Cherry, Harry & Raquel!, released in 1970, is a fairly typical Russ Meyer movie of that era. It’s very similar in feel to Supervixens . Which is no bad thing!Harry is a sheriff’s deputy in a one-horse town in Arizona. He’s been involved in a drug-smuggling racket, and now it’s time to close down the operation and eliminate the witnesses. But Harry and his crime boss aren’t as smart as they thought they ere, and their plans go badly awry.
Cherry is Harry’s live-in English nurse girlfriend. But that doesn’t stop him from having is off with Raquel, who is also having it off with pretty much every other character in the film. Including Cherry. It’s the usual Meyer mix of outrageous cartoonish violence and outrageous cartoonish sex. There are the usual surreal touches, with characters who keep appearing but they’re not really in the film at all, but they’re used to comment on the action (like Kitten Natividad as the Greek Chorus in Up!), or maybe they’re just there because they have very large breasts and Russ thought the movie really needed more actresses with enormous busts. But they add to the strangeness.
The movie has all the visual style and energy and the manic editing we expect from Meyer. Charles Napier is terrific as Harry (and went on to give an even better performance in Supervixens ). There’s not much to say about the plot, which is more or less non-existent, which matters not at all.
Cherry, Harry & Raquel! isn’t quite in the top rank of Meyer movies but it’s still undeniably a terrific romp.
Merry Christmas!!!
ReplyDeleteAlways happy when you review a Russ Meyer film. Cherry, Harry & Raquel happens to be my favorite. Thanks to Frank Bolgers performance as a corrupt Mayor (or something).
ReplyDeleteThat's something I miss in Meyers last three films (starting of course with UP!)... A villain with some realistic touch. Bolger almost add a noir touch in this one.
In the Region 2 release "Cherry, Harry..." teams up with another favorite of mine: "Common Law Cabin". Where Bolger plays a drunken boat captain who sacrifices himself to save the good guys from Ken Swofford, another classic bad guy who almost had a post-Meyers career in par with Napier, but of course not an inch of the latters charms.
By the way do you have any idea where the classic american bandstand opening theme in "Cherry, Harry..." comes from. I'm sure I've heard it before.
Be sure to watch a lot of bad cult movies in the upcoming holidays: I read your reviews with the greatest pleasure.