SIMON DOONAN BIDS TURA SATANA FAREWELL

Goodbye, Pussycat A farewell to Tura Satana, unsung fashion avatar.
By Simon Doonan

Tura Satana in "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"Tura Satana in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!



Grab a black armband, girls! Last week a great style icon popped her clogs. I'm talking about Tura Satana, the toughest B-movie bitch of all time. If you have never watched her ignite the screen in Russ Meyer's black-and-white 1965 masterpiece Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, then you are in for a serious sexploitation treat.

This shocking and improbably beautiful movie features the nihilistic antics of three inexplicably pissed-off go-go dancers: Billie, Rosie and their leader, the wicked Varla, played by Satana. Spewing venom and sarcasm at every turn, this karate-chopping avenger makes Pussy Galore look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm: "I never try anything. I just do it. I don't beat clocks. Just people. Wanna try me?"

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