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The year of 1969 saw the moon landing of the Apollo 11’s Eagle module, Richard Nixon sworn in as the 37th president of the United States, the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village ushering in the gay rights movement, the Tate-La Bianca murders by the Manson Family, the landmark Woodstock Music and Arts Fair which attracts 400,000, the tragic and violent Rolling Stones concert at the Altamont Speedway and even Tiny Tim marrying Miss Vicki on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”

But one major event was basically ignored by the mainstream media: the Harlem Cultural Arts Festival which took place June 29-August 24 at the Mount Morris Park. Founded by Tony Lawrence, the festival celebrating Black pride, music and culture features such landmark performers as Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder, The Fifth Dimension and Mahalia Jackson. And when the NYPD refused to supply security,...

” For I am Superwoman, and you have spurned her!”

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman

Russell Albion “Russ” Meyer was born in California in 1922 and spent WWII as a combat photographer. In 1953 Playboy magazine debuted and Meyer was one of its first centerfold photographers. Meyer had a knack, and a passion, for photographing gorgeous, busty women and felt that the gals in the nudist camp movies that were popular in the ’50s were far too plain-looking for his tastes. In 1959, Meyer scraped together $24,000 and made The Immoral Mr. Teas, a quaint, colorful, and cartoonish movie about a nerdy fellow whose life is constantly interrupted by beautiful large-breasted women in various stages of undress. There was no sex in Meyer’s film and he made no pretense of presenting nudity as a lifestyle choice, as did the nudist camp movies. It was a simple and honest film about...

The late Russ Meyer’s films are the epitome of excess. Pairing a wine with them seems unfair to the wine. It couldn’t possibly keep up. Whiskey might be more appropriate, or a shot of tequila or three, or a bottle of Captain Morgan and a liter of Coke. However, I’m sure we will stumble across a wine that leans into life like Meyer did.

Russ Meyer’s IMDb page nicknames him “The Fellini of the Sex Industry” and “King Leer.” The sultan of sexploitation liked big breasts better than anything else. His stint as a Playboy centerfold photographer in the 1950s may have steered him in that direction. Playboy wine, direct from their recently launched wine club? Why not? For starters, anyway.

https://www.grubstreet.com/2012/09/playboy-launches-a-wine-club.html

Meyer rued the day he started working on The Seven Minutes. He later called the film “boring and tedious...

Russ Meyer, legendary for his lascivious approach to cheerfully lurid fare like Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Vixen, plays it relatively straight in this adaptation of trash-meister Irving Wallace’s free-speech manifesto on pornography. The result is neither fish nor fowl and something that had never existed till The Seven Minutes – a dull Russ Meyer movie. Even so, Meyer’s editing rhythms are so out of the mainstream that it’s still almost experimental for a Fox studio movie. The 1971 release starred Wayne Maunder and Meyer mainstays Edy Williams and Charles Napier along with a few ringers including Yvonne DeCarlo, John Carradine and Wolfman Jack.

The post The Seven Minutes appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

Wayne Maunder, the star of 1960s TV Westerns who may have inspired a character in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film, died of cardiovascular disease Nov. 11 in Battleboro, Vt., a Vermont Department of Health spokesperson confirmed to Variety. He was 80.

Maunder starred in ABC’s “Custer” as the titular Lt. Col. Custer. The Western aired just 17 episodes before it was canceled in 1967. He also appeared in another Western, CBS’ “Lancer,” as Scott Lancer. The show ran for two seasons from 1968 to 1970.

The actor also appeared on shows like “Kung Fu” with David Carradine, “The F.B.I.,” and “The Rookies,” as well as the 1971 film “The Seven Minutes,” in which he starred as attorney Mike Barrett.

Tarantino’s upcoming film, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” is set in 1969 and features Luke Perry as the character Scott Lancer. Based on real events surrounding the Manson murders, the movie stars actors as recognizable Hollywood figures from the era,...

This time on the Newsstand, Ryan is joined by David Blakeslee and Keith Enright to discuss the September line-up from Criterion, a number of the phantom pages that have gone up recently, and a few other pieces of news.

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Topics Criterion Completion Podcast September 2016 Criterion Collection Line-up John Waters’ Multiple Maniacs Tarkovsky Blu-rays from Artificial Eye Phantom Pages Galore Cameraperson Night Train To Munich Night Train to Munich (1940) Night Train to Munich Episode 85 – Carol Reed’s Night Train To Munich June 2010 Criterion Collection New Releases Announced! Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman The November 2013 Criterion Collection Line-up: … The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939) Kenji Mizoguchi – Explore Watch The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum | Hulu The Boland Design Co. Wacky New Years Drawing Hints At The Criterion Collection’s...

This is my film review and it Freaks Me Out!  Girlie-art legend Russ Meyer and then- tyro critic Roger Ebert fashion the most garish, vulgar and absurd satire of wild Hollywood that they can think of, a camp vision of joy straight from the dizzy imagination of a breast-obsessed glamour photographer. All your favorites are here -- Erica Gavin, Dolly Read, Marcia McBroom, Cynthia Meyers, Edy Williams. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls + The Seven Minutes Region B Blu-ray + Pal DVD Arrow Video (UK) 1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 109 min. / Street Date January 18, 2016 / Available from Amazon UK £17.99 Starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Meyers, Marcia McBroom, Erica Gavin, John Lazar, Michael Blodgett, David Gurian, Edy Williams, Phyllis Davis, Harrison Page, Duncan McLeod, Charles Napier, Haji, Pam Grier, Coleman Francis, The Strawberry Alarm Clock. Cinematography Fred J. Koenecamp Editors Dann Cahn, Dick Wormell Original Music Stu Phillips Written by Roger Ebert, Russ Meyer Produced and...

By Darren Allison

(This review pertains to a region 2 UK release).

Mark Robson’s Valley of the Dolls (1967) became something of commercial success, despite being generally panned by the critics. Following the murder of Sharon Tate, the film was re-released in 1969 and once again proved to be a success with audiences. In December 1969, filming began on Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), a film that was intended as a direct sequel to Robson’s movie. Jacqueline Susann, the original author of Valley of the Dolls had been approached to write a screenplay, but declined the offer. Instead, director Russ Meyer and film critic Roger Ebert, took on and completed the task in just six weeks. Ebert described it as ‘a satire of Hollywood conventions’ while Meyer leant more towards ‘a serious melodrama, a rock musical […]and a moralistic expose of the nightmarish world of Show Business’.

This film is set around a female band,...

Stars: Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John Lazar, Michael Blodgett, David Gurian, Edy Williams, Erica Gavin, Phyllis Elizabeth Davis, Harrison Page, Duncan McLeod, James Iglehart, Charles Napier, Henry Rowland | Written by Roger Ebert | Directed by Russ Meyer

Russ Meyer movies may be best known for their nudity and their exploitative nature but they also had something special that raised them above most “skin flicks”. Meyer had a style and he knew how to make a fun movie. Many of his titles became cult hits, especially Beyond the Valley of the Dolls – which has just been given the Arrow Video Blu-ray treatment…

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls has a true b-movie feel to it, almost Grindhouse in style. Following an all-girl rock band as they move to Hollywood we see them sink into the cesspool of decadence which so many fell victim to. As things turn dark though, just...

Looks like a new image of Matt Damon from Neill Blomkamp's Elysium has arrived online, which gives us a good chance to look back on the film's monster Comic-Con preview where it walked away as one of the highlights of the convention. Elysium recently moved back from this spring to August 9, 2013, but it shouldn't be long before we get that first preview.  First, here's the image... From our Comic-Con report: -- Think Mad Max meets Wall-e, with a hard-r rating that includes tons of cursing, blood, violence and plenty of scenes involving people exploding.   -- The seven minutes of footage we were shown was explosive and powerful; a true original sci-fi tone that's dark, bleak and creative, especially with its maniacal villain, played by...

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The Russ Meyer Show Featuring Kitten Natividad takes place in St. Louis this Friday, June 15th at The Way Out Club. Details at the end of this article.

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman

Russell Albion “Russ” Meyer was born in California in 1922 and spent WWII as a combat photographer. In 1953 Playboy magazine debuted and Meyer was one of its first centerfold photographers. Meyer had a knack, and a passion, for photographing gorgeous, busty women and felt that the gals in the nudist camp movies that were popular in the ’50s were far too plain-looking for his tastes. In 1959, Meyer scraped together $24,000 and made The Immoral Mr. Teas, a quaint, colorful, and cartoonish movie about a nerdy fellow whose life is constantly interrupted by beautiful large-breasted women in various stages of undress. There was no sex in Meyer’s film and he made no pretense of presenting nudity as a lifestyle choice,...

This article was originally posted in February of 2010 but is being reposted here with updates and to tie in to next week’s Wamg Top Ten Tuesday List “The Best of Russ Meyer”.

Mondo Topless (1966) is Russ Meyer’s send up of the swingin’ 60′s, a pseudo-documentary portrait of San Francisco, and most of all, a tribute to Meyer’s favorite subject; naked women! The 61-minute sort-of-documentary is sparse, even by Russ Meyer standards – just a rock soundtrack by The Aladdins accompanied by an overexuberant announcer who provides double entendre narration as stacked women dance about displaying their figures. Mondo Topless, which seems relatively wholesome now, was definitely a product of its time and requires historical perspective (and, despite the name of this column, it Is available on DVD).

With today’s endless cornucopia of internet porn, it’s hard to believe that less than 50 years ago, there was an...

Just a few hours ago the folks over at the Cannes Film Festival were given the chance to get their first look at Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, the filmmaker's new movie about a slave looking for revenge and retribution. The seven minutes that were shown when given nearly universal praise, particularly for what was seen from Leonardo Di Caprio and Don Johnson. We have no idea when we might get our own first look at the flick, but today we do have casting news about another exceptional writer/director's movie about slavery. Paul Dano, best known for his roles in movies like Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood, has signed on for a part in Twelve Years a Slave, the new movie from Steve McQueen, according to Deadline. Based on the Solomon Northup memoir of the same name, the film tells the story of a free black...

Imposing character actor often cast in the films of Russ Meyer and Jonathan Demme

Charles Napier, who has died aged 75, was one of Hollywood's most distinctive and imposing character actors. With his blockish head, heavy jaw and formidable stare, he was called upon most often to play no-nonsense heavies. In a career lasting more than 40 years, he appeared in some of Hollywood's most successful films and television series, and was cherished in particular by the directors Russ Meyer and Jonathan Demme, who cast him repeatedly.

Napier resigned himself long ago to the character actor's lot – familiarity without celebrity. "Wherever I go, people will look at me as though they recognise me," he wrote in his autobiography, Square Jaw and Big Heart: The Life and Times of a Hollywood Actor (2011). "They see that square jaw with the big smile. They may not know my name, but they know that face."

He was born in Allen County,...

Charles Napier, an iconic character actor who specialized in playing stern authority figures and various tough guy roles in an acting career in film and television that spanned more than four decades, passed away today at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital in Bakersfield, CA. He was 75.

Born in 1936 in Scottsville, Kentucky, Napier served in the U.S. Army in the 11th Airborne Division before becoming an actor in the late 1960's. One of Napier's first acting roles was playing a space hippie on the Star Trek original series episode "A Way to Eden." He later became a favorite actor of director Russ Meyer and appeared in his films Cherry, Harry, and Racquel!, The Seven Minutes, Supervixens, and Meyer's mind-blowing magnum opus Beyond the Valley of the Dolls [...]...

70 minutes of prime Meyer madness--sort of Russ's version of Shock Corridor-- tackling sex, race, the war in Vietnam, etc. Its towering $6 million profit on a $76,000 investment landed him a studio deal with 20th Century-Fox which resulted in the trash classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and petered out with the barely released (but still interesting) The Seven Minutes.

Mondo Topless (1966) is Russ Meyer’s send up of the swingin’ 60’s, a pseudo-documentary portrait of San Francisco, and most of all, a tribute to Meyer’s favorite subject; naked women! The 61-minute sort-of-documentary is sparse, even by Russ Meyer standards – just a rock soundtrack by The Aladdins accompanied by an overexuberant announcer who provides double entendre narration as stacked women dance about displaying their figures. Mondo Topless, which seems relatively wholesome now, was definitely a product of its time and requires historical perspective (and, despite the name of this column, it Is available on DVD).

With today’s endless cornucopia of internet porn, it’s hard to believe that less than 50 years ago, there was an entire industry based on a glimpse at women’s breasts. In the 1950s, when healthy male movie fans wanted to see females naked on-screen, their only choice were ‘nudist camp movies’ – a genre...

Russ Meyer, the filmmaker who helped put "sexploitation" films on the map and whose name was practically synonymous with big-busted vixens, died Saturday at his home in Hollywood Hills; he was 82. According to a spokeswoman from his company, RM Films International Inc., Meyer had suffered from dementia and complications from pneumonia. A combat photographer who began working in Hollywood upon his return from World War II, Meyer found fame with his 1959 filmmaking debut The Immortal Mr. Teas, a movie that changed the standard "nudie film" format by working in an actual plot . as well as the amazingly endowed women that would become his trademark. In essence creating a new film genre, Meyer cemented his reputation (and his legacy) in the 60s with cult classics like Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! And Vixen, which poured on violence as well as healthy doses of sex antics. It was the latter film's success that attracted the interest of 20th Century Fox, which signed him to helm the 1970 major studio release Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, which was scripted by film critic Roger Ebert; a year later he made his most mainstream film, The Seven Minutes, which featured then-wife Edy Williams. With the advent of hard-core pornography (Meyer's films were titillating but never explicit) and the demise of drive-ins, Meyer found his career success waning, but he continued to promote his movies on video and DVD through the 80s and 90s. Meyer was married and divorced three times, but left behind no children. --Prepared by IMDb staff...