Ma Barker's Killer Brood

I saw this with my family as a surprise studio preview to get reviews from the public. I was10 years old and this was in Burbank, CA. It was shocking to me then but I now know it was pretty campy. But Mr. Barker's killing was the worst for me. I think my parents were pissed off but we stayed through to the end.

This film is terrific fun! It makes up for its tiny budget with wild, over-the-top performances (Lurene Tuttle was sweet-voiced Effie on the Sam Spade radio show...WHAT a DIFFERENCE!), extreme violence (one part where they set a guy on fire gets shown TWICE!) and goofy, quotable dialogue.

This is the kind of movie The Addams Family would watch with their kids.

With these things in mind, viewers looking for an accurate, historical picture will be disoriented, or at least disappointed. This is definitely not a good source for American History term papers. It is intended as a source for giggly thrills, and is a good one.

A major disappointment. As the apocryphal prize-winning cook and master criminal, Laurene Tuttle (who later the same year had a hilarious cameo as Sheriff Chambers' wife in 'Psycho') could really have shone as Ma Barker if she'd been backed by a halfway decent script & production; but this drab-looking quickie bogs down in endless talk and poorly executed action.

The high spot is probably the eye-watering scene in which Byron Foulger plays a plastic surgeon too drunk to properly handle a scalpel.

"Ma Barker's Killer Brood" is a bad film. Most of the exploits of Ma Barker and her boys in this film are complete fiction. The gang did not have parties attended by all the most-wanted criminals (Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly and many others). Additionally, the writing and characterizations were far from subtle. Yet, despite being a bad film, it has a certain kitschy quality that makes it fun viewing. I am pretty sure that Lurene Tuttle had a grand time acting as the leading lady!! In many ways, I think this film was an inspiration to John Waters, as you see a lot of Divine in this film. Don't believe me? Try watching "Pink Flamingos" and "Female Trouble" and you'll see what I mean. Herein lies the beauty of the film. It never strives for accuracy but instead tries very, very hard to be loud, outlandish and ridiculous--and VERY enjoyable. Although I gave the film a 5, it IS a must-see for bad movie freaks!

By the way, in a case of interesting casting, look of future "My Three Sons" actor Don Grady as a member of this hellish clan!

Supposedly based upon the life of Ozark matriarch Ma Barker and her four felonious public enemy sons, this meanly made low budget example of drive-in movie schlock actually treats several incidents in the real-life career of the notorious Barker/Karpis Gang which was very active during 1931/35 from the Midwest into Southeast U.S., but so contorts the truth in order to create a lurid melodrama that a viewer is alienated from the proceedings, especially in light of obvious cut-rate production values. Al Karpis was the confirmed master hand behind the Gang's string of sinful successes whereas the factual Ma Barker, although enjoying holding open house for various fugitives, only travelled with her family and was patently incapable of organizing more than luncheons, whereas in this poorly scripted travesty Lurene Tuttle as a tommygun wielding sadistic sociopath performs a raft of maniacal actions, including running over a policeman twice, all while planning the Gang's adventures and serving up heist advice to respectful triggermen such as John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly and Baby Face Nelson.