Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film

by Jimmy McDonough

  “Smelled like alcohol,” ibid., p. 54.

  “She was very agitated . . . have to give her money . . .” ibid., p. 51.

  “She was saying her life was going nowhere,” ibid., p. 54.

  “She started to berate . . . he was pathetic,” ibid., p. 55.

  “I thought she was going to hit me,” ibid., p. 56.

  “She was just sort of saying . . . the way it is,’ ” ibid., p. 61.

  “Russ was missing and I was worried . . . he took off down the street,” Debra Angela Masson testimony, pp. 241–242.

  “I asked him to please lay off the gin,” ibid., p. 205.

  “He got a beer . . . spike it up,” ibid., p. 205.

  “He doesn’t like . . . whatever I want,’ ” ibid., p. 206.

  “He pushed me . . . hit him once,” ibid., pp. 207–213.

  “I did not belittle . . . that to him,” Debra Angela Masson (Melissa Mounds) testimony, 7/22/99, p. 48.

  “Well, it’s a natural feeling on the part of people that don’t have as much money, they’d like to get some,” Russ Meyer testimony, p. 38.

  “I can recall . . . felt severely injured . . .” ibid., p. 8.

  “I was being struck . . . a strong woman,” ibid., p. 15.

  “He gets confused. He doesn’t know what day it is . . .” Janice Cowart testimony, p. 46.

  “He doesn’t like to address it,” ibid., p. 47.

  “She has manipulating . . . coaching him,” Debra Angela Masson testimony, p. 223.

  “She has been a very close confidante and honest lady,” Russ Meyer testimony, p. 25.

  “Probably as a direct result,” Janice Cowart testimony, p. 92.

  June 19, 2000, conservatorship: Russell A. Meyer Conservatorship, Case BP 062075, Superior Court of California.

  “These films are my legacy, they are my children,” RM to Veronica Vera, “Veronica Vera’s New York,” Adam, vol. 31, no. 12, circa 1980s (March 3, 2003, Dottavio e-mail: confidential source).

  Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! $500 screening: Janice Cowart.

  DVD complaints: numerous online posts at the Mobius Home Video forum.

  Meyer Keating quote epitaph: countless interviews, also The Incredibly Strange Film Book, Jonathan Ross.

  “Everybody gets off . . . satisfied,” “a treadmill . . . in futility,” Howard Hampton, “The Green Door in the Floor,” Village Voice, 3/21/05.

  “Sex today . . . little profit centers,” Erica Jong to Laura M. Holson, “The Long View on ‘Deep Throat,’ ” New York Times, 9/5/04.

  Tarantino on FPKK screenplay, “Screenwriters Are (Obsessive, Creative, Neurotic) People, Too,” Lynn Hirschberg, New York Times Sunday Magazine, 11/9/03.

  “Give up five years of my life,” Quentin Tarantino to Mary Kaye Schilling, “The Second Coming,” Entertainment Weekly, 4/24/01.

  “For a while, he was . . . we all want,” Gene Mustain and Jerry Capeci, Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti, Alpha/Penguin, 2002.

  Epilogue: Smell of Female

  The Friend is actually a composite of two of RM’s friends, both of whom shall remain nameless.

  Filmography

  Many thanks to Dave Frasier’s astute research. Running times are approximations as I haven’t checked them against the films.

  The central way to obtain DVD/VHS Russ Meyer product is from RM Films, International at http://www.rmfilms.com. Or write to RM Films, PO Box 3748, Hollywood, CA, 90078. Buying from RM Films is not cheap: DVDs run $39.95, VHS $59.95. They don’t accept credit cards. Some discount DVD houses (easy to search out via the Internet) offer RM product at better prices.

  Nearly all of Meyer femme fatales have websites that can be easily searched out: Kitten Natividad, Haji, Tura Satana, Erica Gavin, Raven De La Croix, Pandora Peaks among them. Tell ’em Jimmy sent you.

  166th Training Films

  Bivouac in the Ozarks, 1944. Meyer shot this 16 mm training film; there may be others.

  Industrial Films

  During the late forties and early to mid-fifties, Meyer worked for the industrial film outfit Gene Walker Films. Two titles he contributed to were Southern Pacific’s This Is My Railroad and Standard Oil’s Safe Every Second! Meyer has also mentioned working on the films How to Be a Proper Salesman and Dipstick.

  During the mid- to late fifties Meyer also churned out numerous loops of his then-wife Eve (distributed in the 8 mm format and sold by mail order) strutting around in skimpy outfits, but never fully topless. These turn up on Internet auctions from time to time. In 1953 RM shot some never-released 16 mm footage of a rape scenario starring Eve and Franklin Bolger that Meyer considered a predecessor of 1964’s Lorna.

  The French Peep Show (approx. 1952) Producer: Pete DeCenzie. Director, cinematographer: Russ Meyer. Sound, editor: Carl G. Sheldon (Chuck Schelling). Starring: Tempest Storm, “Torrid” Terry Lane, Suzy, Tangerine, Shalimar, Marie Voe, Lilly La Mont, Roberta, Chester P. Floodback III, Ginger Du Val, Yvonne DeCenzie, the El Rey Girls. Out of circulation since theatrical release. Presumed lost.

  The Desperate Women (approx. 1954–55) Produced by Samuel Newman, Lou Appleton. Director: Louis Appleton, Screenplay: Samuel Newman. Cinematographer: Russ Meyer. Editor: Albert Shaff. Music: Melvin Lenard. Cast: Anne Appleton, Douglas Howard, Virgina Leon, Eve Meyer. Out of circulation since theatrical release. An “educational” book was sold during the picture’s run entitled Sex: Happiness or Tragedy?

  The Immoral Mr. Teas (1959), aka Mr. Teas and his Playthings (UK) aka L’immoral M. Teas (Canada).*1 A Pad-Ram Enterprises release. Producer: Pete DeCenzie. Director, cinematography, screenplay, editor: Russ Meyer. Narration and music: Edward Lasko. Narrator (uncredited): Irving Blum. Assistant editor (uncredited): Igo Kantor. Assistant editor: John F. Link. Assistant director: Ken Parker. Cast: W. Ellis (Bill) Teas, Marilyn Wesley, Ann Peters, Michele Roberis, Dawn Danielle, June Wilkinson, Pete DeCenzie, Eric “Mick” Nathanson, Don Couch, Earl Leaf, Russ Meyer. Color, 63 min. Available on VHS from RM Films.

  Short: This Is My Body (1959). Ten-minute short starring Diane Webber. Narration written by Mick Nathanson. Out of circulation since theatrical release.

  Note: Meyer may have shot footage for Operation Dames, a low-budget 1959 war picture directed by Lou Stoumen and starring Eve Meyer. The fabulous production cheesecake stills of Eve done for the movie must’ve been taken by Meyer.

  Eve and the Handyman (1960), aka Eve et Son Homme a Tout Faire (Canada). An Eve Productions release. Producer, director, cinematography, screenplay, editor: Russ Meyer. Art director: Mel Fowler. Narration: Lee Merrin. Costumes by Herberte. Cast: Eve Meyer, Anthony James Ryan, Frank Bolger, Florence Moore, Francesca Leslie, Jackie Stephens, Mildred Knezevich, Iris Bristol, Gigi Frost, Rita Day, Lyle Tolefson, Charles Vaughn, James Evanoff, Ken Parker. Color, 65 min. Available on VHS from RM Films.

  Short: The Naked Camera (1960). A ten-minute color short directed, written, and shot by Meyer, and starring Mikki France. Co-feature of Eve and the Handyman.

  Erotica (1961), aka Eroticon. A Pad-Ram Enterprises release. Producers: Pete DeCenzie and Russ Meyer. Director, cinematography, screenplay, editor: Russ Meyer. Narration written by Jack Moran. Narrator: Joe Cranston. Music: David Chudnow, Tommy Morgan. Cast: Donna Townsend, Peggy Martin, Sherry Knight, Werner Otto Kirsch, Charles G. Schelling, Pete DeCenzie, Althea Currier, Lana Young, Denise Daniels, Elaine Jones, Russ Meyer. This film is comprised of six segments, titled “Naked Innocence,” “Beauties, Bubbles, and H2O,” “The Bear and the Bare,” “Nudists on the High Seas,” “The Nymphs,” and “The Bikini Busters.” Color, 65–68 min. Out of circulation since theatrical release.

  Wild Gals of the Naked West (1962), aka The Immoral West—and How It Was Lost aka The Naked West—and How It Was Lost, aka The Immoral West, aka The Immoral Girls of the Naked West, aka Naked Gals of the Golden West. A Pad-Ram Enterprises release, distributed by Films Pacifica, Inc. Producers: Pete DeCenzie and Russ Meyer. Director, cinematography, editor: Russ Meyer. Screenplay by Jack
Moran. Music: Marlin Skiles. Art director: Mel Fowler. Cast: Sammy Gilbert, Julie Williams, Jack Moran, Teri Taylor (aka Goldie Nuggets), Donna Scott (aka Donna X), Frank Bolger, Ken Parker, Anthony James Ryan, Pete DeCenzie, Paul Fox, Princess Livingston, Charles G. Schelling, Topanga Gulch Players, Russ Meyer. Color, 62 min. Available on VHS from RM Films.

  Heavenly Bodies (1963), aka Heavenly Assignment. An Eve Productions release. Producer, director, cinematography, screenplay, editor: Russ Meyer. Cast: Ken Parker, Gaby Martine, Marian Milford, Don Cochran, Werner Otto Kirsch, Fred Owens, Billy Newhouse, Orville Hallberg, Bill Cummings, Althea Currier, Monica Liljistrand, Yvonne Cortell, Paulette Firestone, Maria Andre, Princess Livingston, F. E. Falconer, Robert J. Ewald, William Knowles, Rochelle Kennedy, Charles Schelling, Nancy Andre, Don Goodwin, Ivana Nolte, Amber Morgan, Binkie Stewart, Russ Meyer. Color, 62 min. Out of circulation since theatrical release.

  Short: Skyscrapers and Brassieres (1963). A ten-minute color short directed, written, and shot by Meyer, and featuring Rochelle Kennedy. Co-feature of Heavenly Bodies. Out of circulation since theatrical release.

  Europe in the Raw! (1963). An Eve Productions release. Producer, director, cinematography, screenplay, editor: Russ Meyer. Narrators: Franklin L. Thistle, Vic Perrin, Lynn Held. Cast: Denise Du Vall, Heidi Richter, Yvette Le Grand, Greta Thorwald, Abundavita, Gigi La Touche, Veronique Gabriel, Fred Owens. Color, 72 min. Out of circulation since theatrical release.

  Lorna (1964), aka Lorna, L’incarnation du desir (France), aka Lorna-Zuviel fur Einen Mann (Germany). An Eve Productions release. Producer, director, cinematography, editor: Russ Meyer. Associate producer: Eve Meyer. Screenplay: James Griffith. Original story: Russ Meyer. Sound: Charles G. Schelling. Gaffer: Bill Maley. Sound editor: Jim Nelson. Camera operator: Walter Schenk. Music uncredited. Music coordinators: Hal Hopper, James Griffith. Dialog director: James Griffith. Production manager: Fred Owens. The song “Lorna” written by Hal Hopper, sung by Bob Grabeau. Cast: Lorna Maitland, Mark Bradley, James Rucker, Hal Hopper, Doc Scortt, James Griffith, Althea Currier, F. Rufus Owens, Frank Bolger, Kenneth H. Parker. B/W, 79 min. Available on DVD/VHS from RM Films.

  Fanny Hill: Memories of a Woman of Pleasure (1964). A Favorite Films release of Famous Players Corporation/CCC Filmkunst GMBH production. Producer: Albert Zugsmith. Director: Russ Meyer. Screenplay by Robert Hill from the John Cleland novel. Director of photography: Heinz Hilscher. Assistant director: Elfie Tillack. Editor: Alfred Srp. Music: Erwin Halletz. Cast: Miriam Hopkins, Letitia Roman, Walter Giller, Alex D’Arcy, Helmut Weiss, Chris Howland, Ulli Lommel, Cara Garnett, Karin Evans, Syra Marty, Albert Zugsmith, Christiane Schmidtmer, Heide Hansen, Erica/Veronica Ericson, Patricia Houston, Marshall Raynor, Hilda Sessack, Billy Frick, Jürgen Nesbach, Herbert Knippenberg, Susanne Hsiao, Renate Hutte (aka Rena Horten), Ellen Velero. B/W, 104 min. Meyer took his name off the picture for its initial theatrical release. Released in VHS by Paragon Video in the eighties; out of print.

  Mudhoney (1965), aka Mudhoney . . . Leaves a Taste of Evil!, aka Rope of Flesh, aka La Fille du ruisseau, Le Desir dans les tripes (France), aka Im Garten der Lust (Germany), aka Esclave de ses passions (Belgium). A Delta Films release. Producers: Russ Meyer, George Costello. Director, editor: Russ Meyer. Associate producer: Eve Meyer. Screenplay: Raymond Friday Locke and William E. Sprague (from Locke’s novel Streets Paved with Gold). Assistant director: George Costello. Sound editor: Charles G. Schelling. Cinematographer: Walter Schenk. Production manager: Fred Owens. Gaffer: Bill Maley. Music: Henri Price (Andre Brummer). Cast: Hal Hopper, Lorna Maitland, Antoinette Cristiani, John Furlong, Stu Lancaster, Rena Horten, Princess Livingston, Sam Hanna, Nick Wolcuff, Frank Bolger, Lee Ballard, Mickey Foxx, F. Rufus Owens, Gil Haimson, William Maley, Wilfred Kues, Peter Cunningham, Clarence Lowe, Donald Hansen, Milard Ferla, Bill Gunter, Russ Meyer. B/W, 92 min. Available on DVD/VHS from RM Films.

  Motorpsycho (1965), aka Motor Mods and Rockers, aka Les Enrages de la Moto (Canada), aka Le Gang sauvage (Belgium), aka Motor-Psycho—wie Wilde Hengste (Germany). Working title: Rio Vengeance. An Eve Productions release. Producer, director, cinematography, screenplay: Russ Meyer. Assosciate producer: Eve Meyer. Screenplay: William E. Sprague. Original story: Russ Meyer, James Griffith, Hal Hopper. Assistant director: George Costello. Production manager: Fred Owens. Production assistant: Richard Brummer. Editor: Charles G. Schelling. Music: Igo Kantor. Theme song: Paul Sawtell, Bert Shefter. Sound: Carl G. Sheldon (aka Charles G. Schelling). Cast: Stephen Oliver, Haji, Alex Rocco, Holle K. Winters, Joseph Cellini, Thomas Scott, Coleman Francis, Sharon Lee, Steve Masters, Arshalouis Aivazian, F. Rufus Owens, George Costello, Richard Brummer, Fred Owens, E. E. (Russ) Meyer. B/W, 74 min. Available on VHS from RM Films.

  Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966), aka Pussycat, aka The Mankillers (UK), aka Leather Girls (UK), aka Plus vite mes chattes, tuez! tuez! (Canada), Die Satansweiber von Tittfield (Germany). An Eve Productions release. Producers: Russ and Eve Meyer. Director, editor: Russ Meyer. Associate producers: Fred Owens, George Costello. Screenplay: Jack Moran. Original story by Russ Meyer. Assistant director: George Costello. Cinematography: Walter Schenk. Second unit camera: William E. Tomko. Assistant cameraman: Gil Haimson. Sound: Charles Schelling. Sound editor: Richard Serly Brummer. Music coordination: Igor Kantor. Theme by Paul Sawtelle, Bert Shefter, and Rick Jarrard, performed by the Bostweeds. Opening narrator: John Furlong. Cast: Tura Satana, Haji, Lori Williams, Susan Bernard, Stuart Lancaster, Paul Trinka, Dennis Busch, Ray Barlow, Mickey Foxx, Russ Meyer. B/W, 84 min. Available on VHS from RM Films.

  Mondo Topless (1966), aka Mondo Girls, aka Mondo Top, aka La Fête du nu (Belgium). An Eve Productions release. Producer, director, cinematographer, editor: Russ Meyer, Associate producer: Eve Meyer. Production assistants: Fred Owens, Bill Newhouse, Richard Serly Brummer. Sound mixer (uncredited): Don Minkler. Music performed by the Aladdins (uncredited). Cast: Babette Bardot, Sin Lenee, Diane Young, Donna X (Donna Scott), Pat Barringer, Darla Paris, Darlene Grey, Lorna Maitland, Veronique Gabriel, Greta Thorwald, Denise Duval, Gigi La Touche, Abundavita, Heidi Richter, Yvette Le Grand, John Furlong (narrator), Incorporates footage from Europe in the Raw. Color, 61 min. Available on DVD/VHS from RM Films.

  Common-Law Cabin (1967), aka How Much Loving Does a Normal Couple Need, aka Conjugal Cabin (UK), aka Cette soif d’amour (Canada), aka Combien de fois faut-il faire l’amour pour être un couple normal? (France). An Eve Productions release. Producer, director, screenplay (uncredited), cinematographer (uncredited), editor: Russ Meyer. Producer: Eve Meyer. Screenplay: John E. Moran. Photography: Wady Medawar, Jack Lucas. Sound: Richard Serly Brummer, Irwin Cadden. Sound mixer: Don Minkler (uncredited). Music coordinator: Igo Kantor. Cast: Ken Swofford, Alaina Capri, Jack Moran, Adele Rein, Andrew Hagara, Frank Bolger, Babette Bardot, John Furlong, George Costello. Color, 70 min. Available on VHS from RM Films.

  Good Morning . . . and Goodbye! (1967), aka The Lust Seekers (UK), aka Bonjour et adieu (Canada), aka Bonjour et au revoir (Belgium). An Eve Productions release. Producer, director, cinematographer: Russ Meyer. Associate producer: Eve Meyer. Screenplay: John E. Moran. Assistant director: George Costello. Cameraman: Fred Owens. Editors: Russ Meyer, Richard Serly Brummer. Assistant cameramen: Jack Lucas, Wady Medawar. Sound: Richard Brummer and John E. Moran. Music coordinator: Igo Kantor. Narrator: Joe Perrin. Costumes by Herberte. Cast: Alaina Capri, Stuart Lancaster, Patrick Wright, Haji, Karen Ciral, Don Johnson, Tom Howland, Megan Timothy, Toby Adler, Sylvia Tedemar, Carol Peters. Color, 78min. Available on VHS from RM Films.

  Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers! (1968), aka Null Null Sex (Australia), aka Qui s’y frotte s’y pique (Canada), aka Viltar Astridur (Spain). An Eve Productions release. Producer, director, cinematographer, editor: Russ Meyer. Executive producer: Eve Meyer. Associate producer: Anthony James Ryan. Associate director: George Costello. Screenplay: Richard Zachary (aka Rick Husky). Original story: Russ Meyer. Editor and sound: Richard Serly Brummer. Camera operator: Wady Medawar. Music coordi
nator: Igo Kantor. Theme by Melvin Elling with the Casuals on the Square. Costumes by Herberte. Cast: Anne Chapman, Paul Lockwood, Gordon Wescourt, Duncan McLeod, Robert Rudelson, Lavelle Roby, Jan Sinclair, Joey DuPrez, Nick Wolcuff, Pam Collins, Michael Roberts, Vicki Roberts, George C. Carll, Barney Caliendo, Louis Innerarity, Robert Pergament, Walter Cummings, Orville Hallberg, George Cole, Robert Massaroli, Harvey Pergament, Robert Mumm, Anthony James Ryan, John Furlong, Russ Meyer. Color, 73 min. Available on VHS from RM Films.

  Vixen! (1968), aka Russ Meyer’s Vixen, aka Vixen la Renarde (Canada), aka Ohne Gnade, Schatzen (Germany). An Eve Production presented by Coldstream Films. Producer, director, cinematography, editor: Russ Meyer. Associate producers: Eve Meyer, Anthony James Ryan, Richard Serly Brummer, George Costello. Assistant director: George Costello. Screenplay: Robert Rudelson. Original story: Russ Meyer, Anthony James Ryan. Editor: Richard Serly Brummer. Assistant cameramen: Anthony James Ryan, John Koester (uncredited). Editor and sound: Richard Serly Brummer. Sound mixer: Don Minkler (uncredited). Music coordinators: Igo Kantor, William Loose. Narrator: Vic Perrin. Cast: Erica Gavin, Harrison Page, Garth Pillsbury, Michael O’Donnell, Vincene Wallace, Robert Aiken, Jon Evans, Peter Carpenter, Jackie Illman, John Furlong, Jim Ryan, George Costello, Russ Meyer. Color, 71 min. Rated X. Available on DVD/VHS from RM Films.

  Cherry, Harry, and Raquel! (1969), aka Russ Meyer’s Cherry, Harry, and Raquel, aka Three Ways to Love (UK), aka Les Stimulatrices (France), aka Menage a Trois (France). Presented by Eve Productions and Panamint Films. Producer, director, cinematographer, editor: Russ Meyer. Assistant producers: Eve Meyer, Anthony James Ryan, Thomas J. McGowan. Screenwriters: Tom Wolfe (aka Thomas J. McGowan). Original story: Russ Meyer. Editor: Richard Serly Brummer. Assitant editor: Robert Pergament. Sound: Richard Brummer. Assistant camera: John Koester. Music: William Loose. Music coordinator: Igo Kantor. Theme by Byron Cole, James East, and Stu Phillips, performed by the Jacks and Balls. Cast: Larissa Ely, Linda Ashton, Charles Napier, Bert Santos, Franklin H. Bolger, Astrid Lillimor (aka Uschi Digard), Michele Grand, John Milo, Robert Aiken, Michaelani, John Koester, Daniel Roberts, Russ Meyer. Color, 71 min. Available on DVD/VHS from RM Films.