Russ Meyer RIP

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Some really great films, some pretty awful ones - but for 'Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls' and 'Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!' there will always be a place in my heart that is forever Russ.

Jonathon Ross allegedly met Jane at a screening of FP!K!K! in Paris. Now that's a cool answer to "Mummy, how did you and Daddy meet?"

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 10:18 (twenty-one years ago)

RIP.

http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/web/m2000/russ-meyer/pandora-russ.jpg

― Cripps Pink (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 10:24 (twenty-one years ago)

RIP Russ. This one goes out to teh tittehs.

― B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 10:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I wish I'd thought a bit more about it at the time (or waited till just now before posting the original question) and called this thread 'It All Goes Tits Up For Russ Meyer'. Bah.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 10:53 (twenty-one years ago)

"heaven and/or bust"

― Cripps Pink (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 10:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"breast in peace"

― Cripps Pink (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 10:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"Nipples of Heaven"

― B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 11:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought he died years ago!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 11:03 (twenty-one years ago)

"As they laid him .. to rest, the horn(y) player blew 'Baps'"

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 11:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Can I just say that I really don't get the whole Russ Meyere thing. He made films where women with big knockers did some dominatrix stuff. Still piss poor wank fodder isn't it?

― Dave B (daveb), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 12:21 (twenty-one years ago)

have you seen any of his flix? cuz that description's daft enough to appear in the guardian

― cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 12:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Of course I haven't. I want to write for the Guardian though. Tell me what his films had about then, because the only thing I hear people going on about is that they either thought the women represented were powerful or that he liked his women to have big knockers.

― Dave B (daveb), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 13:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Thanks for the mammeries
My breast wishes are with his family and friends
His wife was said to be in a state of deep mellon-colly

― lukey (Lukey G), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Knockers on Heaven's Door

― Chris Marx, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 13:26 (twenty-one years ago)

awww! RIP! my friend once called his company to mail-order something and russ answered!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 13:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh no! Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a great, great, weird film.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 13:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Ebert will probably do a great obit.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 13:40 (twenty-one years ago)

When I interviewed Malcolm McLaren a couple of years back, he was funniest recounting anecdotes of Russ Meyer grappling, in complete incomprehension and attempted hardbitten authority, with the 'Who Killed Bambi?' project.

― Momus (Momus), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Meyer's film "Up!" remains as good as The Bible.

― sexyDancer, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

60s Boobies are awesome.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 14:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe this will lead to more releases on DVD. I'd love to finally own 'Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!' without having to pay $70 for a VHS tape.

I will miss him. RIP Russ.

― kaliflwr (kaliflwr), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 14:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Back in 1991 or so I had a chance to see Beyond the Valley at UCLA at a one-off screening -- this was when the film was not being circulated or released on video or whatever, some rights problems. Great crowd, tons of old LA punks who grew up on the darn thing, plus John Landis lurking in the back somewhere. Afterwards the panel discussion consisted of Meyer, Ebert and most of the main cast, including the guy who played Z-man, apparently having finally gotten over his bitterness about the role (he was quite friendly, actually!). Great time, and when the one guy in the film can walk away from his wheelchair at the end, the place exploded in the best applause and cheers I think I've ever heard.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 14:38 (twenty-one years ago)

People tend to dismiss him as this wacky tit-obsessed primitive, but Russ could shoot. He used to do newsreels and training films, so if you look at his movies, they're fairly skilled, at least technically. And, of course, tit-obsessed. But, as pointed out upthread, that meant something very different back then.

― Formerly Lee G (Formerly Lee G), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

they're fairly skilled, at least technically

There's this moment in Beyond that I think is one of the most effective edits anywhere in film, to my experience -- when one of the Carrie Nations is in the abortion clinic, the procedure is being described, she starts freaking out, and then suddenly it cuts to some pancake batter poured onto a skillet. Extremely visceral and unsettling, a horror movie moment par excellence.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 14:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, there's that montage that, I think, opens Beyond, which to me looks like a catalogue of L.A. through the eyes of William Eggleston. Not too shabby for an exploitation filmmaker.

― Formerly Lee G (Formerly Lee G), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 14:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Russ Meyer, producer-director who helped spawn the "skin flick" with such films as "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"

This is a strange first line for the AP obit, since "Faster, Pussycat" was one of his few films that didn't contain any nudity.

RIP. His films are fun.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.suntimes.com/output/eb-feature/cst-ftr-xmeyer22.html

― Tonight at ten (kenan), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

That was great. Very well written, Mr. Ebert.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"And, of course, tit-obsessed. But, as pointed out upthread, that meant something very different back then. "

Oh it did did it? Like "tit-obsessed" means something different now? Hahahahahaha. Typical old ILX - Meyer, who photographed for Playboy and married a Playmate and who depicted a nude woman being raped, electrocuted and killed by a man ("Supervixens") and who, by all intents, made movies that present freakish females with oversized busts as sex objects gets praise from ILX. The same ILX who moans about threads on what pop star you'd like to fuck and deletes threads on "Who is your favourite Playmate". Hahahahaha. You are all such hypocrits it is not even funny.

By the way, a director from the same era as Meyer also thought his movies were degrading to women and it never ceases to crack me up that Roger Ebert, who called on a boycott of Paramount Pictures in the eighties because he thought their popcorn "Friday the 13th" films, wrote "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" (which is one of two Meyer films I actually find bearable - the other being "Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!").

Anyway, hypocrisy of ILX aside - Rest in Peace Russ. Your films blew for the most part, but you did things your way in a fucking horrible, unforgiving industry.

― Hypocritical old ILX, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

You could just say 'Calum,' y'know.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned, next time you see Landis in a screening go and introduce yourself. He's one of the nicest people you will ever have the pleasure to speak to.

In terms of his peers, I'd say that Jack Hill is so much more talented than Meyer it's not even funny and yet Meyer seems to have had the more success.

― Hypocritical old ILX, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
First Johnny Ramone, now this! I can't hardly wait for the next 'un to bite the dust, as we all know they fall in "threes". I guess it's yet another case of the 'People come, people go' phenomenon. Sigh...

And hey, what's wrong with ta-tas?!

― (F)Ranko Wanko, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Hill's films are nothing like Meyers so the comparison is faulty (for what it is worth though Jack Hill was probably, along with Larry Cohen anyway, the best B-movie filmmaker ever and it is sad that except for Incredibly Strange Films crowd both these guys and their work are largely forgotten.)

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:01 (twenty-one years ago)

my first film professor had us watch a russ meyer film in our survey class! he said it was "better than potemkin." hm.

he used to cast all his old army buddies in his movies, often as lecherous joes ogling the buxom babes.

he actually could be pretty amazing when he was up to it: the opening montage of beyond the valley of the dolls is incredible.

― amateur!!st, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:02 (twenty-one years ago)

his early films are better. they're almost coy. eventually the culture caught up with him and his films took an extreme turn into self-conscious camp, and they got less interesting.

― amateur!!st, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:04 (twenty-one years ago)

i think he was one of the earliest producers to really exploit the home video market. all his independent films were available on video from a long ways back.

― amateur!!st, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)

For the record, I have never moaned on any thread, ever, much less deleted one.

― Formerly Lee G (Formerly Lee G), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)

his early films are better. they're almost coy. eventually the culture caught up with him and his films took an extreme turn into self-conscious camp, and they got less interesting.

That's sort of what I was alluding to. Once Russ had to compete with actual porn, available aboveground, the sort of fetishization he represented to the end, and the ways in which he manifested it, became irreparably camp to the max.

― Formerly Lee G (Formerly Lee G), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Hill's films are nothing like Meyers so the comparison is faulty (for what it is worth though Jack Hill was probably, along with Larry Cohen anyway, the best B-movie filmmaker ever and it is sad that except for Incredibly Strange Films crowd both these guys and their work are largely forgotten.)
-- Alex in SF (clobberthesauru...), September 22nd, 2004.

Until Alex, I finish writing Hill's official biography. And if you are in San Francisco why weren't you here (www.fearlesstales.com) in March when I arranged for Jack's public appearance and Q and A? Eh? EH?

If you want to tell Jack he's the best B-movie filmmaker ever he'd be eternally flattered. Get in touch.

P.S. Cohen is great too, another very nice guy.

― uhm..., Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Hill's films are nothing like Meyers so the comparison is faulty (for what it is worth though Jack Hill was probably, along with Larry Cohen anyway, the best B-movie filmmaker ever and it is sad that except for Incredibly Strange Films crowd both these guys and their work are largely forgotten.)
-- Alex in SF (clobberthesauru...), September 22nd, 2004.

P.S. Cohen is great too, another very nice guy.

― uhm..., Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmm, my first message posted second there for some reason and my updated message posted first.

― Uhm.., Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Answer: I didn't know about it. :(

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:16 (twenty-one years ago)

You will come next year though?

― Uhm, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

he used to cast all his old army buddies in his movies, often as lecherous joes ogling the buxom babes.

that is so great and weird

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:52 (twenty-one years ago)

"Russ Meyer's Beneath the Valley of the UltraVIXENS...an all out assault on today's sexual mores, and more...an end-around attack against women's lib...blasting through the male machismo syndrome...kicking the crap out of convictions, hang-ups, obsessions...the whole bag...sexually aggressive females, willing klutzy men, petroleum jelly, gingham and gossamer, tax-sheltered religion, black socks, bedroom prowess, bunko artists, big breast fixation, rear window rednecks, therapeutic cuckolding, the sixty mile-an-hour zinger, born again immersion, unfaithful girlfriends, limp-wristed dentistry, and virile garbagemen!!!!!"

― (Jon L), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 19:04 (twenty-one years ago)

seventeen years pass...

Today's His Centennial! (.)(.)

― Precious, Grace, Hill & Beard LTD. (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 21 March 2022 21:29 (three years ago)

two years pass...

First wave of Severin 4K/Blus are up(!) for preorder:

https://severinfilms.com/collections/pre-order

― Charlie Hair (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 9 November 2024 03:41 (eleven months ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.