Century Fox, financially strapped and desperate to cash in on the sudden respectability of X-rated films (via the Oscar win for 1969's Midnight Cowboy), signed Meyer to direct his first big-studio picture. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), co-scripted by no less than Roger Ebert, was a success, emboldening Meyer to make his chanciest career move yet: The Seven Minutes (1971), a sexy but nonetheless "mainstream" all-star film based on a best-selling novel by Irving Wallace. Without his usual lascivious story ingredients to fall back on, Meyer proved to be an inept director, and the film ended up his first failure. Meyer continued making films into the late '70s, having been by this point firmly established as a cultural icon, and heralded at various respectable film festivals. Despite his body of film work, Russ Meyer's most lasting legacy may be his "protegée" and former wife, Edy Williams, the busty perennial starlet who could always be counted on to show a lot of skin at the annual Academy Awards show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Few television programs have broken as many taboos as Screw publisher Al Goldstein's groundbreaking late-night cable program Midnight Blue, and in this collection of audacious clips, Goldstein takes a look beyond the porn and politics and into the lives of the era's hottest celebrities. From the notorious "Barbra Streisand Porno Movie" to a visit to the 1979 Hooker's Ball where football legend O.J. Simpson offers his candid views on the sexual state of the nation, these are the interviews that would influence and inspire the celebrity gossip programs for decades to come. After witnessing Go-Go's beauty Belinda Carlisle fly solo in a late-night pleasure session, viewers can get a peek at the infamous Rob Lowe sex tape -- footage that nearly brought the handsome Brat Packer's Hollywood career to a screeching halt. Other guests include Arnold Schwarzenegger, R. Crumb, Tiny Tim, Gilbert Gottfried, Larry Flynt, Debbie Harry, Buck Henry, and vintage commercials for some of New York City's hottest adult sweet spots offer an intimate look at a time when the debauchery of the disco era was at an all-time high. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Goldstein, Alex Bennett, (more)
- 1989
This documentary presents interviews and clips with some of cinema's best loved cult figures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The 1987 portmanteau comedy feature Amazon Women on the Moon lampoons several film genres in general and the 1954 sci-fi cheapie Cat Women of the Moon in particular. Other sketches in Amazon Women include an opening bit with Arsenio Hall; a vignette titled "Son of the Invisible Man" wherein a naked Ed Begley Jr. runs around in full view of the nonplussed supporting cast; the It's Alive parody "Hospital", which offers the spectacle of Michelle Pfeiffer giving birth to Mr. Potato Head; and a Siskel & Ebert takeoff, featuring Arche Hahn as a TV viewer whose entire life is given a "thumbs down." Directed by several hands, including Joe Dante, Carl Gottleib, Peter Horton, John Landis, and Robert K. Weiss, Amazon Women on the Moon also features a satire of the Kroger G. Babb school of "sex hygiene" exploitation cheapies, with syphilis victim Carrie Fisher being counseled by unctuous doctor Paul Bartel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosanna Arquette, Ralph Bellamy, (more)
- 1976
Nobody is what they seem to be in this dizzying Russ Meyer feature, and everyone is a suspect. The reclusive Adolf Schwartz (Edward Schaaf) pays for weird pansexual pleasures performed by an interracial group of prostitutes. Later, Schwartz (who bears more than a passing resemblance to a more infamous Adolf) is found murdered in his bath, the victim of a hungry piranha. That same morning, Margo Winchester (Raven de la Croix) is jogging on a mountain pass when she's abducted and raped by a local boy. She defends herself and ends up breaking her assailant's neck, an act that is witnessed by state trooper Homer Johnson (Monty Bane). He offers to falsify his report in return for Margo's abundant body, and she enthusiastically accepts. Margo and Homer shack up in his mountain cabin, and he gets her a job at Alice's Cafe, a small-town greasy spoon run by Alice (Janet Wood) and her husband, Paul (Robert McLane). Suddenly business is booming (thanks to Margo's seductive swagger and Mae West impressions) and the trio decide to open a nightclub. Opening night is a smash, until a drunk lumberjack goes ape after witnessing Margo's sultry dance routine. The resulting fracas ends with an axe in Homer's chest and a wild moonlit chainsaw fight. But who murdered Adolf Schwartz? That mystery is solved in not one, but three epilogues which concern the identities of Eva Braun Jr., an undercover police officer and a closet white supremacist, who all fight to the death with a pistol, a dildo, and kung-fu. The action is explained and commented upon by the buxom, perpetually nude Greek Chorus (Francesca 'Kitten' Natividad), who quotes Shakespeare and attempts to raise the story to the level of classic farce. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Schaaf, Mary Gavin, (more)
- 1971
- R
Russ Meyer followed-up his delirious Beyond the Valley of the Dolls with this surprisingly straighforward drama, which offered little of Meyer's traditional tongue-in-cheek humor or remarkably proportioned women in favor of a serious message about the evils of censorship. A bookstore sells a copy of a notorious erotic novel, entitled The Seven Minutes, to a teenager who is later arrested for rape. A prosecutor on a crusade against pornography seizes upon this as an opportunity to have the book declared obscene, and the trial sparks a heated debate about the issue of pornography vs. free speech, as well as revealing a startling revelation about the novel's true author. Adapted from a novel by Irving Wallace, The Seven Minutes featured one of Meyer's more interesting casts, including veteran character actors John Carradine and Alexander D'Arcy, a post-Munsters Yvonne de Carlo, a pre-Magnum P.I. Tom Selleck, lounge comic Jackie Gayle, and Wolfman Jack as himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wayne Maunder, Marianne McAndrew, (more)
- 1970
- NC17
After nearly a decade as one of America's most successful independent filmmakers, legendary sexploitation auteur Russ Meyer first reached out for the brass ring of major studio success with this frantic cult favorite, once described by Meyer and screenwriter Roger Ebert as "the first exploitation-horror-camp-musical." Kelly McNamara (Dolly Read), Casey Anderson (Cynthia Myers), and Petronella Danforth (Marcia McBroom) are the three members of an all-girl rock band called "the Kelly Affair" who pull up stakes for Hollywood in search of stardom; they're accompanied by their manager, Harris Allsworth (David Gurian), who also happens to be Kelly's boyfriend. Kelly has an aunt in Hollywood, fashion mogul Susan Lake (Phyllis Davis), who takes Kelly under her wing and informs her she's entitled to a share of a recent family inheritance, much to the chagrin of Susan's lawyer, the shifty Porter Hall (Duncan McLeod). Susan arranges for Kelly and her bandmates to attend a wild party thrown by Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell (John La Zar), a flamboyant and very successful record producer; Z-Man renames the band "the Carrie Nations," signs them to a record deal, and they're one of the biggest acts in America practically overnight. However, Harris is pushed out of the picture as the band's manager by Z-Man, and as Kelly's boyfriend by actor and gigolo Lance Rocke (Michael Blodgett), sending Harris into a deep depression even after he becomes the new boy-toy of adult film star Ashley St. Ives (Edy Williams). Meanwhile, Petronella finds love with law student Emerson Thorne (Harrison Page) until her head is turned by heavyweight boxing champion Randy Black (Jim Iglehart), and Casey explores her sexual boundaries with Roxanne (Erica Gavin), a beautiful lesbian designer. This nonstop train of decadence, drugs, and betrayal finally comes off the rails during a drug-fueled orgy at Z-Man's mansion, which erupts into violence when the rock mogul's darkest secret is revealed. Featuring one-hit wonders the Strawberry Alarm Clock, supporting performances by Meyer regulars Charles Napier and Haji, and a bit part from future blaxploitation icon Pam Grier, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls proved to be Meyer's biggest box-office success, though after his next film (The Seven Minutes) bombed at the box office, he returned to independent production in 1973. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, (more)
- 1968
Paul (Paul Lockwood) is a strip club owner, with a sexually repressed wife, who has been fulfilling his needs at the local brothel. Main madam Claire (Lavelle Roby) hatches a plan to keep him busy with whiskey and sex while a pair of thugs (Duncan McLeod and Robert Rudelson) hide out in the men's room after closing time to try their luck at cracking the safe. Paul gets a little out of hand at the whorehouse, so he's knocked out and dragged back home to his disgusted wife, Kelly (Anne Chapman). Meanwhile, the club's main attraction quits and bartender Ray (Gordon Wescourt) calls up, prompting the frustrated, confused Kelly to try her hand at the striptease herself while her drunken husband sleeps it off. She's a hit, with Ray at least, who seduces her and takes her back to his swimming pool, leaving the safecrackers free to ply their trade. When Paul sobers up and finds that his wife is missing, he heads for the club, not realizing the danger that awaits him. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- 1967
One of Russ Meyer's lesser efforts, Common Law Cabin is nonetheless scintillating entertainment delivered in his usual taut, energetic style. Jack Moran is the proprietor of Hoople's Haven, a broken-down tourist trap on the Colorado River. He ekes out a living with the help of his French ex-stripper companion (Barbette Bardot) and is consumed with guilt over his lust for his teenage daughter (Adele Rein), who bears an uncanny resemblance to her late mother. Drunken boatman Cracker (Franklin Bolger) brings the latest group of "suckers" to the remote resort: an uptight, bespectacled doctor with a bad heart (John Furlong (here a dead ringer for George C. Scott), his roving wife (Alaina Capri), and a mysterious stranger (Ken Swofford) with eyes for all the women and for Hoople's business. After he bribes Cracker with money and bourbon to scram with the boat, the group is stranded; drinks are consumed and Meyer's special brand of hell is let loose. Meyer's standard characters are in evidence, including an innocent nubile bursting with unexplored sexuality, and married couples at war with their unequal libidos. There are attempted rapes, a few murders, and plenty of excuses for the busty women to dance along with the swinging surf rock sound. Unfortunately, there are a lot of loose ends that the story never adequately wraps up, and despite some sparkling dialogue and a collection of eyer's most bodacious bosoms, ommon Law Cabin remains in the second tier of the director's canon. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
Exploitation maven Russ Meyer created a cult classic with this turbo-charged action film. Three curvaceous go-go dancers in a cool sports car go on a desert crime spree, led by Varla (the amazing Tura Satana), a busty, nasty woman dressed entirely in black. Varla's lesbian moll, Rosie (Haji) -- who has an extremely overwrought accent -- and reluctant bimbo Billie (Lori Williams) are along for the ride. When they meet a naïve young couple, Tommy and Linda (Ray Barlow and Sue Bernard), Varla challenges the man to a race then kills him by breaking his back. They take Linda hostage and drive to a house owned by a crippled old lecher (Stuart Lancaster) and his muscular but retarded son, Vegetable (Dennis Busch). Varla discovers that the old man has money hidden on the property, so the girls try to find it. Meanwhile, Vegetable's perverted father tries to trick him into assaulting one of the girls as he watches, but his other son (Paul Trinka) finally shows up to save the day. A great deal of bloodshed, campy catfighting, and funny dialogue fills the bulk of this fast-paced comic book of a movie. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tura Satana, Haji, (more)
- 1966
Since Mondo Cane translates to A Dog's World, we can only suppose that Mondo Topless means Topless World. No, the title does not refer to a world without the Arctic Circle. Nudie king Russ Meyer aims his camera at various "traditional" ethnic ceremonies, focusing upon amply endowed females who insist upon jiggling their mammary glands at the slightest provocation. While all this is going on, the offscreen narrator expounds loftily, just as if we're watching a sobersided PBS documentary. For all its nudity, the 60-minute Mondo Topless is about as provocative as a home economics class. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
California McKinney (John Furlong) is hitchhiking to the state he was named for after serving a five-year sentence for manslaughter. He runs out of money in Spooner, MO, and finds work at a farm run by Lute Wade (Stuart Lancaster) and his niece, Hannah Brenshaw (Antoinette Christiani). All Calif wants is to do is work quietly until he can save enough money to keep on moving, but Hannah's drunken husband, Sidney (Hal Hopper), takes it upon himself to verbally and physically abuse him, as he does his own wife and any one else who crosses his path. Sidney spends most of his time drinking corn liquor at the local whorehouse and bragging about his plans to sell the farm after the sickly Uncle Lute dies. However, the goodhearted Calif and the long-suffering Hannah are falling in love, and Lute arranges his will so that Sidney can't lay claim to the estate after his death. The desperate Sidney plots with the local preacher (Franklin Bolger) to exploit the small town's gossipy nature with lies about Hannah's virtue, though his conniving is undone when he commits an insane, jealous crime and finds himself the target of a bloodthirsty vigilante group. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Hopper
- 1965
This exploitation film delivers the typically sadistic and fast-paced action expected from cult director Russ Meyer. Alex Rocco stars as veterinarian Corey Maddox, whose wife is raped by a motorcycle gang. The three hoods are led by Brahmin (Stephen Oliver), who was a Section 8 in Vietnam. They kill an old man and terrorize his wife Ruby (Haji) until she gets away and joins up with Maddox. Together, the two of them hunt down the gang. Brahmin shoots one of them himself, Ruby knifes another, and Maddox blows Brahmin to pieces with dynamite during a standoff at an abandoned mine. The rape scenes are brutal, though not explicit, and Meyer (who appears briefly as the local sheriff) leavens the film with enough campy humor to make it inoffensive. It would have been odious in other hands, but Meyer is somehow able to present scenes in the worst possible taste and still leave viewers smiling. He made better films than this one, but it is still superior to most similar efforts of the time. Coleman Francis and George Costello also appear. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Oliver, Haji, (more)
- 1961
Soft-core director Russ Meyer helms, writes, produces, and films this erotic, low-budget drama that features various stages of undress and how to get there, as its main attraction. Eve Meyer, who only appears in Russ Meyer films, and Anthony-James Ryan are the protagonists in a series of sexual situations that involve nudity and an overdose of ribald, mindless jokes that some viewers might find offensive. The female role mainly calls for wearing a variety of costumes that come off in different ways. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eve Meyer
- 1959
With The Immoral Mr. Teas, Russ Meyer reshaped the adult film industry (such as it was in 1959). In a genre that ran to documentaries about nudist volleyball tournaments and shame-based soap operas about the dangers of VD, infidelity, and teen sex, The Immoral Mr. Teas was a colorful, well-photographed, breezily witty romp that suggested a gag cartoon from Playboy sprung to life. Mr. Teas (Bill Teas), a delivery man working for a dentist, gets his own teeth worked on, and, after emerging from the anesthetic, discovers that every woman who crosses his path appears to be naked. Mr. Teas find this disconcerting until he learns to relax and enjoy the passing parade. Tame by post-'60s standards, The Immoral Mr. Teas is still amusing for its easygoing charm and poke-in-the-ribs humor; Meyer single-handedly launched the "nudie cutie" boom of the early 1960s and began the most interesting career in American sex films. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Peters
- 1954
Louis B. Appleton Jr. was the director of the low-low-budget Desperate Women, while Anne Appleton was the star. Hmm. . .a subtle pattern begins to emerge. Originally ballyhooed as "adults only" and shown only to segregated-by-sex audiences, the film is a cheesy but sincere plea for proper sex education--and against illegal abortion. The impressionable heroine is foolishly led to believe that birth-control devices are a certain protection against unwanted pregnancy; the film argues that the word "No" is the most effective contraceptive of all. Upon finding herself with child, the poor girl attempts to abort the baby, with tragic results (it goes without saying that the film was made several years before Roe vs. Wade). The director of photography on Desperate Women was Russ Meyer, who'd later go on to a spectacular career as producer-director of nudie exploitation films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hahn
