"Crazy Mama" Review

 

by Daniel White

After spending the past week watching nothing but British flicks, which was a noble endeavor, and one I won't repeat any time soon (Kidding, I had a helluva time!), I returned to my Stars and Stripes film roots. Nobody represents good ol' Yankee Doodle nuts and bolts movie expertise better than Roger Corman, King of the B's.

Throw in a pair of Midwest gals, born and bred in the heartland of this great country, put 'em in that genuine American of film genres, the road movie, and you've got Crazy Mama. Directed by a wet-behind-the-ears Jonathan Demme (it was only his second feature), and starring Cloris Leachman (Des Moines, Iowa) and Ann Sothern (Valley City, North Dakota), Crazy Mama is a 1975, rambunctious lil' spitfire. It may not be a respectable Oscar nominated "classic" like One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest or Barry Lyndon (films released the same year), but it sure is a nifty ball of fire!

Cloris and Ann play Sheba and Melba Stokes, a mother and daughter duo from Arkansas, operating a beauty parlor in Long Beach, California. Evicted from their place of business by no less than Mr. Magoo, Jim Backus, the two decide to go on a crime-spree and return to their home state. Along for the ride is Melba's pregnant daughter, Cheryl (Linda Purl), and her boyfriend, surfer dude, Shawn (Donny Most). A stop in Las Vegas adds a daddy for Melba (Stuart Whitman), another beau for Cheryl (Bryan Englund), and a dotty old dame named Bertha (Merie Earle). Now you've got the making's of some madcap movie mayhem!

A low budget zinger, Crazy Mama is nothing but a series of car crashes, stick-ups and screwy mishaps, but I knew that going in. What this little chippy really has in its corner are the amazingly gifted Cloris Leachman and Ann Sothern. These two broads are a pair of show business queens, talented movie magicians and television titans. Their commitment to this exercise in frivolity is more than admirable, it's inspiring. They give it their all and then some, and that's what makes them legends. Two classy, consummate professionals who show up, suit up and shoot for the moon - and get there. A pair of luminous lady space travelers, the likes of which will rarely be seen again.

Produced by Roger's wife, Julie Corman, and chock full of vintage American cars and vintage American music, Crazy Mama is currently streaming on Tubi. There are times when I am truly proud to be an American; watching Crazy Mama was one of them!