Fabulous Femme: Tura Satana

 

I was introduced to Tura Satana via her work in Russ Meyer's Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, a cult film from 1965. I found that film after watching Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, another crackpot movie of Meyer's, which remains one of my favorite older films because it's stupid, colorful, and bizarre.

I like Tura because she possessed a unique beauty, was outspoken, and wild. She played Varla in FPKK, a violent and confident gangleader/go-go dancer. She wasn't a great actress, but if you have any familiarity with Meyer's films, you know acting was never a priority.

Tura was tall, voluptuous, and fabulous. Her Japanese, Cheyenne Indian, and Scots-Irish blood gave her an individualized, fiesty beauty. She worked as a burlesque performer throughout her early life and in later years developed quite a fan following based on her work in FPKK. A fun fact is that she and Elvis Presley dated, but Tura turned his marriage proposal down and kept the ring.

Tura passed away from heart failure on February 4, 2011.