Great Movies
The LA Weekly reports that Haji, born Barbarella Catton, has died at age 67. She is most famous for her role in "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" She played Rosie, the lover of Varla (Tura Satana). Like Satana, Haji had a special place in a kind of alternate pantheon of stardom populated with actors who are often more interesting than the conventional stars of the 1960s.
Roger was always happy to acknowledge his involvement with Russ Meyer on "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," and wrote several times about this film from his old friend. You can read a wonderful interview with Tura Satana, an essay with some wonderful video clips and Roger's 1995 review of "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill", which becomes a thoughtful essay on Meyer and on the very idea of 'conflict of interest.' In all of these pieces, you can see Roger's love for and understanding of the work that Meyer was doing, and his enthusiasm for actresses like Haji.
