Wild Gals Of The Naked West (1962)

Rating: *
Review Date: 7/4/99
Director: Russ Meyer

There are not enough drugs in the world to make any sense of this movie. This is essentially Russ Meyer's homage to old silent nickelodeon peek-a-boo films, and is nothing more than a bunch of wacky and stupid comedic vignettes strung together with a healthy dose of psychedelia. And of course there's Russ Meyer's signature voyeurism of large breasted topless women. The film opens with a long and drawn out narration of the "Old West," accompanied by nature photography and ghost town footage. The camera is the viewer's window into one such ghost town where we meet an old drunken coot who tells us a story of when the town was alive and full of sin. This is when we start flashing back to scenes of decadence and debauchery consisting of chaotic bar room brawls, practical jokers, and very loose women. A story finally starts to form when a stranger comes to town and cleans it up. The linearity is appreciated, but the chaos and nonsense continues. Oh, did I mention the toothless granny and the gorilla? The art direction is totally insane, and all of the indoor sets consist of brightly colored walls with black marker drawings on them. I experienced much groaning and forehead slapping while enduring this film, and I'll definitely have second thoughts the next time someone asks me to watch a Russ Meyer film with them.