Crazy Mama
| Crazy Mama | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jonathan Demme |
| Produced by | Julie Corman |
| Screenplay by | Robert Thom |
| Story by | Frances Doel |
| Starring | Cloris Leachman |
| Music by | Snotty Scotty and The Hankies |
| Cinematography | Bruce Logan |
| Edited by |
Allan Holzman Lewis Teague |
| Distributed by | New World Pictures |
Release dates | June 1975 |
Running time | 83 mins. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.3 million[1] |
Crazy Mama is a 1975 American action/comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme and produced by Julie Corman. The film stars Cloris Leachman. Dennis Quaid and Bill Paxton (in his film debut) are also seen briefly in two of their earliest roles.
Plot
In 1958, a Long Beach, California beauty parlor run by Melba Stokes (Leachman), her mother Sheba (Ann Sothern) and daughter Cheryl (Linda Purl), is repossessed. They flee when landlord Mr. Albertson comes to demand the back rent.
On the road, heading back to Arkansas to reclaim the family farm, the Stokes women begin a crime spree. They rob a gas station first, then head for Las Vegas next. In pursuit of pregnant Cheryl is her boyfriend, Shawn, while Melba gets reacquainted with an old lover, Jim Bob. Further battles with the law along the way eventually lead to a shootout in which Jim Bob and others are killed. Melba is left alone, on the lam, but begins life again in a new town with a new look.
Cast
- Cloris Leachman as Melba
- Stuart Whitman as Jim Bob
- Ann Sothern as Sheba
- Linda Purl as Cheryl
- Jim Backus as Albertson
- Donny Most as Shawn
- Tisha Sterling as Young Sheba
- Sally Kirkland as Ella Mae
- Dick Miller as Wilbur Janeway
- Harry Northup as FBI Man
- The Goodyear Blimp as Himself
Production
The film is a follow up to Big Bad Mama (1974). The original director was Shirley Clarke but she was fired ten days prior to filming and Demme (who had been preparing Fighting Mad for Corman[2]) took over. Among the changes Demme made was to the ending, which was originally have all the leading characters die. Producer Julie Corman gave birth to her first child during production.[1]
Soundtrack
- "Transfusion" - Performed by Nervous Norvus
- "Sleep Walk" - Performed by Santo & Johnny
- "Money (That's What I Want)" - Performed by Barrett Strong
- "Devoted to You" - Performed by The Everly Brothers
- "Black Slacks" - Performed by Joe Bennett & the Sparkletones
- "Running Bear" - Performed by Johnny Preston
- "All I Have to Do Is Dream" - Performed by The Everly Brothers
- "I've Had It" - Performed by The Bell Notes
- "Western Movies" - Performed by The Olympics
- "Lollipop" - Performed by The Chordettes
Home media
On December 17, 2010, Shout! Factory released the title on DVD, packaged as a double feature with The Lady In Red as part of the Roger Corman Cult Classics collection.[3]
See also
Notes
- 1 2 Christopher T Koetting, Mind Warp!: The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures, Hemlock Books. 2009 p 86-87
- ↑ Chris Nashawaty, Crab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen and Candy Stripe Nurses - Roger Corman: King of the B Movie, Abrams, 2013 p 147
- ↑ "Roger Corman's Cult Classics". shoutfactory.com. Retrieved December 31, 2012.