Unmade Movies: Who Killed Bambi?

OR

Who Killed RUSS MEYER's SEX PISTOLS Movie?

Nevermind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols

In the Late 1970s there wasn’t a more controversial music group than punk rockers the SEX PISTOLS. Their manager MALCOLM McLAREN had convinced movie studio 20th CENTURY FOX to place them in a major motion picture, intending to make a punk rock version of the classic BEATLES' movie A HARD DAY's NIGHT. Seeing potential in gaining of the ever growing summer youth audience, 20th CENTURY FOX agreed, with a release date set in 1978.


The Sex Pistols

Malcolm McLaren

       

A Hard Day's Night movie poster

To Direct this movie the band’s 1^st choice was a man known in Hollywood as "the King of Softcore Porn", RUSS MEYER, a man who shares my love of Big Boobs & the director of such classics as FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! (1965), SUPER VIXENS (1975), & UP! (1976). If you can check them out.

Edy Williams & Russ Meyer

 

Sexy Tura Satana from Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! 

Super Vixens movie poster

Sexy Raven de la Croix from UP!

But it was MEYER’s 1970 movie BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS that got the attention of the SEX PISTOLS, who would go to see it every weekend when they were in London at the Electric Cinema on Portobello Road.

The girls from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

Meyer got his friend, Chicago film critic ROGER EBERT to write the script with some input by McLAREN.

Russ Meyer and Roger Ebert

EBERT recalls MEYER - "We're going to the mountaintop again." (a reference to his triumph of ‘BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS’)

"Their lead singers are named JOHNNY ROTTEN & SID VICIOUS. They demanded the same team that made 'BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS.' We can go wild on this. I've got a couple of big-titted London girls already in mind."

EBERT - "They liked it that much?"

MEYER- "ROTTEN says it's true to life."

MEYER said the SEX PISTOLS would be the occasion of "a real R.M. film," and he had agents scouting the land for beautiful actresses with improbable bosoms. He had never been concerned before about plausibility in a screenplay, and he wasn't going to start now. If the SEX PISTOLS never encountered a woman requiring less than a DD cup, even in their audiences, that was fine with him. He appreciated the fact that the SEX PISTOLS songs would provide the occasion of another sex, drugs and rock and roll picture.

MEYER & EBERT met MALCOLM McLAREN in Los Angeles when he arrived from London for a briefing.

EBERT suggested the title “WHO KILLED BAMBI”, which was approved.

EBERT, MEYER, & MEYER’s girlfriend at the time, 44-inch chest KITTEN NATIVIDAD arrived in London in July of 1977 to begin production.



The busty Kitten Natividad



MEYER met the SEX PISTOLS for the 1^st time at a Dinner in London & took a dislike to both to lead singer JOHNNY ROTTEN & bassist SID VICIOUS, who dislike any type of authority figure, even MEYER’s.  

KITTEN NATIVIDAD tried to ease the tension by her usual method, stuffing the boys faces into her cleavage.



Sid Vicious & Johnny Rotten

MEYER soon started to cast the film starting with MICK JAGGER's ex-girlfriend MARIANNE FAITHFUL as SID VICIOUS's drug addicted mother.



Marianne Faithful

Polpular 1960s British rock star & ELVIS impersonator P.J. PROBY (who was really from Texas) would play himself.

P.J. Proby in the 1960s

MEYER even audition respected actor JON FINCH, who played the lead in director ROMAN POLANSKI’s 1971 MacBETH film, for a major role.

Francesca Annis, Roman Polanski, & Jon Finch

Only a day and a half's worth of shooting was ever achieved, as the filming stopped due to financial problems, according to EBERT it was because McLAREN couldn't pay the electricans on set. McLAREN claims it was main financier 20th CENTURY FOX who back out, shocked by what they read in the script, feeling that they should focus more on making family enterainment instead. Sets that had been built at Bray Studios in Berkshire were soon destroyed.

Some of the footage shot include THE POLICE frontman STING who being cast as the leader of a pretty-boy pop group called The Blow-Waves that assault drummer PAUL COOK as he stops to ask for directions.



Former Police frontman Sting

Sadly afterwards the SEX PISTOLS would soon come to an end when McLAREN fired frontman JOHNNY ROTTEN, leaving him stranded  Los Angeles.

Johnny Rotten & Malcolm McLaren

SID VICIOUS would later be found dead from a drug overdose in New York not long after being charge with his girlfriend NANCY SPUNGEN murder.

Nancy Spungen & Sid Vicious

RUSS MEYER would later retire from movies with the change from softcore porn to more hardcore porn, but don't be sad, he retire a weathly man.

McLAREN eventually made THE GREAT ROCK AND ROLL SWINDLE with director JULIEN TEMPLE in 1980 which included some short scenes from MEYER's short shoot, including the title shot of a deer being killed. A song with the same name is also featured in the film, sung by EDWARD TUDOR-POLE. More footage emerged in the 2000 documentary about the SEX PISTOLS called THE FILTH AND THE FURY, which was great look at the band.



The Great Rock n' Roll Swindle

The Filth & the Fury



In 2003 a French thriller was released also called WHO KILLED BAMBI? Apart from the name there is no connection between the 2 projects.

The french thriller Who Killed Bambi? movie poster

The Rest as they say is Rock N' Roll History.

~ Rajadevilman74