Good Morning and Goodbye! is a Russ Meyer film that no one really seems to talk about. I honestly knew very little about it going in, which was for the better. I mean, Faster Pussycat and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls will always be vying for the top spot. This one is a complete riot. It easily landed in my Top Five favorite Meyer movies even after only one viewing.
The opening beats are quintessential Meyer. From the rapid-fire editing and the hilariously overblown narration, you know you’re in Meyer Territory. The shots of naked women frolicking in nature and busty blondes wildly go-go dancing are just Pure Cinema. Also, I have to say that the opening credits, where the names of the cast and crew are emblazoned on mailboxes as a sports car speeds down the road, is really cool too.
The film explores the various love triangles (and rectangles) of the Boland family. Angel (played by the magnificent Alaina Capri) is a sultry temptress who humiliates her impotent husband Burt (Stuart Lancaster) by humping every stud in town. Meanwhile, Burt’s virginal daughter Lana (Karen Ciral) is busy trying to catch the eye of a jive-talking hot rodder (Don Johnson… no, not that one). There’s also a nymph (Haji) who skips through the forest and lurks in lakes that goes around influencing the action.
Capri only appeared in three movies (including Meyer’s Common Law Cabin, which came out the same year) and that seems like a tragic loss for cinephiles. She is incredible in this film as her knockout physique is only matched by the ferocity in which she spews her hateful dialogue. Meyer’s filmography is littered with badass women with enormous breasts that chew men up and spit them out, and I’m here to tell you Capri is one of the best. I also enjoyed Haji as the nature girl who sparks lust in Lancaster by belly dancing, gyrating wildly, and growling and meowing like a goddamned cat.
As much as Meyer’s technique shines throughout, it can’t be overstated just how terrific screenwriter Jackie (Faster Pussycat) Moran’s dialogue is. There are some real jaw-droppers here. If they ever make a Smithsonian of smut, the screenplay for Good Morning and Goodbye! belongs in its hallowed halls. I could quote this film endlessly, but I’ll just limit myself to my two favorite lines, both of which are spoken by Capri: “Okay, so I’m a biological freak,” and “You play the stock market like a fox, but you store your nuts away like a squirrel!”
AKA: Lust Seekers.
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