Machine Gun Mama is a musical comedy film released in 1944, directed by Harold Young and starring the comedic duo of Wallace Ford and Mae West. The film was produced by Universal Pictures and is notable for being one of the few films that West made outside of Paramount Pictures.
In the film, Mae West plays a singer named “Tira” who gets mixed up with a group of criminals after she falls in love with a man named “Bob” (played by Roger Pryor). Tira and Bob, along with Tira’s bodyguard “Slick” (played by Ford), travel to Central America where Tira becomes embroiled in a plot to overthrow the government.
As with many of West’s films, Machine Gun Mama was met with controversy due to its suggestive content and innuendo-laced dialogue. Despite this, the film was a moderate success at the box office and helped to solidify West’s status as one of the most popular actresses of the era.
Today, Machine Gun Mama is primarily remembered as a curiosity in the Mae West filmography, and is notable for its campy humor and over-the-top musical numbers.
Directors:
Harold Young
Writer:
Sam Neuman
Stars:
Armida, El Brendel, Wallace Ford
