How Much Loving Does a Normal Couple Need?

If Russ Meyer had made "Common Law Cabin" early in his career it might be excused as a learning experience. But by 1967 he had advanced far beyond anything that he puts into this weak movie. Rather than work hard on something interesting, Meyer took a year off creatively and let his writer/collaborator Jack Moran get some screen-time.

The one amazing thing about about "Common Law Cabin" is that its running time is only 69 minutes. If you get a chance to see the movie I can promise you it will be the longest 69 minutes you have ever spent.

Basically it has the standard Meyer elements: Three buxom actress-one of whom (Adele Rein) is spokes-model gorgeous. Lots of Raymond Chandler stylized dialogue and wry humor. A blend of 1960's California culture and the dark and pessimistic undercurrents found in Film Noir features.

Moran stars with Ken Swofford. Swofford is best known for his later quest appearances on the "Rockford Files" including his priceless Carl Wronko portrayal in the classic "The Queen of Peru". He is younger here but the acting style was already there.

The story itself is original, if only because no one else ever bothered turning a screenplay this weak into a feature, but it is not at all engaging or interesting.

The scene where the two youngest cast members pair off and head for the lake to play to a self-parodying sixties pop score is very nicely done, so good that it seems utterly out of place in this production.

Watch if your goal is to see everything that Meyer worked on, but making "Common Law Cabin" wasn't much of a learning experience for Meyer and watching won't be much of a learning experience for film buffs.

By the time he made Common Law Cabin, Russ Meyer had already found his feet with the likes of Lorna, Mudhoney and the fantastic Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! but hadn't yet found the popularity that he would find with his hit film Vixen! a year later. This was one of Meyer's first films in colour and could be described as a sort of practise run for later films such as Up and Supervixens as it features all the playful sleaze and buxom babes of Meyer's later work but it's a shorter and more concise film. The plot is a decent enough springboard for a sex flick and focuses on a criminal who has stolen a fortune in jewellery. He stumbles on a ranch in Arizona but when his attempts to buy the ranch from its owner are knocked back, he decides instead to seduce the ladies. The film features three of Meyer's chesty vixens; Alaina Capri, Babette Bardot and Adele Rain, and all are nice to look at as you would expect from a Russ Meyer flick. As usual with Meyer; it's not deep or particularly intelligent, although I'm sure that Meyer fans will enjoy it nonetheless. I do prefer most of Meyer's later stuff to this one; but Common Law Cabin is still worth a look.

I very rarely hear anybody mention 'Common Law Cabin', which is a shame. While it obviously doesn't reach the heights of 'Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!' or 'Vixen!' it actually comes pretty damn close at times. Newcomers to Meyer will find it a bit of a shock, as it features his trademark flavour of almost innocent sleaziness, lots of buxom babes, hilariously stylized dialogue, and despite the kitschness, a darker, more disturbing undercurrent. One character (Hoople, played by Jack Moran who also wrote this and other Meyer movies) has forbidden incestuous desires, another (Rickert, played by Ken Swofford) is a misogynistic thug. The three chesty babes are all great to look at. Babette Bardot (great name!) plays a Kitten Natividad-ish free spirit, and Alaina Capri (the best looking of the three), a bitchy Eric Gavin type. The third actress, Adele Rein plays Hoople's sweet and uncorrupted teenage daughter. All three women allegedly have 42 inch chests and go-go dance for no apparent reason. The cast also includes Meyer regular Frank Bolger in one of his typical roles. Meyer fans will eat this baby up, others might find it a good starting point to his strange, twisted world which is quite unlike any other in movie history! 'Common Law Cabin' is quite possible Meyer's most underrated film, and should not be overlooked.

If you're bothering to read this review, you're either a Russ Meyer fan or curious about his films.

Common Law Cabin, although a bit of an obscurity when compared to Faster Pussycat Kill Kill or Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, is pretty typical, so if you're a fan, you won't be disappointed, & if you want to find out what Russ Meyer is all about, this has it all.

Oversexed chicks with big knockers, greedy white trash criminals, a simplistic B-grade story with dialogue to match, & narration that sounds like it was written for an historical epic, not a sleazy exploitation flick. Plus the obligatory misogyny, violence & disturbing hints at incestuous desires. Bad taste triumphing over, well, everything.

All in all, jolly good fun.

While not a classic like some of his other films, this is still a fine Russ Meyer movie with all the things you would expect: great characters, wild dialogue and women that make you lick your lips. If you are a fan you won't be disappointed.