Velvet Glove Cast in Iron: The Films of Tura Satana (Filmography Series)

Relatively brief but fond--and very intelligent--appraisal of the career of Tura Satana, exotic dancer turned actress who snapped spines and thrilled two generations of men as Varla, the leather-clad alpha vixen leader in Russ Meyer's brilliant action classic FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!That was Tura's finest on-screen work: she dominates the picture completely, snapping and crackling like a fallen power line. Meyer fashioned her into a gorgeous and malevolent force of nature. Puny men, beware! And if you're a gorgeous chick who thinks you have the upper hand, well, don't turn your back on her!Except for FASTER, PUSSYCAT, most of Tura's film work was minor--either in the sense that she was cast in inferior pictures, or that she had showy but teeny roles in prestige films (like Billy Wilder's high-profile but generally unsatisfying IRMA LA DOUCE).The refreshing aspect of the book (which is either self-published or a co-op project) is the agreeable honesty of author Astell. He's a sharp, skilled writer who understands the realities of the movie business, and he makes a good case for his contention that Tura became an important cinema figure with an admittedly thin body of work. In other words, she triumphed in spite of the projects she found herself in.Astell is considerably less fond than I of THE ASTRO-ZOMBIES (sure, it's a mess; maybe I just have more tolerance for the picture's delirious imagination and brazen cheapness of production--and, as Astell notes, there's something grimly fascinating about watching onetime star character actor Wendell Corey, apparently soused, struggle to manage his dialogue.You'll flip for Keith Decesare's vibrant cover illustration, but wish, as I did, for a few more interior photos.Because Astell limited himself to Tura's film work, the definitive look at Tura's early burlesque career, during which she was touted as "Miss Japan Beautiful," still needs to be explored. Who might hold an archive related to her dance career? Family? Friends? Oh, what a treasure that must be.This isn't a major book, but it's a very pleasing one. If you dig Tura, you'll want to have a copy.For more from Mr. Astell, see [...]

This splendid book, written by Hal CF Astell, chronicles the film career of a magnificent, sexy and versatile actress named Tura Santana. I admit that I had never heard of her until I began reading this work but I was so impressed with the material, I managed to find some of the films mentioned and watched them. Tura Santana's role in "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" was riveting and I enjoyed the two most recent Astro Zombie films. This is an amazing story with Tura Santana interacting with many other actors and actresses we have all heard of including, James Coburn, Michael Ansara, Robert Vaughn, Jack Lemon, Shirley Mcclaine, Dean Martin, Carol Burnette and Harold Lloyd. The saga of sexploitation films with the in depth analysis of each TV/Movie film by Hal Astell is remarkably clear and concise. I am very eager to read more work by Mr. Astell and would be honored to view films with him for commentary. This book should be a best seller and should receive more critical acclaim and public acknowledgement. Well said and well done!

I love Tura Satana's work! The book is a great read about her life and career. I'm glad to see the information written down and not lost in the mists of time. Many thanks to the author!

Being a big fan of Tura Satana's work I was excited to read this book. The author knows his business and does a great job on covering her film career in this entertaining book!

This is an interestingly, well written book about the films that Tura Satana starred in. I really enjoyed the insight and information that was included.

As a useful, and informative, overview of the cult actress' films, this book fills a useful gap. Since Satana made relatively few appearances on screen - and even fewer in a prominent role - it is understandable that ultimately such an overview inevitably adds up to something relatively short, though (as one finds often elsewhere in such neo-fan productions) here at least there is no padding out with lazy plot outlining. However, one misses an opening chapter which might give some extended biographical information enabling context and background to the run through of titles, this while Satana's most famous film, Meyer's 'Faster Pussy Cat. Kill! Kill' and one suspects the main reason many will seek this out, is, a little disappointingly, given almost as much editorial space as anything else she did. But overall, and if found at the right price, this well produced 107pp paperback is worth a look.