“The dawn’s early light comes to Small Town every day — and with it, the events of the night before are forgotten.”
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Synopsis:
A woman (Kitten Navidad) whose sexual appetites can’t be fulfilled by her husband (Ken Kerr) tries everything she can to help him learn how to have sex the “right way”.
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Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
- Adult Films
- Marital Problems
- Russ Meyer Films
- Satires and Spoofs
- Sexuality
- Small Town America
Review:
Russ Meyer’s final feature was this satirical take (scripted under a pen name by Roger Ebert) on Our Town, in which an earnest narrator (Stuart Lancaster) tells us about the strange sex lives — both fulfilling and otherwise — of various residents in Smalltown. It’s as close as Meyer ever came to making an actual hardcore film, and I’m categorizing it as such here (it received an X rating) — but once/if you get beyond the relentless sex scenes, it’s possible to reflect on the humor and absurdity of the situation, in which Kerr nearly loses his job working for a female dump station owner (June Mack) because of his preferences, and only an ultra-busty evangelical radio announcer (Ann Marie) can potentially “save” Kerr from his own impulses.
Homosexuality is most definitely mocked and denigrated, with a dentist/counselor named “Dr. Lavender” (Robert E. Pearson) attempting to force Kerr “out of the closer” using a chainsaw — but is that any more ridiculous or offensive than the many other sex-based scenarios taking place? Not really.
Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
- A sometimes humorous take on “Our Town”
Must See?
No; this one is only must-see for Meyer completists.
Links:
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One thought on “Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens (1979)”
First viewing. Skip it.
The re-teaming of Meyer and Ebert didn’t result in anything resembling the (mostly) hilarious nuttiness of ‘Beyond the Valley of the Dolls’. This is pretty much just a manic mess.