R.I.P. Russ Meyer

[LTR]

Passed away Saturday at the age of 82.

Here's a nice obit from one of his biggest fans, Roger Ebert:

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


King of the funny skin flicks

September 22, 2004

BY ROGER EBERT

Russ Meyer is dead. The legendary independent director, who made exploitation films but was honored as an auteur, died Saturday at his home in the Hollywood Hills. He was 82, and had been suffering from dementia. The immediate cause of death was pneumonia, said Janice Cowart, a friend who supervised his care during his last years. She announced his death Tuesday.

Such bare facts hardly capture the zest of a colorful man who became a Hollywood icon. Meyer’s “The Immoral Mr. Teas” (1959), hailed by the highbrow critic Leslie Fiedler as the funniest comedy of the year, created the skin flick genre, and after the box office success of his “Vixen” (1968) he was crowned “King of the Nudies” in a front-page profile in the Wall Street Journal. His “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” (1970), for which I wrote the screenplay, represented the first foray into sexploitation by a major studio (20th Century Fox).

His films were X-rated but not pornographic. Meyer told me he had two reasons for avoiding hard-core: (1) “I want to play in regular theaters and keep the profits, instead of playing in porn theaters and doing business with the mob.” (2) “Frankly, what goes on below the waist is visually not that entertaining.” For Meyer, what went on above the waist was a lifelong fascination; he cheerfully affirmed his obsession with big breasts.

(snip)

“IWhat the public wants are big laughs and big tits and lots of ‘em. Lucky for me that’s what I like, too.”

[jonnyblitz]

1. Yup.."Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill"

who can forget...

[ronnykmarshall]

9. That's a great film.

He was one of John Waters' favorite directors.

[jonnyblitz]

13. yup

:thumbsup:

[phillybri]

2. That guy knew great bombs when he saw them...

Vaya con Dios, Titty Man...:-(

[Magrittes Pipe]

3. This is my happening, and it's freaking me out!

:cry:

[vi5]

4. Whoa! How did I not hear about this....a total travesty...

His passing should have been mentioned more prominently in the press.

[Book Lover]

12. I saw it on

aintitcool.com last night, but after nearly *an hour* of googling I saw nothing else about his passing, so I figured Harry had been hoodwinked. I'm sorry I was wrong...

[peekaloo]

5. *sigh* 'Common-Law Cabin' , an unheralded gem.

R.I.P.

:-(

[Screaming Lord Byron]

6. Man, if only they'd let him an Ebert make 'The Great Rock n' Roll Swindle'

That would have been extraordinary.

RIP Russ.

[quispquake]

7. My favorite by Russ is "Mudhoney"

The ULTIMATE white trash film (and I mean that in a good way!!!). EVERYONE I have ever shown it too has been blown away...

Russ was a true original, with SO MANY great movies...my other faves:

Vixen
BTVOTD (Of course!!! Z-Man rocks!!!)
Faster Pussycat
Beneath the Valley of the Supervixens

I just wish Ebert & him had been able to make the Sex Pistols movie!!!

[flamingyouth]

11. Mudhoney is indeed a great film - one of my faves by him

"Ronnie Barzell? You mean, Z-Man Barzell?!?"

"The one, the only, the original!" :D

[Fenris]

8. Dammit!

x(

"It's my happening, and it freaks me out!"

RIP

:(

[flamingyouth]

10. RIP, Russ

I just had the joy of introducing Fenris to Beyond the Valley of the Dolls not 10 days ago. I really enjoyed a lot of his movies.