Bloody Mama (1970)

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Don Peters (story)
Robert Thom (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

24 March 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Tagline:

Say it with bullets!

Plot:

A psychological gangster film based on fact. Machine gun totin' Ma Barker lead her family gang (her sons) on a crime spree in the Depression era...

Plot Keywords:

Glue | Prison | Millionaire | Drugs | Machine Gun

Cast

Shelley Winters	...	'Ma' Kate Barker
Pat Hingle	...	Sam Adams Pendlebury
Don Stroud	...	Herman Barker
Diane Varsi	...	Mona Gibson
Bruce Dern	...	Kevin Dirkman
Clint Kimbrough	...	Arthur Barker
Robert De Niro	...	Lloyd Barker
Robert Walden	...	Fred Barker
Alex Nicol	...	George Barker
Pamela Dunlap	...	Rembrandt
Michael Fox	...	Dr. Roth
Scatman Crothers	...	Moses (as 'Scatman' Crothers)
Stacy Harris	...	Agent McClellan
Lisa Linsky	...	Young Kate (as Lisa Jill)
Steve Mitchell	...	Sheriff
Roy Idom	...	Ferryboat Passenger
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Snell	...	Federal Agent (uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Corman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Don Peters		story
Robert Thom		screenplay
Robert Thom		story

Produced by
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	executive producer
Roger Corman	....	producer
Norman T. Herman	....	co-producer
James H. Nicholson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Don Randi

Cinematography by
John A. Alonzo		(director of photography) (as John Alonzo)

Film Editing by
Eve Newman

Makeup Department
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist (as David Grayson)
Bette Iverson	....	hair stylist (as Betty Iverson)

Production Management
Elliot Schick	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gary Grillo	....	assistant director
George Bowden	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Michael Ross	....	property master

Sound Department
Charles T. Knight	....	sound mixer (as Charles Knight)

Special Effects by
A.D. Flowers	....	special effects

Stunts
Bud Walls	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
John Elsenbach	....	camera operator
Roy Hogstedt	....	assistant camera
Richard King Sr.	....	key grip (as Richard King)
Robert E. Thomas	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Thomas Costich	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Bigfoot	....	music performers "Bloody Mama"
Guy Hemric	....	composer: title song "Bloody Mama"
Don Randi	....	musical director
Bob Silver	....	composer: title song "Bloody Mama"
Al Simms	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Clifton Bush	....	transportation captain

Other crew
William Bond Jr.	....	our man in Arkansas
Michel Levesque	....	visual consultant (as Michael Levesque)
Tom Moore	....	script supervisor
Earl Wingard	....	unit publicist

Production Companies

• American International Pictures (AIP)

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Actueel Film (1971) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Cinémas Associés (1970) (France) (theatrical)
• LIF (1970) (Italy) (theatrical)
• MGM-EMI (1971) (UK) (theatrical)
• Astral Films (Canada)
• Eurocine Films (2008) (Spain) (DVD)
• Impulso Records (2008) (Spain) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• RCV Orion (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Cinefx  optical effects
• Edit International  sound effects
• Pacific Title  title design by
• Ryder Sound Services  sound

Also Known As:

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:18 (cut) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1972) | UK:X | France:-18 | Italy:VM14 | West Germany:18 | France:-12 (re-rating) | UK:18 (uncut version, re-rating) | Spain:18 | Netherlands:18 (orginal rating) | UK:(Banned) (original rating) | New Zealand:(Banned) (original rating) | New Zealand:R16 (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

Bruce Dern's character of Dirkman is a combination of several Barker Gang members, most notably Alvin Carpis, who was a cellmate of Freddie Barker and the primary member of the gang (outside of the family).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the prison cell when Freddie is walking on Dirkman's back, if you look on the cell wall behind him, you'll see graffiti of a Nazi swastika on the wall. The movie takes place circa 1930 and the Nazi symbol didn't even exist (at least in America's consciousness) until the late 1930's-1940's.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011)

Violent Fun

A gleefully trashy Corman cheapie, with Shelley Winters as the sex-crazed head of a family of criminals. Very bloody and perverse, yet strangely campy, and with good support from Bruce Dern, Robert DeNiro and Don Stroud, in a brilliantly sadistic role. Add to this Winters' fascinatingly overblown performance and you have a classic. Based on a true story, but you'd never guess.