Tura Satana 1938-2011

We have lost another legend.  Tura Satana may have only starred in a handful of films, but she has left an indelible impression on the world of exploitation cinema that will always be felt.

She began as a nude dancer in Hollywood before quickly progressing onto bit parts in films like Irma La Douche.  It wasn't until nudie bar aficionado Russ Meyer got a hold of her that she became a legend.  When Meyer met her to audition for Faster, Pussycat, Kill! Kill!, he knew right away that she was Varla.  Varla the take charge and take no prisoners hot rod doll, who neither took shit nor answered to anyone.  Meyer, in part, cast her based on the fact that she actually knew karate, as the character in his screenplay had to deliver some beatings.  She appreciated the fame and notoriety that Pussycat afforded her, and was always happy to sign an autograph. 

One of my favorite Tura Satana related anecdote comes from the set of Pussycat.  Russ Meyer had an iron-clad "no sex during filming" policy with all of his cast and crew.  He wanted them to take that energy and frustration and put it on the screen.  The only person he ever relented for was Tura Satana, who demanded an able-bodied man every night, or she'd walk off the film.  She got it, some poor sap boom-operator or something was sacrificed to Satana, and she stayed on.  The rest is history.

Beyond Pussycat, Satana starred in cult classics like Astro Zombies and The Doll Squad.  She popped up now and again in video tributes to her classic work and the occasional voice over job.  Mostly her fans would see her on the convention circuit, which she was happy to tour, being fawned over well into her 70's by men only a fraction of her age, and idolized by tough broads for over 40 years.

I may be the resident Russ Meyer fanatic, I haven't tested those waters, and Satana may be the ultimate Meyer girl.  She only ever appeared in one of his films, fewer than Erica Gavin or Kitten Natividad, but no one embodied the Russ Meyer ideal like Tura Satana, and she'll forever be remembered for it.

Tura Satana passed away yesterday, February 4th, 2011 in Reno, Nevada.