Imagine Bonnie and Clyde without Clyde and with more of a trashy B-movie style to it, and you've got an idea of what Big Bad Mama is like. With Roger Corman on producing duty, you've to expect some silly trashy fun, and this film delivers that in droves as it's clear that nobody cared about making a credible film, which is usually good news for entertainment value. Angie Dickinson takes the lead role and makes good of it, as she carries the film with her engaging and enthusiastic performance. The film focuses on Dickinson's character Wilma, who decides to go into bootlegging when her lover is killed. Along with her two daughters, Wilma travels across the country and eventually meets a bank robber named Fred, and the pair decides to put their relative talents to good use in order to 'earn' themselves some money. The support cast is good, with the likes of William Shatner, Dick Miller and Tom Skerritt being put to good use, while lesser known performers such as Robbie Lee and Susan Sennett also giving entertaining turns. The reason this film works so well is undoubtedly down to director Steve Carver's focus on entertaining his audience. This does leave it feeling more than a little bit empty, but in a film where bank robberies, sex scenes, car chases and more feature heavily, this isn't a big problem. Overall, if you fancy a fun filled eighty minutes or so - you could certainly do a lot worse than this little flick!
44 Reviews
Trashy Fun
bensonmum26 April 2005
Warning: Spoilers
- Wilma McClatchie (Angie Dickinson) wants more for her two daughters than depression era Texas can provide. With no money to speak of they set off for California to find their fortunes. Along the way, they rob a bank, pick up a bank robber, mug a preacher, steal the take from a racetrack, take on a penniless drifter from Kentucky, kidnap an heiress, and kill a few people. It's just an ordinary cross-county trip.
- This is one of my favorite of the Roger Corman produced movies. I realize that it's basically trash, but what fun trash it is. Around every turn there's a robbery, a car chase, a gun fight, or someone having sex. These people are ruthless and will do whatever it takes to get the money they desire. Amid the violence, though, the movie is not without it's moments of comedy. The opening wedding service is simply sublime. I actually found myself laughing out loud.
- The cast that Corman was able to assemble rivals that of the best movies from the 70s. Angie Dickinson, William Shatner, Tom Skerritt, and Dick Miller are wonderfully cast. But my personal favorite is Susan Sennett, playing one of the daughters. As far as I'm concerned, she steals every scene in which she appears. It's a shame she didn't make more movies.
Nude Angie worth the rental
dave13-113 April 2012
The first Big Bad Mama is a favorite of collectors of celebrity nude scenes - Angie Dickinson has couple - and it's not a bad movie for what it is. It's a quickie Bonnie and Clyde wannabe on a much lower budget and a much shorter shooting schedule. The story is nothing special - Depression era criminals plot a kidnapping which goes predictably bad - but the low budget was well used, the production looks decent enough and Angie, Tom Skerritt and Bill Shatner all contribute solid perfs with little help from a largely illiterate script. Angie looks good and seems to be enjoying herself in a rare bad girl role, and there are enough car chases and shoot-outs to keep the viewer from falling asleep, but don't look for too much in the way of originality here.
Bibles, Babes and Bankrobbers
dougdoepke19 March 2010
Crashing cars, splatter guns, sex and nudity—whatever else about Roger Corman, he never made a boring movie, and this one seldom lets up. Take Wilma (Dickinson) and her two hormonal daughters. When they're not sticking a .45 in some moneyman's hapless face, they're stripping down for extra-curricular action. Lucky Skerritt and Shatner, except Skerritt's strictly low-class, while Shatner's a little short in the guts department. But Wilma's got high-class aspirations. So, being a hardscrabble, rural woman, she robs folks out in the open instead of behind boardroom doors.
But note the people she robs. All are pillars of what the counter-cultural 70's would call the "establishment". There's the huckstering preacher, the mortgage bankers, the boozy American Legion, and finally the wealthy snobs who think they are the "better people". In fact, their talk about not taxing the better people sounds almost contemporary. Note too that it's the high-class pretender Shatner who double-crosses the others. Yes indeed, screenwriter Norton may have been blacklisted in the 50's, but the political echoes continue
There's no room here for nuance or lengthy dialog. These folks don't waste time talking when there's another bank to rob or another car to crash. It's strictly the fast life for Wilma and her brood. Note how Mom sabotages daughter Polly's wedding, saying Polly'll only wind up on a poor farm with a bunch of skinny kids. That's probably some insight into those bank-robbing desperadoes of the Dust Bowl '30's. And so, America's back-handed liking for up-front outlaws like Wilma and Co. gets another jazzy installment.
But note the people she robs. All are pillars of what the counter-cultural 70's would call the "establishment". There's the huckstering preacher, the mortgage bankers, the boozy American Legion, and finally the wealthy snobs who think they are the "better people". In fact, their talk about not taxing the better people sounds almost contemporary. Note too that it's the high-class pretender Shatner who double-crosses the others. Yes indeed, screenwriter Norton may have been blacklisted in the 50's, but the political echoes continue
There's no room here for nuance or lengthy dialog. These folks don't waste time talking when there's another bank to rob or another car to crash. It's strictly the fast life for Wilma and her brood. Note how Mom sabotages daughter Polly's wedding, saying Polly'll only wind up on a poor farm with a bunch of skinny kids. That's probably some insight into those bank-robbing desperadoes of the Dust Bowl '30's. And so, America's back-handed liking for up-front outlaws like Wilma and Co. gets another jazzy installment.
Mama told me not to come...
dfranzen7011 March 2019
Although I would not recommend that kids watch this, this is a fun low-budget movie for those of you in the mood for something, let's say, trashy. Yes, it's definitely trashy. Angie gets naked - I mean really naked - and she's not the only one. Also there's lots of guns being fired and whatnot, but you probably won't notice them too much. Captain Kirk and the guy from Picket Fences appear as sometime lovers of Ms. Dickinson, but it's at its core just a simple tale of a mama and her two daughters, trying to make their way in this crazy world.
Not bad if you pay attention to the clues about what you're getting
smatysia22 December 2004
Not too bad if you come into it without unrealistic expectations. It being a Roger Corman production should be a pretty big clue. The film doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should you. In fact, it edges up toward camp, but backs away. Bill Shatner was, well, Bill Shatner. Angie Dickinson seemed to a little bit amused about the material throughout. She was gorgeous, though, and this film contains her best nude scenes. (I found it interesting that she made no attempt to bleach or otherwise disguise her dark pubic hair. Apparently a bottle blonde. Eye candy, nonetheless.) Sally Kirkland contributes one, too, as do the actresses (previously unknown to me) who play the daughters. One of these, Susan Sennett, was also very lovely. It was too bad she did not continue her acting career. According to IMDb, she married Graham Nash, and hasn't been seen much since.
Disappointing
grantss25 March 2021
This film had potential. A strong female main character, an underdog tale and a star-studded cast (Angie Dickinson, William Shatner, Tom Skerritt). Yet its more a miss than a hit.
Plot is quite random and never really finds a centre. It's really just one silly misadventure after another.
Plot is quite random and never really finds a centre. It's really just one silly misadventure after another.
Outrageous!
Leofwine_draca25 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
BIG BAD MAMA is an outrageously cheesy 1930s-era crime comedy from producer Roger Corman; think of it as an over-the-top riff on BONNIE & CLYDE and you'll be right. The slick, speedy storyline involves Angie Dickinson as the titular character, a machine gun-toting criminal who, along with her teenage daughters, wreaks havoc throughout rural Texas. Other notable additions to the cast include Dick Miller as a dedicated lawman, Tom Skerritt as a wildman, and the great William Shatner as a shady character who falls in with the outlaws. The film is very much an exploitation picture, with a simple plot, lots of action and movement, and plenty of nudity from the female cast members. It builds up to an insanely violent climax that attempts to go one better than BONNIE & CLYDE and succeeds admirably.
A Trashy Classic
dwremy24 August 2019
The "Mother" of all Trash-flicks!
Coventry6 September 2017
This exhilarating, fast-paced and typically 70s exploitation- adventure ranks as one of the most popular Roger Corman productions among his fans & admirers, and righteously so I daresay, because "Big Bad Mama" guarantees wild and unscrupulous entertainment from the very first opening seconds until (and included) the closing credits. What's the secret formula? Not a whole lot, in fact
Sexy young girls as well as mature women not too prudish to show some flesh, dumb redneck men in ugly redneck villages, a bit of gratuitous violence and – of course – banjo music
Lots and lots of banjo music! The opening scenes are the best, in my humble opinion. During the Great Depression era, in Texas, Wilma's cute but naive teenage daughter Polly is about to get married to a dumb farmer with an even dumber family. During the ceremony, however, Wilma gets hysterical and shouts out that she wants a better life for her and her two daughters. Her idea is to head for California and grab every opportunity they can get along the way. She starts off with taking over her dead lover's bootlegging business, but gradually enrolls into bank robberies, horse race gambling, various con activities and even kidnapping. Thanks to her pretty face and luscious curves, Wilma can easily persuade every man to do what she wants, and her young daughters Billy Jean and Polly inherited those same talents! Roger Corman and director Steve Carver demonstrate that they are perfectly in touch with their B-movie loving audiences, as they extensively deliver what the crowd wants to see. "Big Bad Mama" is clearly inspired by "Bonny and Clyde", as well as several other gangster epics of the late 60s/early 70s, but without the boring romances and numerous speeches/dialogues. Admittedly the film does become quite tedious around the hour, as the script contains quite a few repetitive routines and even nudity becomes commonplace. Angie Dickinson terrifically leads the delightful ensemble cast that also features impressive names like William Shatner and Tom Skerrit (albeit before their major breakthroughs) and, of course, Roger Corman favorite Dick Miller. However, I fully agree with another reviewer who stated that the coolest and most memorable roles are played by the young daughters, and particularly Susan Sennett stands out as the cocky and untamed Billy Jean.
Lively but stupid and (sometimes) boring
preppy-313 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
In the Depression era Wilma McClatchie (Angie Dicksinson) and her two daughters--Billy Jean (Susan Sennett) and Polly (Robbie Lee)--became robbers to make a living. They are joined by bank robber Fred Diller (Tom Skerrit) and con man William Baxter (William Shatner--yes THAT William Shatner). Wilma has sex with both Fred and William and her daughters go after Fred also!
Stupid and sometimes dull. The plot is virtually nonexistent, the dialogue is terrible and (since this is a Roger Corman film) it was made on NO budget (and it shows). Still it has frequent pointless car chases and crashes; plenty of female nudity (Dickinson has nude sex scenes with Skerritt AND Shatner); Corman regular Dick Miller as a policeman and plenty of bloody shootouts. Despite all this going on the movie comes to a screeching halt for dull dialogue stretches which are far too frequent. Sennett and Lee are terrible actors, Shatner and Skerritt are OK but Dickinson is great. She gives her role her all and looks very good nude (especially considering she was over 40). Stupid, bloody and dull but works pretty good on a no-think level. I give it a 5.
Stupid and sometimes dull. The plot is virtually nonexistent, the dialogue is terrible and (since this is a Roger Corman film) it was made on NO budget (and it shows). Still it has frequent pointless car chases and crashes; plenty of female nudity (Dickinson has nude sex scenes with Skerritt AND Shatner); Corman regular Dick Miller as a policeman and plenty of bloody shootouts. Despite all this going on the movie comes to a screeching halt for dull dialogue stretches which are far too frequent. Sennett and Lee are terrible actors, Shatner and Skerritt are OK but Dickinson is great. She gives her role her all and looks very good nude (especially considering she was over 40). Stupid, bloody and dull but works pretty good on a no-think level. I give it a 5.
This Is One For The Ages
DHMJr13 December 2002
I rented this movie because it was the kind of campy silly movie that Roger Corman is famous for. I watched and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was still interesting and Angie Dickinson at 43, was better looking then most of today's young starlets. The sex was way over the top but it was the seventies. William Shatner in some of the more racy scenes was worthy of America's Funniest Videos (R-Rated). All in all it was a good for it's time and if you are in your 40s like me, it will make you remember when cheesy movies were truly cheesy. Enjoy!
One Unpredictable Scenario After Another
Uriah431 October 2013
"Wilma McClatchie" (Angie Dickinson) is a single parent trying to raise two teenage daughters named "Billy Jean" (Susan Sennett) and "Polly" (Robbie Lee) during the Great Depression. As luck would have it, Polly has become betrothed and despite Wilma's objection the wedding is still going to take place. As a result Wilma creates a disturbance at the church which causes all three to escape with their bootlegging relative named "Uncle Barney" (Noble Willingham). Unfortunately, Uncle Barney is killed by federal agents not long afterward and so Wilma decides to continue his business in the meantime. One thing leads to another and soon Wilma, her daughters and two men, "Fred Diller" (Tom Skerritt) and "William J. Baxter" (William Shatner) are involved in a murder and robbery rampage extending from East Texas to the California coast. Anyway, I liked the performances of Angie Dickinson, William Shatner and Tom Skerritt but I thought the nudity and sex were a bit too plentiful and were more raunchy than actually sexy. Still, there was plenty of action and one unpredictable scenario after another which managed to keep it entertaining. Slightly above average.
Pure trash!
BandSAboutMovies7 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Steve Carver originally intended to be get involved in the worlds of cartooning, commercial art and animation before becoming a cameraman for ABC's Wide World of Sports, shooting St. Louis Cardinals baseball games before he made thirty documentaries while teaching college at the same time.
One of those documentaries got him into the American Film Institute, where he studied under George Stevens, Alfred Hitchcock, Charlton Heston and Gregory Peck, as well as the opportunity to be the assistant director on Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun.
Carver's final AFI project was a short based on Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, which brought him to the attention of Roger Corman. He edited 150 trailers for the producer and directed The Arena - which has Joe D'Amoto as director of cinematography - before this film. He'd go on to make two Chuck Norris films, Lone Wolf McQuade and An Eye for An Eye before leaving film for the world of photography, pining for the more fun days of working with Corman.
Texas, 1932. Wilma McClatchie (Angie Dickinson) has taken over her dead man's bootlegging still, but gets caught by the law. Forced to hand over all her money and even her wedding ring to the sheriff, she decides that she and her daughters Polly (Robbie Lee, Lace from Switchblade Sisters and eventually the voice of Twink on Rainbow Brite; she's also the goddaughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans) and Billy Jean (Susan Sennett, The Candy Snatchers and wife of Graham Nash) are going to live a life of crime.
While Wilma is at a bank trying to pass a fake check, the girls end up helping Fred Diller (Tom Skerritt) as he knocks over the joint. He and Wilma soon become lovers, but that doesn't last long before she's bedding gambler William J. Baxter (William Shatner) and he starts sleeping with both of her daughters, sometimes at the same time because Roger Corman produced this.
After kidnapping and ransoming the daughter of a millionaire, federal agents and the police finally track down the gang. Baxter gets cuffed and the girls escape while Diller defends them with a hail of Thompson submachine gunfire. But as they drive away, Wilma dies, her bloody arm dragging against the left side of the car as it speeds away.
Well, or so you'd think, as there was a sequel. And of course, we'll be covering that soon.
I learned so much about so-called bad movies from the Medved brothers. In their 1986 tome Son of the Golden Turkey Awards, they nominated Dickinson's role in this film as "The Most Embarrassing Nude Scene in Hollywood History." Now that I'm older and wiser, I can say that these guys must have been embarrassed themselves as they actually enjoyed this trash. I hate the idea of guilty pleasures; just like what you like.
Oddly enough, Jerry Garcia performed most of the guitar and banjo music in the movie. And if you're looking for fun actors, Sally Kirkland, Dick Miller and Royal Dano all show up. It's not the best movie you've ever seen, but it's filled with sin, skin and bullets. What else were you hoping for?
One of those documentaries got him into the American Film Institute, where he studied under George Stevens, Alfred Hitchcock, Charlton Heston and Gregory Peck, as well as the opportunity to be the assistant director on Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun.
Carver's final AFI project was a short based on Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, which brought him to the attention of Roger Corman. He edited 150 trailers for the producer and directed The Arena - which has Joe D'Amoto as director of cinematography - before this film. He'd go on to make two Chuck Norris films, Lone Wolf McQuade and An Eye for An Eye before leaving film for the world of photography, pining for the more fun days of working with Corman.
Texas, 1932. Wilma McClatchie (Angie Dickinson) has taken over her dead man's bootlegging still, but gets caught by the law. Forced to hand over all her money and even her wedding ring to the sheriff, she decides that she and her daughters Polly (Robbie Lee, Lace from Switchblade Sisters and eventually the voice of Twink on Rainbow Brite; she's also the goddaughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans) and Billy Jean (Susan Sennett, The Candy Snatchers and wife of Graham Nash) are going to live a life of crime.
While Wilma is at a bank trying to pass a fake check, the girls end up helping Fred Diller (Tom Skerritt) as he knocks over the joint. He and Wilma soon become lovers, but that doesn't last long before she's bedding gambler William J. Baxter (William Shatner) and he starts sleeping with both of her daughters, sometimes at the same time because Roger Corman produced this.
After kidnapping and ransoming the daughter of a millionaire, federal agents and the police finally track down the gang. Baxter gets cuffed and the girls escape while Diller defends them with a hail of Thompson submachine gunfire. But as they drive away, Wilma dies, her bloody arm dragging against the left side of the car as it speeds away.
Well, or so you'd think, as there was a sequel. And of course, we'll be covering that soon.
I learned so much about so-called bad movies from the Medved brothers. In their 1986 tome Son of the Golden Turkey Awards, they nominated Dickinson's role in this film as "The Most Embarrassing Nude Scene in Hollywood History." Now that I'm older and wiser, I can say that these guys must have been embarrassed themselves as they actually enjoyed this trash. I hate the idea of guilty pleasures; just like what you like.
Oddly enough, Jerry Garcia performed most of the guitar and banjo music in the movie. And if you're looking for fun actors, Sally Kirkland, Dick Miller and Royal Dano all show up. It's not the best movie you've ever seen, but it's filled with sin, skin and bullets. What else were you hoping for?
Classic Drive-In Trash
Michael_Elliott13 March 2008
Big Bad Mama (1974)
*** (out of 4)
Angie Dickinson got the role of her career playing the title character, a Texas mother of two teenage girls (Susan Sennett, Robbie Lee) who grows tired of being poor and decides to turn to robbery. Along the way she picks up a couple different men (William Shatner, Tom Skerritt) as they head towards California to make it rich. If you're easily offended then this might not be the movie for you but if you like sex, bloody violence, nudity, threesomes with sisters, robberies and just about every other sinful thing in the world then BIG BAD MAMA is just the film for you. I don't think there's any question that this here is one of the greatest drive-in movies ever made and from the opening dialogue where Dickinson is wondering why her "angels" turned out so "wrong" the film just delivers one great thing after another. Of course, those expecting CITIZEN KANE are going to be disappointed but to this day I can't see why certain film buffs go into every movie expecting a masterpiece. Some movies need to win Oscars and others like this one just need to be entertaining. It's very clear that the writers, the director and producer Roger Corman wanted to throw just about everything into this film that they possibly could. One of the big selling points in having someone like Dickinson appear in a movie like this and her presence certainly adds a lot. I'm sure most of her fans will be downright shocked to see her appearing in several sex scenes and she's nude for three different scenes including one full frontal. In interviews she has said that she wanted to show off her body and it's easy to see why. Dickinson is so good in the role that you can't help but love her character and the toughness she brings to it. Both Sennett and Lee are good looking in their parts. Those expecting great performances are going to be disappointed but I think both actresses delivered just what the film needed in terms of good humor. Shatner and Skerritt are both very entertaining in their roles and Corman regular Dick Miller plays a nice part as well. Considering how low of a budget this movie had it's rather shocking to see how good the costumes are and the period detail is really terrific because you feel as if it's really the 1930s. Director Carver does a very good job at keeping everything going at a nice pace as the 82-minute running time goes by without a problem. BIG BAD MAMA didn't win any Oscars when it was released but all these years later the charm is still there and it certainly deserves its reputation as one of the best drive-in flicks of the era.
*** (out of 4)
Angie Dickinson got the role of her career playing the title character, a Texas mother of two teenage girls (Susan Sennett, Robbie Lee) who grows tired of being poor and decides to turn to robbery. Along the way she picks up a couple different men (William Shatner, Tom Skerritt) as they head towards California to make it rich. If you're easily offended then this might not be the movie for you but if you like sex, bloody violence, nudity, threesomes with sisters, robberies and just about every other sinful thing in the world then BIG BAD MAMA is just the film for you. I don't think there's any question that this here is one of the greatest drive-in movies ever made and from the opening dialogue where Dickinson is wondering why her "angels" turned out so "wrong" the film just delivers one great thing after another. Of course, those expecting CITIZEN KANE are going to be disappointed but to this day I can't see why certain film buffs go into every movie expecting a masterpiece. Some movies need to win Oscars and others like this one just need to be entertaining. It's very clear that the writers, the director and producer Roger Corman wanted to throw just about everything into this film that they possibly could. One of the big selling points in having someone like Dickinson appear in a movie like this and her presence certainly adds a lot. I'm sure most of her fans will be downright shocked to see her appearing in several sex scenes and she's nude for three different scenes including one full frontal. In interviews she has said that she wanted to show off her body and it's easy to see why. Dickinson is so good in the role that you can't help but love her character and the toughness she brings to it. Both Sennett and Lee are good looking in their parts. Those expecting great performances are going to be disappointed but I think both actresses delivered just what the film needed in terms of good humor. Shatner and Skerritt are both very entertaining in their roles and Corman regular Dick Miller plays a nice part as well. Considering how low of a budget this movie had it's rather shocking to see how good the costumes are and the period detail is really terrific because you feel as if it's really the 1930s. Director Carver does a very good job at keeping everything going at a nice pace as the 82-minute running time goes by without a problem. BIG BAD MAMA didn't win any Oscars when it was released but all these years later the charm is still there and it certainly deserves its reputation as one of the best drive-in flicks of the era.
All aboard the jalopy of money and debauchery!
BlackJack_B4 May 2020
I remember reading about Big Bad Mama in one of those "magazines" in my father's grocery store when I was a kid. There was an article showcasing some explicit scenes featuring Angie Dickinson and William Shatner that didn't appear in the final cut. It took many more years before I actually saw the film.
This is your typical drive-in movie from the 1970s; I probably saw it for the first time on the old Drive-In Classics channel here in Canada. It's pretty much a clone of Arthur Penn and Warren Beatty's classic Bonnie & Clyde but instead of 4 future Oscar winners, a great script and multi-faceted characters we get nudity, one-dimensional characters and insipid dialogue. However, much like The Asylum in the present day you can't help but admire what Roger Corman was doing in his day. He wasn't trying to win Oscars or impress critics. He was giving his loyal fanbase what they wanted.
Wilma McClatchie (Angie Dickinson) and her two very, very nubile daughters Billy Jean (Susan Sennett) and Polly (Robbie Lee) go from East Texas to California robbing banks and causing mayhem. They are joined by Fred Diller (Tom Skerritt), a fellow bank robber who was trying to rob the same establishment as the ladies and William J. Baxter (William Shatner), a dishonest gambler. Their goal is to make a million dollars and never have to deal with being poor again.
Dickinson portrays Wilma as a devoted mother who only wants the best for her two daughters but doesn't seem to care that they're out of control. She is pretty stoic at all times. Billy Jean and Polly are two fey party girls just looking to booze, smoke and get it on. They are constantly on a caffeine high. Diller is a weak-minded man who does Wilma's bidding without question and later gets Polly pregnant. Poor Shatner is relegated to playing some huckster that the film could have done without. He's high-maintenance and feels like he got himself into something he didn't want to be a part of.
Lots of skin and debauchery to be found here as Dickinson, Sennett and Lee certainly were not shy about shedding their clothes. It's also a violent film but the shootouts are seemingly more comical slapstick than, say, what you would see in The Wild Bunch.
In the end, it's another fun and raunchy Corman production for those who just want to see a quick and violent flicker that isn't afraid of the censors. If you're looking for pedal-to-the-metal sex and violence, Big Bad Mama delivers.
This is your typical drive-in movie from the 1970s; I probably saw it for the first time on the old Drive-In Classics channel here in Canada. It's pretty much a clone of Arthur Penn and Warren Beatty's classic Bonnie & Clyde but instead of 4 future Oscar winners, a great script and multi-faceted characters we get nudity, one-dimensional characters and insipid dialogue. However, much like The Asylum in the present day you can't help but admire what Roger Corman was doing in his day. He wasn't trying to win Oscars or impress critics. He was giving his loyal fanbase what they wanted.
Wilma McClatchie (Angie Dickinson) and her two very, very nubile daughters Billy Jean (Susan Sennett) and Polly (Robbie Lee) go from East Texas to California robbing banks and causing mayhem. They are joined by Fred Diller (Tom Skerritt), a fellow bank robber who was trying to rob the same establishment as the ladies and William J. Baxter (William Shatner), a dishonest gambler. Their goal is to make a million dollars and never have to deal with being poor again.
Dickinson portrays Wilma as a devoted mother who only wants the best for her two daughters but doesn't seem to care that they're out of control. She is pretty stoic at all times. Billy Jean and Polly are two fey party girls just looking to booze, smoke and get it on. They are constantly on a caffeine high. Diller is a weak-minded man who does Wilma's bidding without question and later gets Polly pregnant. Poor Shatner is relegated to playing some huckster that the film could have done without. He's high-maintenance and feels like he got himself into something he didn't want to be a part of.
Lots of skin and debauchery to be found here as Dickinson, Sennett and Lee certainly were not shy about shedding their clothes. It's also a violent film but the shootouts are seemingly more comical slapstick than, say, what you would see in The Wild Bunch.
In the end, it's another fun and raunchy Corman production for those who just want to see a quick and violent flicker that isn't afraid of the censors. If you're looking for pedal-to-the-metal sex and violence, Big Bad Mama delivers.
Drive-In Classic Fails To Disappoint On Some Levels
rsbrandt28 December 2012
I met director Steve Carver when he came to town to shoot "Lone Wolf McQuade," and I'm something of a fan, but even with screenwriter Bill Norton aboard, this lacks the wit and cool characters that enliven his Chuck Norris movies or even "Steel." Dialog is particularly lacking, in some scenes even leaving Tom Skerritt with nothing to do but mutter incoherently, or a game Shatner mugging as if he's about to say something but either gets cut off or thinks better of it. The two actors do their best, Skerritt all steely-eyed intensity and Shatner oozing lily-livered Southern charm, as do Royal Dano as a flustered preacher and a shockingly young-looking Noble Willingham as a lecherous bootlegging "uncle." As for the actresses, they certainly deliver the goods, and frequently, especially Angie Dickinson. Yowzah. If you're worried, Angie gets progressively more naked as the plot moves along. Look close for a young and quickly unadorned Sally Kirkland.
Plotwise? Angie, rural 1932-vintage single mom, saddled with two unmanageable daughters (one way too naive and one way too not so), after extricating one daughter from a hasty wedding, dips her toe into crime (bootlegging and DAV-smoker-jacking), then gets mired in it after hooking up with bank robber Skerritt. An encounter with down-and-out Southern gent Shatner seals their fate, as he proves to be their little gang's weakest link. Along the way, much blood, clothing and inhibitions will be shed.
Considering the budget and shooting time, the action is boisterous enough but haphazard and disjointed, with a lot of repetitive car chases featuring Dick Miller and a sidekick (representing the entirety of the FBI) in hot pursuit, miraculously always one step behind our anti-heroine and her mob. One shudders to see how many vintage autos run up dirt ramps and flip over. Even if you know that the Hollywood hills don't actually look a lot like East Texas (the geography of where our characters are supposed to be at any moment in the plot isn't always made abundantly clear), the small-town locations and antique cars do an impressive job of keeping the movie in its Depression-era period.
Look quickly for second-unit director Paul Bartel as a party guest, following in the footsteps of Francis Coppola in "The Young Racers."
Plotwise? Angie, rural 1932-vintage single mom, saddled with two unmanageable daughters (one way too naive and one way too not so), after extricating one daughter from a hasty wedding, dips her toe into crime (bootlegging and DAV-smoker-jacking), then gets mired in it after hooking up with bank robber Skerritt. An encounter with down-and-out Southern gent Shatner seals their fate, as he proves to be their little gang's weakest link. Along the way, much blood, clothing and inhibitions will be shed.
Considering the budget and shooting time, the action is boisterous enough but haphazard and disjointed, with a lot of repetitive car chases featuring Dick Miller and a sidekick (representing the entirety of the FBI) in hot pursuit, miraculously always one step behind our anti-heroine and her mob. One shudders to see how many vintage autos run up dirt ramps and flip over. Even if you know that the Hollywood hills don't actually look a lot like East Texas (the geography of where our characters are supposed to be at any moment in the plot isn't always made abundantly clear), the small-town locations and antique cars do an impressive job of keeping the movie in its Depression-era period.
Look quickly for second-unit director Paul Bartel as a party guest, following in the footsteps of Francis Coppola in "The Young Racers."
It's hard to imagine any film trying any harder to be this trashy!!
planktonrules19 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Subtle and wholesome this movie ain't! In fact, it's about the trashiest film I have seen in ages--and I've seen a lot of films!! The characters in the film are 100% awful and low-class--sort of like a 1930s version of the guests from "The Jerry Springer Show"! The film is unapologetically trashy--with boobs (and a whole lot more), cursing, irreverence and rednecks galore! It's obvious that Roger Corman was NOT trying to make a film that would be featured on "Masterpiece Theatre" or in the Criterion Collection!
The film is about 'Mama' (Angie Dickenson) and her two rotten daughters. After starting a fight during a wedding and running off, this lovely brood goes into business selling moonshine and doing anything else they can to earn a buck...and I mean anything. And yet, despite being trashy and wicked to the bone, Mama declares that they are a nice family and refers to her white-trash daughters as "my little girls"--even when they strip in public or sleep around with practically anyone or anything. We are obviously NOT talking about a deep or particularly consistent group of people!
Later, this wholesome family kinda drifts into the bank robbing business. In a genuinely funny scene (one of the few in the film), during their first robbery, another gang also tries to rob the bank at the same time! In the process, one of the gang members are killed and the two gangs merge--with Tom Skerritt now becoming the love interest for Mama. Just a bit later, Mama meets up with William Shatner--and almost immediately jumps into the sack with him. Skerritt isn't pleased and assuages his feelings by jumping in the sack with BOTH of the younguns'. Despite also living during the 1930s, this WON'T be mistaken for "The Waltons"!
In addition to this sick group are two Federal agents--one of which is a perennial actor in Corman films, Dick Miller ("Bucket of Blood" and "Little Shop of Horrors"). Both these agents have the intelligence of maggots and I assume they were added for comic relief--just like Boss Hog and the boys from "The Dukes of Hazard".
This is also obviously NOT a film to show your pastor or rabbi!!! I can also see CC's point--this film is bound to offend ANYONE--particularly religious people. This film is obviously what you might call a "guilty pleasure"--you just turn off your brain (and your sense of moral outrage) and enjoy as best you can. It is especially recommended for people who consider "The Dukes of Hazard" and "Jackass" and "Flesh Gordon" to be fine family entertainment.
So, despite being 100% trashy, is the film worth seeing? I would say for most people, no--mostly because the writing and acting are incredibly broad (i.e, BAD). This simply is a poor and rather vulgar film--though possibly enjoyable in a low-brow sort of way. While some might like such an unapologetically bad film, others might just have their jaws drop in disbelief at the utter awfulness of it all. Of course, stupid people may enjoy this mess of a film. You KNOW this is so when William Shatner's performance is the most subtle and understated in the entire film!!
A couple final notes, and not that it matters as this is NOT a film for purists, but one scene has a picture of J. Edgar Hoover on the wall--circa 1960. A mistake but hardly important considering everything. Also, over a decade later, "Big Bad Mama II" debuted. Considering how the first movie ended, I have no idea how such a sequel could have been possible.
The film is about 'Mama' (Angie Dickenson) and her two rotten daughters. After starting a fight during a wedding and running off, this lovely brood goes into business selling moonshine and doing anything else they can to earn a buck...and I mean anything. And yet, despite being trashy and wicked to the bone, Mama declares that they are a nice family and refers to her white-trash daughters as "my little girls"--even when they strip in public or sleep around with practically anyone or anything. We are obviously NOT talking about a deep or particularly consistent group of people!
Later, this wholesome family kinda drifts into the bank robbing business. In a genuinely funny scene (one of the few in the film), during their first robbery, another gang also tries to rob the bank at the same time! In the process, one of the gang members are killed and the two gangs merge--with Tom Skerritt now becoming the love interest for Mama. Just a bit later, Mama meets up with William Shatner--and almost immediately jumps into the sack with him. Skerritt isn't pleased and assuages his feelings by jumping in the sack with BOTH of the younguns'. Despite also living during the 1930s, this WON'T be mistaken for "The Waltons"!
In addition to this sick group are two Federal agents--one of which is a perennial actor in Corman films, Dick Miller ("Bucket of Blood" and "Little Shop of Horrors"). Both these agents have the intelligence of maggots and I assume they were added for comic relief--just like Boss Hog and the boys from "The Dukes of Hazard".
This is also obviously NOT a film to show your pastor or rabbi!!! I can also see CC's point--this film is bound to offend ANYONE--particularly religious people. This film is obviously what you might call a "guilty pleasure"--you just turn off your brain (and your sense of moral outrage) and enjoy as best you can. It is especially recommended for people who consider "The Dukes of Hazard" and "Jackass" and "Flesh Gordon" to be fine family entertainment.
So, despite being 100% trashy, is the film worth seeing? I would say for most people, no--mostly because the writing and acting are incredibly broad (i.e, BAD). This simply is a poor and rather vulgar film--though possibly enjoyable in a low-brow sort of way. While some might like such an unapologetically bad film, others might just have their jaws drop in disbelief at the utter awfulness of it all. Of course, stupid people may enjoy this mess of a film. You KNOW this is so when William Shatner's performance is the most subtle and understated in the entire film!!
A couple final notes, and not that it matters as this is NOT a film for purists, but one scene has a picture of J. Edgar Hoover on the wall--circa 1960. A mistake but hardly important considering everything. Also, over a decade later, "Big Bad Mama II" debuted. Considering how the first movie ended, I have no idea how such a sequel could have been possible.
Be cool, Mama!
Mr-Fusion24 July 2017
Angie Dickinson as a kickass bankrobber, her nubile daughters and the men they charm into their beds (Tom Skerritt and William Shatner). Storywise, that pretty much nails it. Add in an array f nude scenes and gunfire and that's "Big Bad Mama". I've heard good things about this movie - mostly the trashy fun and the magnetism of its star - and for me it was consistently amusing; mostly head-scratching. But I will absolutely agree that Dickinson rules, Shatner's hilarious and its pacing is a full-on sprint.
6/10
6/10
A Trashy Roger Corman Film
gavin69429 September 2017
Mama (Angie Dickinson) and daughters get forced by circumstances into bootlegging and bank robbing, and travel across the country trailed by the law.
According to director Steve Carver, Angie Dickinson allowed the crew to remain on set during the filming of her sex scene with Tom Skerritt, but William Shatner asked for all nonessential crew to be removed during his sex scene with Dickinson. What a prude! Though you do see more of Shatner than you probably ever wanted to.
More than anything else, this film is probably known for its gratuitous nudity. One wonders how low Angie Dickinson's career sunk that she would agree to this. Being a Corman film, she could not have been making much more than union wages.
According to director Steve Carver, Angie Dickinson allowed the crew to remain on set during the filming of her sex scene with Tom Skerritt, but William Shatner asked for all nonessential crew to be removed during his sex scene with Dickinson. What a prude! Though you do see more of Shatner than you probably ever wanted to.
More than anything else, this film is probably known for its gratuitous nudity. One wonders how low Angie Dickinson's career sunk that she would agree to this. Being a Corman film, she could not have been making much more than union wages.
Uncoordinated, ramshackle gangster camp with a breast fixation...
moonspinner556 March 2010
Roger Corman-produced junk which struck a chord with audiences in the early years of cable-television. Depression-era Texas widow with two sex-happy daughters plans to rob and swindle her way to California, picking up a two-bit gangster and a penniless con-man on the journey west. Some of the hillbilly dialogue, as well as an early sequence where Mama tries door-to-door moonshining, is very funny (perhaps due to the script contributions of the estimable William Norton); otherwise, there isn't much to this narrative apart from the embarrassing overtures to "Bonnie & Clyde" and Angie Dickinson's intermittent nude scenes. Self-conscious, ugly-looking picture flails sloppily away at would-be action scenes with energy but no talent. The direction, the editing, and most of the acting is positively atrocious. Followed by a sequel in 1987. * from ****
Wow!
Linda_S24 July 2010
This is one of those films, where you kick yourself for listening to critics who, at the time, trashed this film. Finally saw it and while it is, as some suggest, "trashy," this is one of the most entertaining films I've seen in quite some time.
I've always admired the talent of Mr Corman and his production of BBM is, for me, one of the highlights of his career. I've no illusions that his fans will suggest otherwise however this is a film that grabs you by the lapels, if one has lapels that is, and doesn't let go! Steve Carver takes a VERY low budget and gets the maximum out of it, there are some performances in this movie that will demonstrate the talents of some of your favorite actors that other, more popular and acclaimed films will NOT. As someone who is NOT a Tom Skerrit fan I've got to admit he was the standout actor in this, (I refuse to refer to actresses as 'actors', he really is a talented man. However the standout is the truly gorgeous Angie Dickinson, I knew she could act, I just never realized just how beautiful and sexy she really is, until this film. She singlehandedly transcends the material and thereby lifts BBM out of "trash" into a slam-bang adventure/crime/sex romp that is stunning. The supporting cast is excellent, however outside of 'Succubus' I've not quite gotten the appeal of William Shatner, at least in any serious sense. think we all realize how much talent got early starts in Corman films and I think you will also enjoy noting those who went on to do excellent work in other films and especially TV, such as Michael Talbott of "Miami Vice" TV series.
After watching this film I felt rather upbeat, BBM is the sort of fun film that we used to see more of, sans all that CGI and other expensive and often tawdry special effects, good entertainment that takes one out of the humdrum and into a place where ordinary belief is suspended and one is cheering for the heroes, albeit not the nicest heroes/heroines, wink.
One can only wonder if there is a Director's cut somewhere as this is rated 'R', Angie Dickinson, Wow! Did I mention Wow?
I've always admired the talent of Mr Corman and his production of BBM is, for me, one of the highlights of his career. I've no illusions that his fans will suggest otherwise however this is a film that grabs you by the lapels, if one has lapels that is, and doesn't let go! Steve Carver takes a VERY low budget and gets the maximum out of it, there are some performances in this movie that will demonstrate the talents of some of your favorite actors that other, more popular and acclaimed films will NOT. As someone who is NOT a Tom Skerrit fan I've got to admit he was the standout actor in this, (I refuse to refer to actresses as 'actors', he really is a talented man. However the standout is the truly gorgeous Angie Dickinson, I knew she could act, I just never realized just how beautiful and sexy she really is, until this film. She singlehandedly transcends the material and thereby lifts BBM out of "trash" into a slam-bang adventure/crime/sex romp that is stunning. The supporting cast is excellent, however outside of 'Succubus' I've not quite gotten the appeal of William Shatner, at least in any serious sense. think we all realize how much talent got early starts in Corman films and I think you will also enjoy noting those who went on to do excellent work in other films and especially TV, such as Michael Talbott of "Miami Vice" TV series.
After watching this film I felt rather upbeat, BBM is the sort of fun film that we used to see more of, sans all that CGI and other expensive and often tawdry special effects, good entertainment that takes one out of the humdrum and into a place where ordinary belief is suspended and one is cheering for the heroes, albeit not the nicest heroes/heroines, wink.
One can only wonder if there is a Director's cut somewhere as this is rated 'R', Angie Dickinson, Wow! Did I mention Wow?
The crime movie that makes you ask, Who's Ma Barker?
mark.waltz27 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Yes, he repressible Shelley Winters. You play Ma Barker a few years before this, also for producer Roger Corman, and in this film, he casts Angie Dickinson as the more trim Wilma McClatchie, fictional but unforgettable. It's the same time period, as Wilma goes from moonshining to petty theft to bank robbing, joining up with Captain Kirk along the way. They knew they weren't going to win the Oscars for this film so they just go out of their way to have a good time, and a lot of that is without clothes. There's also a young Tom Skerritt and two of the worst actresses ever playing Wilma's daughters.
Lots of car cases, shoot em ups, and funny dialogue, certainly not Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams, but witty and often campy. "Never trust a girl for offering to give her Donuts away for free" one of the daughters says, and of course, it's followed by a robbery and banjo music, a 1930's gangster saga cliche in use since "Bonnie and Clyde". Dickinson, just getting ready to start her role as "Police Woman", shows off a great body, although you don't really get to see much cast a bear butt and brief glimpses of her breasts. In her sex scene with Shatner, he appears to be nude too. I didn't go into this seriously at all. I just went in knowing that I was going to have a good time watching a bad film, and when you go in with that attitude, you seldom come out disappointed.
Lots of car cases, shoot em ups, and funny dialogue, certainly not Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams, but witty and often campy. "Never trust a girl for offering to give her Donuts away for free" one of the daughters says, and of course, it's followed by a robbery and banjo music, a 1930's gangster saga cliche in use since "Bonnie and Clyde". Dickinson, just getting ready to start her role as "Police Woman", shows off a great body, although you don't really get to see much cast a bear butt and brief glimpses of her breasts. In her sex scene with Shatner, he appears to be nude too. I didn't go into this seriously at all. I just went in knowing that I was going to have a good time watching a bad film, and when you go in with that attitude, you seldom come out disappointed.
Bad? Yes, but entertaining trash if you don't expect too much.
Infofreak23 November 2001
Angie Dickinson stars in the title role as tough, but sexy matriarch, Wilma McClatchie, attempting to keep her family together during the Depression. After a shoot-out with the cops, Wilma's world is turned upside down by the death of her lover Barney (Noble Willingham). She initially tries to continue with Barney's bootlegging business with the help of her uncontrollable daughters Billy Jean (Susan Sennett) and Polly (Robbie Lee of 'Switchblade Sisters' fame). Things don't work out and they have to hit the road, all the while being pursued by tenacious lawman Bonney (B-grade legend and Roger Corman favourite Dick Miller).
A chance encounter with a bank robber, Diller (Tom Skerritt), causes a career rethink, and when the fugitives meet charming con man Baxter (William Shatner), the gang is complete. Will they find true love and happiness and a new life in California? Will they meet their end via the deadly force of Dick Miller and company? Will they all screw each other and say "hot damn!" a lot to the accompaniment of banjo music? Watch this Roger Corman produced campy trash and find out.
A chance encounter with a bank robber, Diller (Tom Skerritt), causes a career rethink, and when the fugitives meet charming con man Baxter (William Shatner), the gang is complete. Will they find true love and happiness and a new life in California? Will they meet their end via the deadly force of Dick Miller and company? Will they all screw each other and say "hot damn!" a lot to the accompaniment of banjo music? Watch this Roger Corman produced campy trash and find out.
It's A Bit Silly
boblipton10 May 2020
Well, it is Mother's Day when I saw this movie and wrote this review, so what better way to celebrate the maternal parent and her kindly loving nature than by watching this one? When circumstances turn bad, Angie Dickinson and the girls -- Susan Sennett and Robbie Lee - make out by robbing a few banks and booting a few legs. At least they're not doing anything like dancing that disgusting Black Bottom.
William Shatner and Tom Skerrit are along for the ride. Everyone's career was in a lull -- with Miss Dickinson about to begin her four-year run on POLICE WOMAN -- and so probably eager for the paycheck. With a shooting schedule that ran 20 days, there's no sign of Great Art here, but the campy tone that crops up on occasion makes this an amusing movie. Another distinguished credit for cinematographer Bruce Logan!
William Shatner and Tom Skerrit are along for the ride. Everyone's career was in a lull -- with Miss Dickinson about to begin her four-year run on POLICE WOMAN -- and so probably eager for the paycheck. With a shooting schedule that ran 20 days, there's no sign of Great Art here, but the campy tone that crops up on occasion makes this an amusing movie. Another distinguished credit for cinematographer Bruce Logan!
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