Happy Birthday, Russ Meyer! Born today in 1922 as Russell Albion Meyer, this American photographer, film editor, cinematographer, actor, screenwriter, producer and film director is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that featured campy humor, sly satire and large-breasted women.
The best known of these examples is the 1965 American black and white exploitation cult independent film 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!'.
On a budget of $45,000, the film follows sadistic go-go dancers Varla (Tura Satana), Rosie (Haji) and Billie (Lori Williams) as they break free from the nightclub where they perform and race out to the desert to stir up a little mayhem.
After karate expert Varla kills an innocent man, the voluptuous trio takes his girlfriend Linda (Susan Bernard) hostage as they attempt to wheedle a hidden fortune from a misogynistic, wheelchair-bound old man (Stuart Lancaster) and his muscular, brain-damaged son (Dennis Busch), credited as The Vegetable.
Upon its initial release, the film was a commercial and critical failure. However, it has since become widely regarded as an important and influential film.
Meyer had been active from 1947-1979.
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