CRAZY
MAMA(1975)Director: Jonathan Demme
New Concorde
CRAZY
MAMA(1975)Shelley Winters was BLOODY MAMA,
Angie Dickinson was BIG BAD MAMA, and in 1975, Cloris Leachman was CRAZY MAMA.
Set in the late 1950s, Leachman stars as Melba Stokes, a middle-aged woman who
runs a beauty parlor in California with her mother Sheba (Ann Sothern) and teenage
daughter Cheryl (Linda Purl). When the shop is repossessed by a banker in a
fez (a great bit by Jim Backus), Sheba and the other ladies take a road trip
to the old family home in Arkansas. Also along for the ride is Cheryl's redheaded
surfer boyfriend, Shawn, played by Donny Most of "Happy Days" fame
(here billed as "Do
nn
Most).
The gang quickly takes to a life
of crime, robbing filling stations, supermarkets, and eventually banks. While
playing the slot machines in Vegas, Melba falls for wayward sheriff Jim Bob
Trotter (Stuart Whitman), Cheryl falls for a greasy biker named Snake (played
by Leachman's son Bryan Englund) and Sheba befriends and elderly lady named
Bertha (Merie Earle), who ran away from a nursing home. Melba and Jim Bob allegedly
get hitched so their 
gang
can rob the chapel before hitting the road again. Another scheme makes it seem
that Jim Bob has been kidnapped so they can extort money from his wealthy wife
(Sally Kirkland), but the plan backfires and all hell breaks loose.
Jonathan Demme's second feature
(the first being CAGED HEAT in 1973) is a fun slice of 50s Americana exploitation,
made during the short period when that era was hot again. Clocking in at a brisk
80 minutes, CRAZY MAMA has no time for characterization, but the cast plays
it great as an ensemble of wacky eccentrics. Rated PG and aiming for comedy,
it still manages to throw in some nudity, shoot-outs, car chases and crashes,
as well as impressive shifting locations that makes this look more expensive
than your average New World production. Demme's recreation of the era (complete
with
a soundtrack filled with great oldies) is right on the money with the exception
of some shaggy 70s hairdos (Whitman's) and a "Radio Shack" sign seen
in the background. Look for cameos by Corman regulars Dick Miller and Beach
Dickerson, as well as a very young Dennis Quaid as a bellboy. Tisha Sterling
(Sothern's real-life daughter) can also be seen playing her mother as a young
woman.
New
Concorde continues to release their DVDs full frame, with only a couple of past
letterboxed titles as exceptions. CRAZY MAMA is also full frame, and the composition
looks out of whack, as the film was obviously shot for intended 1.85:1 viewing.
There is far too much headroom present, and the sides look slightly cropped
(the title of the film is pushed off the left side of the screen). Still, it's
not nearly as bad as a 2.35.1 reduced to full frame, and color and sound are
perfectly acceptable, with only minor wear on the source print.
New Concorde also went through the trouble of getting director Demme to do a commentary with and be interviewed by Roger Corman. You would think that the director of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and PHILADELPHIA would be pretentious and look down on his past, but Demme is exactly the opposite. The video interview has Demme and Corman sitting in a studio discussing how they first met, and they actually both defend exploitation cinema with great fervor. The commentary has the two of them watching the film more than talking about, but it's still great fun to listen to. Corman had no real direct involvement with the production (his wife Julie produced it) so his thoughts are limited to comments, but Demme makes up for it with some interesting bits of trivial information. Demme's initial encounter with Corman came out of his being a big fan, and his enthusiasm for these kinds of films still shows.
Other extras include bios/selected filmographies on some of the film's main participants, but they are actually pretty useless. An energetic trailer for the film juxtaposes authentic "Howdy Doody" footage to great comic effect. Also included are trailers for three other New Concorde DVDs. (George R. Reis)