Erica Sizzles in Caged Heat!
Rape, Riot & Revenge! Steve Sullivan talks with Erica
about working with Jonathan Demme on his directorial début.
Way Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Erica discusses working again with Russ Meyer on his big-budget collaboration with Roger Ebert when Helter Skelter met Hollywood.
All About the Vixen!
Biographer Steve Sullivan interviews Erica
on starring in Russ Meyer's knockout hit.
***** NEWSFLASH ***** NEWSFLASH ***** NEWSFLASH *****
I'm excited to announce that Severin Films will release 4K restorations of the Vixen Trilogy in collaboration with MoMA, the Academy of Motion Pictures and the Russ Meyer Charitable Trust. The release date is January 28th with pre-order available at Severin Films.com. These discs will introduce Russ Meyer’s films to a new generation and preserve his legacy as a filmmaker pushing boundaries. As a bonus David Gregory and I recorded a new audio commentary for Vixen!
A recent IndieWire article highlights the significance of Vixen!, the first film to receive an “X” rating from the MPAA, and speaks to its impact on societal norms. It also discusses the legal battle with Charles Keating Jr, which created a heightened interest in Russ Meyer’s daring vision. This 4K restoration is an opportunity to showcase how Vixen! was ahead of its time, still sparks controversy and hopefully inspires future filmmakers to push boundaries with their work.
Additionally, Severin Films discovered 500 original Vixen! VHS covers which I’ve signed and can be purchased on a bundle along with the discs on the Severin films site. This project is not just a collector’s item but a tribute to a film that influenced modern cinema.
This release and my part in Vixen! has been a lifelong journey— much bigger than just a role in a cult film. Bear Manor Media is publishing my biography, co-written with Steve Sullivan, which explores many aspects of my life that brought me to who I am today and offers insights on an unexpected journey to becoming a cult icon.
Gonna rock your world!
WHO IS ERICA GAVIN?
Erica Gavin is, in her own words, "a real trip!"
Born and raised in Hollywood, she was, at the age of 19 working as a topless dancer at a club called The Losers where her colleagues were FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! stars Haji and Tura Satana. She couldn't have cared less about being an actress. "I was a stoned out hippie," she says. "Movies? PLEASE!! I was living in Laurel Canyon and tripping my brains out going to Acid Tests."
One day while at her dentist's office thumbing through a copy of Variety she spotted a casting notice looking for "technically interesting" girls for a new Russ Meyer film.
The film was 1968's VIXEN, the first mainstream X-rated film where husbands would actually bring their wives. Pre-DEEP THROAT, pre-BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR and the new wave of porno-chic, the satirical softcore romp about a rural nymphomaniacal housewife played every major American market, received surprisingly favorable reviews and became a box-office smash. Gavin's ferocious performance in the title role made her an instant poster-girl for the sexual revolution - even facing off with Betty Friedan on a Chicago talk show - and launched what should have at the very least been a solid B-movie career. Yet apart from outrageously memorable leads in BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970) and Jonathan Demme's directorial debut CAGED HEAT (1973), Erica virtually disappeared. What ended her career? What happened to a Russ Meyer girl who was on her way to the top in the swinging early 70s?
Still looking gorgeous, today she is Hollywood's best kept secret. She jokes that people often talk to her about her without even knowing that it is her. At a recent anniversary retrospective screening of VIXEN at the Egyptian theatre, the audience marveled a the women who challenged the censors by taking her clothes off at at time when nudity in films was not only something women didn't do, but was also illegal. With twenty years worth of stories inside of her, she has been recently working as a stylist and finally reentering the business she abruptly left behind.
- Ben Golden
Check out Erica's SUPERLATIVE interview on the Projection Booth Podcast! Begins at: 3:47:00 (227:00)
THE FILMS • JUST THE BEGINNING!
All About the Vixen!
Go deep into the valley of Russ Meyer in this newly expanded article. Contributor Steve Sullivan explores the making of this ground-breaking feature film in this amazingly candid interview with Erica Gavin.
THE FILMS • DARK HOLLYWOOD
Way Beyond The Valley of the Dolls
After the phenomenal success of Vixen, Erica was cast in the role of Roxanne in Russ Meyer and Roger Ebert's cinematic tour-de-force.
Learn more about the very strange and haunting synchronicities in this revealing expanded article from writer Steve Sullivan.
Read more!
THE FILMS • RAPE, RIOT & REVENGE!
Erica Sizzles in Caged Heat
Erica relates her career post-Dolls in this very revealing interview with writer Steve Sullivan. Here, she details the tough time she had securing good roles, as well as the creative-heaven she found working with first-time director Jonathan Demme.
Read more!
