Lust in the Dust *** (1985, Tab Hunter, Divine, Lainie Kazan) – Classic Movie Review 4,102

The still outrageously tacky Seventies drag star Divine and the still very handsome Fifties and Sixties heart-throb Tab Hunter (nicknamed The Sigh Guy) reunite for the saucy, funny 1984 spaghetti Western spoof Lust in the Dust.

The still outrageously tacky Seventies drag star Divine and the still very handsome Fifties and Sixties heart-throb Tab Hunter (nicknamed The Sigh Guy) reunite after Polyester (1981) for Lust in the Dust, this saucy, funny, good-natured, 1984 bad-taste trash spoof of Spaghetti Westerns. The title comes from the 1946 film Duel in the Sun, which was nicknamed Lust in the Dust.

Fifties and Sixties heart-throb Tab Hunter stars in Lust in the Dust.

Written by Philip John Taylor, it is a whole lot of fun, and is directed lustily by funny man Paul Bartel. Despite the 15 certificate for nudity, violence and suggested sex, it is all really rather innocent and silly, and there is nothing you won’t find in a Carry On movie, especially Carry On Cowboy.

The campy plot is all about our hero and heroine arriving in a New Mexico town called Chili Verde, man-with-no-name-style shootist Abel Wood (yes he does have a name!) (Hunter) to hunt hidden loot, and dance-hall girl Rosie Velez (Divine) to divine a job as bar singer.

Abel helps Rosie to safety when she is lost in the desert. In Chili Verde, at the saloon of Marguerita Ventura (Lainie Kazan), Abel clashes with outlaw Hard Case Williams (Geoffrey Lewis) and his gang over the treasure in gold. The amusing cast takes it all in their amiable stride, raising a lot of laughs.

Also in the cast are Cesar Romero as Father Garcia, Henry Silva, Woody Strode, Gina Gallego, Nedra Volz, Courtney Gains, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, Daniel Frishman and Ernie Shinagawa.

Cesar Romero plays Father Garcia in Lust in the Dust.

Cesar Romero was almost always described in interviews and articles as a ‘confirmed bachelor’ and many have speculated that he was a closeted gay man.

Tab Hunter, on the other hand, came out. He had long-term relationships with Anthony Perkins and champion figure skater Ronnie Robertson, before settling down with and marrying his partner/spouse of more than 35 years, film producer Allan Glaser.

Tab Hunter (11 July 1931 – 8 July 2018).

Tab Hunter (11 July 1931 – 8 July 2018) was born Arthur Andrew Kelm and brought up by his mother as Arthur Gelien. He appeared in more than 40 films before his sudden and unexpected death from a cardiac arrest three days before his 87th birthday.

In 2005, Hunter’s autobiography, Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star, became a best-seller. It inspired the 2015 documentary film Tab Hunter Confidential, produced by Allan Glaser and directed by Jeffrey Schwarz, following Hunter’s participation in Schwarz’s 2013 documentary film I Am Divine.

Lust in the Dust is available on a double feature DVD with Robert Altman’s 1987 Beyond Therapy [Region 1] [US Import].

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4,102

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