The Wild Life And Shocking Death Of Eve Meyer!
She was married to the legendary Director Russ Meyer – and starred in several of his films – but it was her shocking death that will never be forgotten…
Celebrating The Career Of A Cult Movie Queen…
If you don’t know the story of Eve Meyer, wait until you read this – my “2023 Sex Kitten Countdown” celebrates her fascinating life…she was at the forefront of the “nudie cutie” exploitation film explosion of the 60’s, and married one of the most famous sexploitation Directors of all time!
The story of Eve Meyer is also the story of the “birth” of adult men’s magazines – she was at the forefront of a new permissive time in cult cinema and men’s magazine history…
She was born Evelyn Eugene Turner in 1928 in Georgia…when she was 27 years old, she appeared in a new men’s magazine that featured women without clothes…a daring and unheard of mainstream phenomenon!
Remember that this was a time when nudity and sex were not allowed in movies – and most “men’s magazines” were sold under the counter in a plain brown paper bag…
The “mainstreaming” of erotic photography was a huge cultural change – oh, and her husband took the photos!
Meyer was chosen as the June 1955 Playmate Of The Month, and went on to pose for many provocative photos for her husband – they were married from 1952 to 1969.
Eve’s “Nudie Cuties!”
In the late 50’s and early 60’s, Eve appeared in what were known as “Nudie Cuties”…these films played seedy “grind house” theaters that catered to single men seeking a cheap thrill…more was promised than delivered,, but these groundbreaking movies set the stage for the sexual revolution to come.
Eve played the title role in the Meyer movie “Eve and the Handyman.”
See how they sold this film?
“For The Broadminded Adult Only!”
Eve ultimately had her greatest success behind the camera…she was her husband’s partner throughout the 60’s as he made many of his most iconic sexploitaiton films:
She was Associate Producer films like “Lorna,” “Mudhoney,” “Motor Psycho” and of course his most notorious still ever – “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!”
This is the one that helped push “adult” films into mainstream theaters – and look at that cast!
Tura Satana was an empowered, well-endowed woman – and so was her co-star Haji:
The late Actress Haji also starred in the film, and you can see all of her greatest hits by clicking here:
Remember who else starred in this film?
Susan Bernard was also Playboy’s first ever Jewish centerfold – what a career she had!
See her greatest hits here:
Meyer also worked with her husband on his films “Vixen!,” “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,” and “The Seven Minutes” as well.
After their divorce, Meyer went on to work in the film industry for years…as for Meyer, he continued to make his big-breasted, softcore films through the 70’s, but they couldn’t keep up with the more explicit XXX-rated fare flooding theaters…you can see more of his greatest hits here:
Eve’s Shocking Death!
Eve was only 48 years old when tragedy struck…it happened in the Canary Islands on March 27, 1977.
Meyer was on board Pan Am Flight 1736 when it collided with KLM Flight 1805 during the Tenerife airport disaster – these two Boeing 747 planes collided on the runway!
A Canarian militant group, Fuerzas Armadas Guanches, plotted a terrorist attack at Gran Canaria Airport, resulting in aircraft bound for Gran Canaria International Airport to be diverted to Los Rodeos Airport – causing the collision. The 583 who were killed on both 747s was the deadliest aviation accident in history prior to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
It’s a truly shocking and tragic end to a great career for Eve – and she will always be remembered for her role in making Exploitation films part of the mainstream…
A number of great Cult Movie Queens worked with Eve and Russ Meyer – Erica Gavin starred in Meyer’s legendary “Vixen” film, and you can see all of her most provocative work by clicking on my story here:
There have been many Actreses who achieved fame in part due to Director Meyer:
Lorna Maitland was in fact “Lorna!”
Check out this provocative Actress here:
And some of Meyer’s greatest stars had mysterious personal lives, like Shari Eubank:
She had a wild career – so what happened to her?
See her story here:
A few of the Director’s greatest stars have passed away sadly…
Kitten Natividad was fearless – see some of her greatest hits here:
If you like these stories, and don’t want to miss any of my “2023 Sex Kitten Countdown”, then go to my website’s front page and sign on to follow me – there are NO ads at all, just lots of stories to come about the wild world of exploitation and cult films!
Click here and see the “follow” button on the upper right!
Bravo to Eve Meyer for her role in the launch of cult cinema…
Categories: 70's Films, Artsploitation, Books / Media, Camp Cult Classics, Cult Classics, Exploitation Films, Extreme Cinema, Grindhouse, JRsploitation, Nudity, Russ Meyer, sex kittens, Sexploitation Films, Talent / Celebrites
JR-Sploitation! 
Eve, one of all time great busty legends who helped make Playboy one of the most infamous publications of all time. Eve certainly deserved a better fate.
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I was a huge fan of Russ Meyer’s ‘heavy-breasted’ films when I was younger. But I didn’t know his former wife was killed in that famous air disaster.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Great article as always. You said she starred in several of Russ’s films but only Eve and the Handyman is listed on IMDB. Was she in other shorts not listed? Thanks.
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I probably phrased it wrong, meaning she worked with him on a number of films, mostly behind the scenes…thanks for pointing that out!
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I never head the story of that airline disaster, I guess I was about 6 or 7 when it happened. What a tragedy
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