Gangster tales are mostly male oriented. A tough guy with a Tommy gun shoots his way to fame during the Great Depression before meeting a grizzly end. Even when a woman gets involved, she’s either the devoted girlfriend (Bonnie and Clyde) or the matriarch of bad boys (Bloody Mama‘s Ma Barker). Hollywood wouldn’t imagine an estrogen oriented crime spree. That all changed when Angie Dickinson played Wilma McClatchie. She wasn’t about let a man tell her when it was time to pull the trigger. She had to provide for her two daughters in tough times. Crime paid better than waitressing. Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Double Feature: Big Bad Mama / Big Bad Mama II puts together her two great outlaw adventures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaLuskJD5ac
Wilma was only slightly bad as part of a bootlegging family in east Texas. She’s raising her daughters Billy Jean (Candy Snatchers‘ Susan Sennett) and Polly (Linda Lovelace for President‘s Robbie Lee) when fate make her take over the business. She quickly learns that as far as careers in crime go, bootlegging stinks. Everybody has excuses not to pay up front. She quickly learns that the best way to get fast money is to rob banks. Nobody hems and haws when you shove a gun in their face. They hand over the cash and pray you don’t shoot them. She first gets a taste of this when she robs the veterans union for luring her daughters on stage to serve a strippers.
She crosses paths with the Tommy gun blazing Fred Diller (Alien‘s Tom Skerritt). The duo do more than join forces. But Mama ain’t a one criminal kinda woman. She finds herself seduced by con man William J. Baxter (Star Trek‘s William Shatner). While there’s a touch of jealousy, Mama gets a little help from a daughter to keep the guys happy. Ultimately they go for a big score, but can she really pull it off? It’s a fun throwback to the times with plenty of chases, bullets and explosions. While the score is credited to David Grisman, his main musical collaborator on the soundtrack is the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. They do a great job of adding to the flavor of the times. Big Bad Mama was a huge hit. Corman had great timing since the film came out when Angie hit the TV screens in Police Woman. A lot of people wanted to see her R-rated.
Normally a hit movie prompts a quick sequel. But Dickinson didn’t need to return to Corman’s studio since she had a hit network series. Corman didn’t sweat it as he brought out Crazy Mama with Cloris Leachman (Young Frankenstien). After 13 years, Dickinson revived the character of Wilma McClatchie. She needed to return to her theatrical triumph. But how can that be?
Forget what you saw at the end of Big Bad Mama since Big Bad Mama II doesn’t thinks about it. Wilma still has her daughters Polly (Growing Pains‘ Julie McCullough) and Billie Jean (Archie Bunker’s Place‘s Danielle Brisebois). She temporarily has a new husband. He gets blown away early in the film by the goons of the rich Morgan Crawford (Diamonds Are Forever‘s Bruce Glover). Wilma isn’t taking her widowhood easy. She wants revenge on the banker and real estate tycoon that’s also running for governor. Her path of destruction becomes legendary thanks to a reporter (I Spy‘s Robert Culp) tagging along with the family. Her big job involves kidnapping Crawford’s son. He’s a willing hostage after the daughters get to him. But daddy wants his son back. There’s only body double nudity for Dickinson this time around. Luckily her daughters take up the R-rated slack especially Playmate McCullough.
Big Bad Mama and Big Bad Mama II reveal Angie Dickinson outside her slightly seductive good girl roles that dominated her career. She’s finally able to live without rules about law and love. She looks natural barking out orders and totting a gun around. The time difference between the features doesn’t lessen her screen power. This is a tempting double feature for those who want to see Police Woman go bad.
The video for both films is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The print used for Big Bad Mama has a few issues including a nasty rough patch. This adds to the grindhouse flavor of the presentation. The audio for both films is mono. The mix is fine for a low budget affair. They didn’t go nuts with the gun shots like a Michael Mann production.
Audio Commentary with Roger Corman and actress Angie Dickinson is a nice talk between star and producer. She gets very nervous during her nude scenes. A second track has Director Steve Carver and director of photography Bruce Logan. They have quite a bit of talk about filming nudity.
Leonard Maltin Interviews Roger Corman (5:27) about the importance of titles for a studio of his size. There’s talk of Angie Dickinson’s topless scenes. Turns out she wasn’t shy.
Mama Knows Best (14:37) gives plenty of tales from the production. Angie wanted a certain flair to the character. It got her ready to play Police Woman. Williams Shatner contributes to the conversation.
Theatrical Trailers and TV spots (3:55) sells Angie as a good mama gone bad for the sake of her family.
Photo Gallery (6:30) is a montage of production snapshots.
Audio Commentary by director Jim Wynorski on Big Bad Mama II. He’s got plenty of tips on how to save lots of production money.
Leonard Maltin Interviews Roger Corman (2:32) is edited out of the earlier chat.
Interview with actor Bruce Glover (9:44) lets him give an oral history of how he got into showbiz thanks to art school and a stripper. He talks in front of a baby doll sculpture.
Theatrical Trailer (1:27) reminds us that Angie is back and ready to steal money. There’s lots of explosions to fill your ears.
Photo Gallery (3:30) is a montage of shots from the production.
Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Double Feature: Big Bad Mama / Big Bad Mama II gives a female outlaw that takes control of her life with the help of a Tommy gun. Dickinson raises her girls on a diet of stolen cash and hot lead. Of course the major highlight of the films is her love scene with Williams Shatner. The bonus features helps understand what it takes to make a period piece on a shoestring budget.
Shout! Factory presents Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Double Feature: Big Bad Mama / Big Bad Mama II. Starring: Angie Dickinson, William Shatner, Tom Skerritt and Robert Culp. Running Time: 166 minutes. Rating: Rated R. Released on DVD: December 7, 2010.
