Talk:Russ Meyer

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[edit] Biography assessment rating comment

WikiProject Biography Assessment

The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article. -- Yamara 18:40, 26 May 2007 (UTC)


[edit] New Additions

Russ had a really small page for someone of his stature so I just spent a few hours giving him his due. please let me know here if you disagree and what we can add or subtract.Thanks Catherine Huebscher 8 December 2007
Sure you got that date right? :) --Yamara 18:40, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Realy great additions to my work article, love the Terry Southern bit thanks! Catherine Huebscher 31 January 2007

[edit] Death

Is he really dead? IMDB has no record of it, and they have a listing for a movie called Pandora Peaks listed for 2001, several years after he supposedly died.

I removed the death date. You would think his death would be noted on his official page. There was apparently also a baseball player named "Russ Meyer" who did indeed die in 1997, and whoever added the date may have confounded the two. == IHCOYC 01:27 Mar 22, 2003 (UTC)

The filmmaker Russ Meyer has indeed died, earlier this year I believe. Jalabi99 17:00, 31 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Tombstone

Could someone get a picture of his tombstone? It is said to read I was glad to do it!, in response to a critic who had blamed him for causing the decay of the moral values of America. [1] --Easyas12c 15:22, 22 April 2006 (UTC)

Tombstone lists different birthdate than lede graf. BabuBhatt 06:22, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
I will get a photo of the tombstone within the next few months :) Catherine Huebscher 11 November 2007
Great. --Easyas12c 09:26, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Amazonian Debate

The section "Female Empowerment Debate" contains uncited assertions that are patently absurd and immaterial. Jane Russell or Pam Grier would fit fine, at least physically, in the Meyer universe. The bit about the Italian bombshells, while interesting, adds nothing to the question of whether Meyer's heroines are "proper" feminist icons.--Son of Somebody 08:13, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Jane Russell was NOTHING like a Meyer woman as her breasts were in proportion with her hips and she had solid big boned legs. http://www.filmreference.com/images/sjff_02_img0572.jpg

Please read what I wrote and then watch his films, define Amazonian and you'll see EVERY major Russ Meyer actress except for Tura is top-heavy with , smaller boned physiques. He had the chance to cast Pam Greir but only used her in a bit part during the party sequence in BTVOD. You have to understand that i've I've seen every single one of his films dozens of times and I have a very similar body type to Sophia and Pam--I really know my stuff AND i am the one who added virtually every single reference and citation when the article was just a stub. His heroines are not "proper" feminist icons because he did not want them to be--that is what is made very clear by that section.Catherine Huebscher 02:13, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Catherine, I appreciate the effort you've made, and I admit I haven't considered the differences between the body types of Russell/Grier sex objects vs. Meyeresque sex objects you bring into relief. But this seems like an aesthetic argument, and I expected the characters' behavior to weigh more heavily in a section dealing with female empowerment. But your observations are worth mentioning, and thanks for your response--Son of Somebody 00:38, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

Well Meyer's whole scope is that the woman's body IS her character and behavior! And Meyer's work as an auteur is a largely aesthtic one, in the first part of the article I mention how and why they are or are not empowered by his direction. He was turned on largely by how powerful woman felt as they inhabited these astonishingly curvy bodies, he was clearly VERY intimidated by both Maitland and Loren and he openly hated feminists something that should perhaps be added. Catherine Huebscher 07:13, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

It would be comforting to cite examples of published feminists on this subject.--Son of Somebody 03:57, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I know my stuff, feminists hated him and as far as I know nothing positive or even thorough in that regards exists in scholarly form, we can go by the references I cited, his huge following in cult film rentals and by how many female fans actresses like Tura still have via the web/MySpace. Camille Paglia is on record as watching his films in college but thankfully never chimed in. Catherine Huebscher 00:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC)


And that was rude to tag that section just because you know I'm right! Catherine Huebscher 07:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I did not tag this page. If you're right, more power to you. But that section is original research, and I do fine in my personal life...thanks for mentioning it.--Son of Somebody 06:47, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I tagged it, and tagged specific claims that are problematic per WP:NOR and WP:V. I suggest that Catherine attribute these claims to verifiable sources or remove them. I also copyedited and attempted to make the tone more encyclopedic and less editorial.--Agnaramasi 18:23, 9 April 2007 (UTC)


Well Son of somebody you screwed up my work by bringing attention to what you did not like and that stinks. The other articles are ridiculosly under citited and now i'm supposed to provide 6 dozen references hahaha it's all true. Catherine Huebscher 012:47, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

May I direct you to the history button at the top of the page? If you went there you would know that it was me who edited your work. Also, you will need to provide page numbers and more information about the sources you are using (are they books? articles? where are they published? by what press, etc.) especially because you cite the same one about ten times. You, and everyone else on Wikipedia must respect its content policies, and if you find unreferenced original research that concerns you anywhere on Wikipedia, you should try to improve it.--Agnaramasi 20:19, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Like it or not, this is not "your" article, Catherine. It's not a matter of whether "I don't like it". I actually think your observations are interesting. But the concept of Wikipedia is to arrive at a neutral point of view through consensus.
In the section in question, you cite a source which asserts that Meyer promoted a feminist agenda/aesthetic in his films, but you don't cite any sources which contradict that view (i.e., "Russ Meyer was not a feminist visionary"). If, as you mention above, Camille Paglia had chimed in, that would be a citable source. If the contradictory view is based on your personal observations and opinions, it violates the Wikipedia policies which Agnaramasi mentions above.
This is not a personal attack on you or your opinions, Catherine, it's an effort to improve the article and Wikipedia as a whole. I haven't made any changes to the article because it's my desire to discuss the matter here, on the talk page, where mature editors can arrive at a consensus free of agenda. It's true that there are other articles on Wikipedia which are poorly sourced, but we are talking about this article.--Son of Somebody 23:52, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Well the article won an award and needed litle improv,ment now it's just going to be mired in citations which slowly and surely I'll get up but if you knew this man's ouerve you would not have opened this up.Catherine Huebscher 010:07, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Your conributions improved Wikipedia by adding a different perspective on the women in Russ Meyer's films. Others' edits of your work -- including tagging -- help only to improve your contributions in the encyclopedic context. Especially given that the claims you added about the films are overtly interpretative and not factual -- analytical and not descriptive -- in nature, it is a priority for them to be referenced to secondary literature by critics and scholars. You should regard our comments as collaborative not has hostile. And finally, the threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is verifiability and not truth, so no matter how true your claims might seem to a person familiar with Meyer's films, they simply must be attributed to outside commentators.--Agnaramasi 06:38, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Okay so my work is mostly done, can the synth tag please be removed? ThanksCatherine Huebscher 010:07, 9 April 2007 (UTC)


Done. The section is actually quite encyclopedic now.... Good work.--Agnaramasi 06:35, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

The changes you made to what i did don't work Angar-not at all. It's a variety of sources people that Jimmy cites in his book,not Jimmy himself. It was so much better before and wish you would stop trying to prove your editing skills-it's making the article lack luster. just leave it alone!Catherine Huebscher 010:07, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I suggest that you return to Jimmy's text and find those sources and add them if you want to add credibility to the claims in the article.--Agnaramasi 02:16, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Okay I got it but please, i really understand what you need on this page as an editor in juxtaposition with what a fan/historian wants but it's really a great work of film history now and the only decent resource for this great man on the entire web. Have you seen ANY of his films? You may want to before you step in again. I cleaned up all the film career section too which someone had created w/no cites or links. Thanks again... Catherine Huebscher 010:07, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I have seen several of his fims... Not that it has anything to do with the exigencies that this article be written in an appropriate style.--Agnaramasi 02:16, 12 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Uncited claim about drug smuggling ring

I removed the following claim:


"In 2001, Russ Meyer was suspected of operating a drug smuggling enterprise which allegedly ran cocaine from Colombia to Los Angeles. It turned out he was merely importing butterflies for his niece Jessica McFadden. She loved butterflies."

since it sounds rather dubious to me and is uncited. If anyone has more info or a citation available, feel free to reinstate it. 24.151.79.108 03:34, 18 September 2007 (UTC)


Complete and utter nonsense, you may be referring to another Russ Meyer the man never touched drugs. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Catherine Huebscher (talk • contribs) 08:29, 1 January 2008 (UTC)