Big Bad Mama
 | This articleis missing informationabout the film's reception.(June 2015) |
| Big Bad Mama | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by John Solie | |
| Directed by | Steve Carver |
| Written by | William Norton Frances Doel |
| Produced by | Roger Corman |
| Starring | Angie Dickinson William Shatner Tom Skerritt Susan Sennett Robbie Lee |
| Cinematography | Bruce Logan |
| Edited by | Tina Hirsch |
| Music by | David Grisman |
| Distributed by | New World Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $400,000[1]or $750,000[2] |
| Box office | $4 million[3] |
Big Bad Mamais a 1974 American action-crime-sexploitationcomedy movie produced byRoger Corman,starringAngie Dickinson,William Shatner,andTom Skerritt,with Susan Sennett and Robbie Lee. This movie is about a mother, Wilma (played by Dickinson), and her two daughters, Polly (Robbie Lee) and Billie Jean (Susan Sennett), who go on a crime spree. After the mother unexpectedly falls in love with a bank robber it all ends, with tragic consequences.Big Bad Mamabecame acult hit[4]and was followed by a sequel,Big Bad Mama II,in 1987.
Plot
[edit]In Texas in 1932, after stopping her youngest daughter's wedding, Wilma McClatchie takes over her late lover'sbootleggingbusiness, but gets caught while doing the delivery route with her two daughters. After handing over all her money and her ring to the sheriff, they are let go and she begins her crime spree.
While Wilma is at a bank trying to cash a fake check, the bank is held up by Fred Diller and his gang. In the melee, Wilma and her daughters, Polly and Billie Jean, grab some money bags from behind the counter and escape, but not before Diller gets in their automobile and leaves with them. Afterwards, they decide to pair up, and Diller and Wilma also become lovers.
During a subsequent con, Wilma meets the refined yet dishonest gambler William J. Baxter and falls for him. He joins the group and becomes Wilma's lover, much to the chagrin of Diller. The gang proceeds with several more heists, each time getting more money. Eventually, they kidnap the daughter of a millionaire in hopes of getting rich off the ransom. When the ransom is paid, federal agents who had been tracking them arrive with the police.
Baxter is captured, but Wilma, Polly, and Billie Jean escape with the suitcase full of money, and Diller stays behind, providing cover with hisTommy gun,which he uses to kill the handcuffed Baxter, who had been working as an informant with the agents. As the three women drive off, the mortally wounded Wilma's bloodied left arm is seen hanging down on the left side of the car.
Cast
[edit]- Angie Dickinsonas Wilma McClatchie
- Tom Skerrittas Fred Diller
- William Shatneras William J. Baxter
- Robbie Lee as Polly McClatchie
- Susan Sennett as Billie Jean McClatchie
- Noble Willinghamas Uncle Barney
- Sally Kirklandas Barney's woman
- Dick Milleras Bonney
- Joan Pratheras Jane Kingston
- Royal Danoas Rev. Johnson
Production
[edit]![[icon]](/translate/en.wikipedia.org?u=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%3AWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg&t=vi){kind=small} | This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(June 2015) |
The film is a loose follow-up to 1970'sBloody Mama,which starredShelley Wintersin the title role. That film was produced and directed byRoger Corman,who producedBig Bad Mama.Big Bad Mamais not a sequel (as Mama died in the original) or a remake. However, the core themes of a criminally active mother who shoots atommy gun,has a strong sexual appetite, and is questioningly close to her grown children - two young ladies in this film, four adult men in the previous one - are repeated.
The film features a number of nude scenes by the three principal actresses, several of which are with the two principal actors. According to directorSteve Carver,Angie Dickinson allowed the crew to remain on set during the filming of her sex scene with Tom Skerritt, but William Shatner asked for all nonessential crew to be removed during his sex scene with Dickinson.[5]
Much of the bluegrass music for this film was written byDavid Grisman.It was played by the Great American Music Band, and recorded and mixed by Bill Wolf.[6]
Home media
[edit]On December 7, 2010,Shout! Factoryreleased the title on DVD, packaged as a double feature withBig Bad Mama IIas part of theRoger Corman's Cult Classicscollection.[7]
On March 30, 2016, Shout! Factory releasedBig Bad Mamaon Blu-ray as a solo release. This Blu-ray is a BD/MOD (Blu-ray disc, manufactured on demand) release. It was announced on the Home Theater Forum, UHD Blu-ray/Blu-ray Forum.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Ed. J. Philip di Franco,The Movie World of Roger Corman,Chelsea House Publishers, 1979 p 57
- ^"CORMAN BRINGS IN 'MAMA' FOR $750,000".Los Angeles Times.June 3, 1974. p. e12.
- ^Christopher T Koetting,Mind Warp!: The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures,Hemlock Books. 2009 p 67
- ^Pfeiffer, Lee; Worrall, Dave (November 29, 2011).Cinema Sex Sirens.Omnibus Press.ISBN9780857127259.RetrievedJanuary 26,2018– via Google Books.
- ^Chris Nashawaty,Crab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen and Candy Stripe Nurses - Roger Corman: King of the B Movie,Abrams 2013, p. 141
- ^Big Bad Mamaentry inThe Compleat Grateful Dead Discography
- ^"Roger Corman's Cult Classics".Archived fromthe originalon 2010-04-11.RetrievedOctober 6,2010.
- ^"Big Bad Mama (1974) (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder".HomeTheaterForum.RetrievedJanuary 26,2018.
External links
[edit]
- 1974 films
- 1970s English-language films
- 1970s American films
- 1970s crime action films
- 1970s action adventure films
- 1974 action comedy films
- 1970s crime comedy films
- 1970s exploitation films
- New World Pictures films
- Films set in 1932
- Films set in Texas
- American crime action films
- Films directed by Steve Carver
- American action adventure films
- American sexploitation films
- American action comedy films
- American crime comedy films
- Girls with guns films
- Films produced by Roger Corman
- Films about mother–daughter relationships