Audience Member
A fairly likable Meyer film despite it's shoddy production values (there are no interior sets, so almost every scene is an extreme closeup with a solid colour background) and lack of any story. You visit an old western town and the ghost of an old codger tells you what the lawless town used to be like. Apparently there was lots of slapstick comedy and lots of topless women running around. It has manic energy and an amiable "what the hell?" quality that makes it pretty endearing if you like Meyer's stuff.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
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Not Russ Meyer's best work by far.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/18/23
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sarfaraz a
Russ Meyer truly at depicting the real buxom ladies. A true appetite of man who is so much deeply in love with voluptuous figure of female body. Don't expect anything miraculous, but be happy to see some vintage stuff.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
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Audience Member
Russ Meyer's sex farce of the old west is one of his lesser achievements, but it's still worthwhile being a Meyer picture. As plotless as they come basically a fistfull of different skits, some work some don't. A must for Meyer fans, as for everyone else don't expect much.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/12/23
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Audience Member
Russ Meyer's nudie-cutie period draws to a close with this oddity. This is not the last nudie-cutie film he made, but it is the last that is available, and already it's quite visible that he's struggling to be contained within this rather reserved subgenre. While boundaries were being pushed at the time, it's clear from Meyer's later work that there was a great imagination begging to be unleashed. But censorship at the time did not permit the sights Meyer had in store for us, and so we get another largely silent film with big boobs and slight narration, albeit this time there's a parodic Wild Wild West motif.
After the modest success of 'Eve and the Handyman (Meyer, 1961)' came the now unavailable 'Erotica (Meyer, 1961)'. The film reportedly consisted of six shorts thrown together, and naturally featured large-breasted women frollicking in various states of undress. Dissatisfied with the final product, Meyer pulled it from any subsequent releases after its initial distribution.
Next came 'Wild Gals of the Naked West (Meyer, 1962)' - a largely plotless spoof of the western genre that seems to be little more than an excuse for Meyer and his army buddies to fool around while surrounded by well endowed undressed ladies. It is, however, mildly more entertaining than 'Eve and the Handyman'. More crucially, it is still available, and rounds out his accessible nudie-cuties.
Repetition seems to be the key here, with gags repeating often throughout. Most lose their appeal after awhile, and do little to sustain the light overly-familiar plot (stranger enters town and fixes problems - although the problems this time mostly feature scantily-clad ladies being chased). The crude sight-gags return to varying success, and there's more flesh on display, although it still isn't sexualised. Curiously, women are shown to be just as hungry for sex as men, but any hanky panky is implied and happens behind closed doors.
Penned and narrated by Jack Moran, he plays an old-timer cowboy lamenting the fate of this small town. Most interesting is perhaps the closing monologue, as Moran addresses the camera, claiming "I ain't one to be sayin' evil's good, but a person needs a twinge of meanness in 'em - y'know. Somethin' for the good to work against. It keeps your blood movin'." Who knew a tit-show could be so philosophical?
The sets and exaggerated props make for a visual feast, giving the film a cartoonish aesthetic. It's clear that Meyer is still finding his way as a director and experimenting, but there are hints of untapped potential beneath the surface. It's one hell of a sensational title to live up to, and it does deliver. The problem is, this spoof brings nothing new to the table, except massive jiggling boobies. It can be argued that, going in to a sexploitation movie, it would be foolish to expect much more. But Meyer set a benchmark with 'The Immoral Mr. Teas (Meyer, 1959)' that has yet to be surpassed.
It is difficult to judge his entire early period on just the three offerings he permits release, but they each showcase Meyer traits which would reoccur throughout his entire career, and do allow for an interesting snapshot of his humble beginnings.
The first of the two unavailable films that followed 'Wild Gals of the Naked West' is 'Europe in the Raw (Meyer, 1963)'. This is perhaps the first example that showcased Meyer's talents not only as a director, but also a keen mind with a good understanding of how the film industry worked. He would often tap into particular successes, practically reinventing his career several times to ensure that he remained relevant and turning a profit. Here, he taps into the mondo film style - a relatively new exploitation subgenre. It harks back to days of the freakshow carnivals (as, arguably, the exploitation genre itself does) daring the viewer to witness the darker side of life. Mondo films often combined real and staged footage, usually in the guise of educational travelogues which attempted to shock and disgust.
Supposedly, Meyer's slant on this featured a healthy dose of sex as he travelled to Europe to film various actresses in a series of faked sex scenes, edited together with actual travel footage. Included was some of the combat footage he had shot during his time serving in World War II, to create what is undoubtedly his most intriguing of the films now withheld. Meyer summed up this project as "tits and war", undoubtedly apt.
His final film from the nudie-cutie period, and also unavailable, is 'Heavenly Bodies! (Meyer, 1963)'. Shot over a long weekend, it's subject matter is reportedly supposed to be an exposà (C) of the glamour photography biz - a business he worked in before directing 'The Immoral Mr. Teas'. But this being four years after Mr. Teas blew open the doors to nudie-cuties, audiences were growing bored, and 'Heavenly Bodies!' did not perform at the box office.
Nudie-cuties, the curious sexploitation subgenre, had had their day, and now more flesh and more story was required to sell seats. Meyer may not have known at the time exactly what he had to do next - but he knew one thing: it would require a girl with giant breasts.
Discuss on the blog: http://paracinematiccinephile.blogspot.com/2011/04/wild-gals-of-naked-west-meyer-1962.html
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/12/23
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Audience Member
Wild Gals of the Naked West
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/20/23
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