Crazy Mama (1975)

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers:

Frances Doel (story)
Robert Thom (writer)

Release Date:

June 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Crime

Tagline:

They shot her father, killed off her man, stole her land. She became the ... [video cover]

Plot:

Jonathan Demme directs this joyous unrelentlessly kitchy celebration of 50's America: opportunity, rock'n'roll...

Plot Keywords:

Arkansas | 1950s | Cross Country | Las Vegas Nevada | Bank Robbery

Cast

Cloris Leachman	...	Melba
Stuart Whitman	...	Jim Bob
Ann Sothern	...	Sheba
Jim Backus	...	Mr. Albertson
Don Most	...	Shawn (as Donny Most)
Linda Purl	...	Cheryl
Bryan Englund	...	Snake
Merie Earle	...	Bertha
Sally Kirkland	...	Ella Mae
Clint Kimbrough	...	Daniel
Dick Miller	...	Wilbur Janeway
Carmen Argenziano	...	Supermarket Manager
Harry Northup	...	FBI Agent
Ralph James	...	Sheriff - 1932
Dinah Englund	...	Melba - 1932

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:PG | Finland:(Banned) (1979)

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New World Pictures

Trivia:

Bill Paxton's film debut.

Movie Connections:

Features "Howdy Doody" (1954)

Amiable drive-in hijinks from New World.

Continuing his trend of using an older female star to headline one of his exploitation movies (after Shelley Winters in "Bloody Mama" and Angie Dickinson in "Big Bad Mama"), Roger Corman uses Cloris Leachman to great effect in this sometimes comic, sometimes touching madcap crime spree story that's also as much a celebration of the 1950's as anything else.

Melba (Leachman) and mom Sheba (Ann Sothern) lose their beauty salon to banker Mr. Albertson (Jim Backus of 'Gilligans' Island' and 'Mr. Magoo' fame, in a great cameo). Now in desperate need of money, they start a string of robberies, with Melbas' daughter Cheryl (an incredibly attractive and appealing Linda Purl) in tow, who's been impregnated by her boyfriend Shawn (Donny Most, Ralph Malph from 'Happy Days'). Joining their ranks, and making for a quite endearingly offbeat collection of cronies, are biker Snake (Bryan Englund, Leachmans' real-life son), elderly Bertha (Merie Earle) and affable gambler Jim Bob (Stuart Whitman).

Director Jonathan Demme brings flair to this fast-paced little movie. Key to its success for me is a high likability factor; the protagonists are the kind of criminals-by-circumstance that it would be hard not to root for. Production values are excellent for a movie with a budget of about $300,000 and a 15 day shooting schedule, especially considering the large amount of locations used. The non-stop assortment of classic rock songs works just as well as any conventional music score could.

Of course, a first-time viewer will have to keep in mind that this has a PG rating instead of an R rating. Even so, Demme and company insert it with as much nudity and violence as they can.

The cast couldn't be better, with many familiar faces in smaller roles: ever-ubiquitous Dick Miller, Sally Kirkland, Clint Kimbrough, Carmen Argenziano, Harry Northup (a regular in Demmes' films), John Aprea, and Sotherns' own daughter Tisha Sterling playing her character at a younger age. Look also for uncredited bits by Dennis Quaid (he plays a bellhop - blink and you'll miss him), Will Sampson, and director John Milius. Bill Paxton is also supposedly in this but I must have missed his appearance.

This is an engaging movie and is worth a look for fans of this genre.

7/10