Bloody Mama (1970)

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Don Peters (story)
Robert Thom (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

24 March 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Tagline:

Say it with bullets!

Plot:

A psychological gangster film based on fact. Machine gun totin' Ma Barker lead her family gang (her sons) on a crime spree in the Depression era...

Plot Keywords:

Millionaire | Ma Barker | Drug Addict | Drugs | Gangster

Cast

Shelley Winters	...	Kate 'Ma' Barker
Pat Hingle	...	Sam Adams Pendlebury
Don Stroud	...	Herman Barker
Diane Varsi	...	Mona Gibson
Bruce Dern	...	Kevin Dirkman
Clint Kimbrough	...	Arthur Barker
Robert De Niro	...	Lloyd Barker
Robert Walden	...	Fred Barker
Alex Nicol	...	George Barker
Pamela Dunlap	...	Rembrandt
Michael Fox	...	Dr. Roth
Scatman Crothers	...	Moses (as 'Scatman' Crothers)
Stacy Harris	...	Agent McClellan
Lisa Jill	...	Young Kate
Steve Mitchell	...	Sheriff
Roy Idom	...	Ferryboat Passenger
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Snell	...	Federal Agent (uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Corman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Don Peters		story
Robert Thom		screenplay
Robert Thom		story

Produced by
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	executive producer
Roger Corman	....	producer
Norman T. Herman	....	co-producer
James H. Nicholson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Don Randi

Cinematography by
John A. Alonzo		(as John Alonzo)

Film Editing by
Eve Newman

Makeup Department
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist (as David Grayson)
Bette Iverson	....	hair stylist (as Betty Iverson)

Production Management
Elliot Schick	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gary Grillo	....	assistant director

Art Department
Michael Ross	....	property master

Sound Department
Charles T. Knight	....	sound mixer (as Charles Knight)

Special Effects by
A.D. Flowers	....	special effects

Stunts
Bud Walls	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
John Elsenbach	....	camera operator
Richard King Sr.	....	key grip (as Richard King)
Robert E. Thomas	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Thomas Costich	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Bigfoot	....	music performers "Bloody Mama"
Guy Hemric	....	composer: title song "Bloody Mama"
Don Randi	....	musical director
Bob Silver	....	composer: title song "Bloody Mama"
Al Simms	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Clifton Bush	....	transportation captain

Other crew
William Bond Jr.	....	our man in Arkansas
Michel Levesque	....	visual consultant (as Michael Levesque)
Tom Moore	....	script supervisor
Earl Wingard	....	unit publicist

Production Companies

• American International Pictures (AIP)

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinémas Associés (1970) (France) (theatrical)
• LIF (1970) (Italy) (theatrical)
• MGM-EMI (1971) (UK) (theatrical)
• Astral Films (Canada)
• Eurocine Films (2008) (Spain) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• RCV Orion (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Cinefx  optical effects
• Edit International  sound effects
• Pacific Title  title design by
• Ryder Sound Services  sound

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (cut) (1972) | UK:X | France:-18 | Italy:VM14 | West Germany:18 | France:-12 (re-rating) | UK:18 (uncut version, re-rating) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:18 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

Shelley Winters previously played a character that spoofed "Ma" Barker. On the TV series "Batman" (1966), she played "Ma" PARKER in a couple of episodes as a guest star.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Designing Women: Second Time Around (#2.14)" (1988)

A Study in Evil

This is an amazing film for 1970, and a good film to watch by itself today. A true gangster story, with no romantics at all. Evil people do evil things, they just do them because they are stupid and degenerated. No social comment is being made, and this is actually the best decision the script writer and the director could make. Only a completly social careless society can let such people 'enjoy the freedom', with the execution squad being the only 'educational tool' it knows. The viewer gets it by itself. The mix of documentary with the true story is discrete and smart. I liked the movie, and gave it 8/10 on my personal scale.