Beth by Russ Meyer

Thanks to WorthPoint I found some more gorgeous photographs that Russ Meyer took. They are dated July 1959 and are stamped on the reverse with the magazine name Foto-rama. Meyer was a major contributor to Foto-rama so there’s a chance that these are featured in the July 1959 issue but I don’t have a copy personally and can’t find anything online to verify this. The model is named on the back of each photograph as ‘Beth Davis or Beth Aster’, but sadly I can’t find anything online about either of those names, nor anything in Meyer’s autobiography A Clean Breast, so I’ll call her Beth for now.

Eve Meyer by Russ Meyer

Carol Peters by Russ Meyer

Following on from my post where I managed to curate a photo shoot of model Cara Peters, also known as Carol Peters, I also stumbled across this photo of her by Russ on WorthPoint. WorthPoint credits the photo as circa 1960 but it could be anywhere in the early 1960s, as I discussed in the previous post. Not as beautiful as some of his other photographs but a lovely example none the less. Sadly I am not an IT wizard and have no idea how to get rid of the arrow on the right of the picture but if anyone does then let me know!

UPDATE! I have found two more images of Cara taken by Russ in his autobiography A Clean Breast, which are clearly from the same shoot so have included them in this post for shoot completion. In ACB she is credited as Cara Peters and not Carol and there are no dates given.

MEYER MONTH – Carol Peters Pictorial

One thing I try to collect as a Meyer-related collector are vintage examples of his photography, most of which are stunning. Looking for articles for this years MEYER MONTH I stumbled upon WorthPoint, who had a record of various online auctions of Meyer paraphernalia from past years. Looking through this I discovered a gorgeous pictorial that Russ shot of model and actress Carol Peters. I’ve uploaded the pictures below for record, and also included the pictures of the back of the photographs which include stamps, labels and strikethroughs, which enable me to identify them positively as being taken by Russ. Most will have the models name and a stamp for Globe Photos who Meyer shot for. There are a lot of pictures on the internet that are attributed to Meyer, but unless they have been positively credited and provide visual or written sources I tend to stay away from them as its hard to accurately verify.

Each of the photos below were listed in separate auctions so I have put them all together as they were clearly part of the same shoot. WorthPoint has put that the shoot took place circa 1960 which means Russ was still actively working as a photographer and had only just started to embark on his film career when these were taken. The model Cara Peters was also known as Carol Peters, and was a Los Angeles stripper and model who appeared in a few films and television shows. She appeared in Meyer’s 1963 effort Europe In The Raw! and appeared uncredited in 1967’s Good Morning… And Goodbye!. She started to appear in US men’s magazines around 1962, so I wonder whether this particular shoot took place around then, especially with Europe In The Raw! appearing the following year. Aside from a few pictures I can find nothing else about her on the internet.

UPDATE FROM LYDIA – I recently watched the opening sequence of Good Morning… And Goodbye! to check out Cara, and the location in the film looks a lot like the location in these photographs. Whilst I can’t confirm it, I am pretty sure that these pictures were taken whilst Russ was shooting footage of Cara for the film, however as these photographs are undated and I can’t find any information online about her online or in Meyer’s autobiography A Clean Breast, this is just my own working hypothesis.

A Quickie about Russ Meyer

Miss Meyer

This was originally written as an assignment when I was studying Film and Journalism at University over 12 years ago, and was one of the first things I posted on this blog 10 years ago. As I’ve decided to re-organise this blog into more of a Russ Meyer-centric hub of information I thought I’d re-blog this as it serves as a very basic and brief overview of Meyer, whether one needs a little refresher on him or is completely new to this blog or the man himself. 

 

Russ Meyer is a lot like marmite. You either accept him at face value, appreciating his filmography for what it is, or you loathe him, and fail to see any cinematic worth in his work. Dubbed ‘The King of the Nudies’ by the Press, Meyer had a prolific career in independent cinema. Using his previous experience as a Pin Up and Army…

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‘Sir Knight’ 1959 Annual Bonus Issue

Here are some pictures from Sir Knight’s 1959 Annual Bonus Issue which featured a written and pictorial piece on The Immoral Mr. Teas as a preview before its theatrical release. It features some photography by Russ Meyer himself, mainly promotional shots that would become iconic of the publicity materials, but most of the pictorial is shot by Ken Parker, Meyer’s friend and stills photographer on set (Parker would also appear in Eve and The Handyman, Heavenly Bodies and Lorna, as well as be an assistant to Meyer on set). It’s a standard feature on the film mentioning those involved and the plot of the film, whilst reviewing it and also taking about the emergence and growth of sexploitation films.

‘Master Photography’ No. 1 Summer 1957 Issue

Here are some photographs by Russ Meyer from Master Photography Issue 1 which was released in the Summer of 1957. As far as I am aware I have captured all images inside the magazine that were taken by him and I don’t believe he shot the front cover, I have just included it for visual reference in case anyone would like to seek this item out themselves. Sorry that the quality of the images isn’t perfect, but thought it would be nice to start archiving Meyer’s photography as and when I came across it when buying memorabilia. I love the third image, it feels very natural and playful, and captures the model’s body beautifully. The only model I believe I can identify is the blonde Pin-Up who I think was called Sabrina. If you can pass on any more information, please let me know!

‘Tura! The Tura Satana Documentary’ Kickstarter Campaign

The Kickstarter campaign for the long-awaited documentary on Russ Meyer star and B-Movie legend Tura Satana is finally underway! The film, the release of which was Satana’s deathbed wish, is being produced by longtime manager and friend Siouxzan Perry and produced and directed by Cody Jarrett, with support from the YOMYOMF Foundation. With eleven days to go, the duo still need to raise roughly over $30,000, but there are some fantastic rewards up for grabs if you choose to back! Plus the end result of the documentary itself!!

I, for one, am very excited for this project! Tura stunned audiences when Meyer’s cult film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! was released in the 1960s and became a firm fan-favourite when the film became a midnight movie darling and cult favourite on the drive-in circuit. She left a lasting impression in cinema and pop culture with her dynamic depiction of Varla, the dominant, fast-driving, karate-chopping lesbian leader of a small girl gang, but unknown to some fans, also had a dynamic and turbulent life, including a childhood spent in a WWII Japanese relocation camp and a racially motivated rape that she would later avenge. It goes without saying that Tura was one hell of a woman, and her story deserves to be told.

There is some great involvement so far in this project, with contributions from Dita Von Teese, Ted V Mikels (who directed Tura in Astro Zombies and The Doll Squad), Margaret Cho (who will be providing the documentary’s narration), Shannon Lee, fellow Pussycat actors Lori Williams and Dennis Busch, and, of course, director John Waters, whose early championing of ‘Faster, Pussycat!’ in the 1970s helped elevate its cult status. As he so eloquently puts it; ‘Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is beyond a doubt the best movie ever made. It is possibly better than any film that will be made in the future’. 

Covering Satana’s personal life, career and the impact she left on the worlds of film, art, fashion, music and pop culture, Tura! looks set to be a rollercoaster of fun, and an eye-opening look into one of cinema’s unforgettable women of power.

Please, please donate where you can and help support this project to get off the ground. Tura had and continues to have so many fans, and if we all chipped in $5 each we could get this made and her story out there. I know personally how hard Siouxzan and Cody (and Helen!) have worked to get to this point, and all the work they have done to date to keep Tura’s memory alive and maintain and restore her estate. This has been a long time coming, and I have absolutely no doubts that it’s going to be great. This project could not be in the hands of more capable people, and I really wish them all the best with this.

You can contribute to the Kickstarter campaign here, and keep up to date with news on the project by following Tura Satana Productions on Twitter and Facebook!