Very little is known for sure about the mysterious Haji, also occasionally credited as "Haji Cat" and "Haji Catton", we don't even know the story of how she got her famous moniker (when questioned, Haji says that story is a long one). One thing that is known for sure however, is that the notorious sexploitation king Russ Meyer thought enough of her to cast her in several of his films, --a noteworthy accolade from a director known for usually only working with an actress once or twice, and then never calling her again. How Haji got started in show business appears to be another one of her mysteries but she did spend some time working as an exotic dancer at a club called The Losers on La Cienega Boulevard in LA. While she was workin' it as a go-go dancer, she met Tura Satana, who Haji later introduced to Russ Meyer. The two would co-star in what is one, if not the most famous and acclaimed of all his films, 1965's Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.
Before portraying the eclectically accented third of the hell-raising hell-cat gang, Haji starred in Motorpsycho! (1965), the third of Meyer's black and white gothic melodramas. Though the plot revolves around Corey, an ineffectual veterinarian attempting to avenge the rape of his wife, Haji's Ruby Bonner is easily the most compelling character in the narrative. A newly remarried Cajun widow, she falls out with her current schlub of a husband on the road, and decides to team up with our "hero" to seek vengeance on the gang-raping bikers that killed her previous husband. From the moment she appears, Ruby becomes the hardest driving force in the film. It is Ruby who sucks the poison out of Corey, it is Ruby who watches over Corey as he rests and recovers from the poisonous snake bite, and it is Ruby who defends herself and Corey from one of the bikers with a classic mantis move.
After Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Haji continued to work with Meyer, appearing in Good Morning...and Goodbye! (1967), Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), and Supervixens (1975). She often wrote her own dialog for her parts in Meyer's films, and contributed psychedelic elements, like body painting, adding extra atmosphere to his rural sex-romps.
More than just a staple of the Russ Meyer stable, Haji appeared in John Cassavetes's crime-drama The Killing of Chinese Bookie (1976). She had a supporting role in the outrageous "women-in-prison" sexploitation film Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976) as a spy disguised as a dancing girl, and also made an appearance in the musical '70s soft-core take on Don Quixote, When Sex Was a Knightly Affair (1976).
Born in Quebec, Canada, Haji now lives in Malibu, California. Though more or less retired from acting these days, she still gives the occasional interview, and has contributed to several "making-of" documentaries over the last decade including Go, Pussycat, Go! (2005) a short documentary on the making of Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. A long-time supporter of environmentalism, Haji has maintained a keen interest in nature and the outdoors throughout her life, reportedly starting her mornings by body-surfing in the buff at 6am.
From the Burlesque circuit to the Cult Cinema circuit, Haji's been there and back. However, she's given several interviews over the years and never sounds cynical. Instead she reveals herself to be smart and savvy, if perhaps a bit spacey. Whether she's living the glamorous life as an entertainer on La Cinega, or the quiet life near the coast, thinking about all the little creatures in the ocean, Haji remains one of the most mysterious and fascinating figures of exploitation cinema.
Further Reading:
Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film; Jimmy McDonough,(2006)
Invasion of the B-Girls; Jewel Shepard, (1992)
Motorpsycho clip
