One of drive-in movie mogul Roger Corman's lesser-known sub-genres was his series of Depression-era-set gangster movies featuring strong women characters. In Crazy Mama, director Jonathan Demme's second feature, the quest to regain a family farm repossessed in 1932 is the impetus for a '50s crime spree, with struggling single mom Melba (Cloris Leachman) inadvertently forming a femme-centric gang of robbers that includes her beach-girl daughter Cheryl (Linda Purl) and sassy mother Sheba (Ann Sothern), along with various boyfriends. This lighthearted lark, set to a rock 'n' roll jukebox score, veers toward drama near the end, but for most of the running time is essentially a misfit road comedy. The companion feature, The Lady in Red (1979), stars Pamela Sue Martin as Polly Franklin, a feisty farmer's daughter with Hollywood dreams who hopscotches from sweatshop to dance hall to prison, and finally to a cathouse during the 1930s. Directed by Lewis Teague and scripted by John Sayles (inspired by the story of the woman who was with John Dillinger when he was killed), the film slips in substantial amounts of social commentary (we see union-busting thugs, factory drudgery, corrupt cops and politicians, rampant sexism and racism—all familiar themes in Sayles' films and novels) between the crime and sex, lending it a populist bent. Both of these films are admittedly minor productions, but boast plenty of personality and energy. Crazy Mama features new audio commentary by Demme and Corman (as well as an older video conversation between the pair), while The Lady in Red includes two commentary tracks: one by Teague and costar Robert Forster, the other by Sayles and producer Julie Corman. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)
Crazy Mama/The Lady in Red
Shout! Factory, 174 min., PG/R, DVD: $19.95 May 23, 2011
Crazy Mama/The Lady in Red
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