- published: 15 Jul 2013
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Boxcar Bertha (1972), director Martin Scorsese's second film, is a loose adaptation of Sister of the Road, the fictionalized autobiography of radical and transient Bertha Thompson as written by Ben Reitman. One of producer Roger Corman's famous exploitation films, the movie was made with a modest $600,000 budget and taught Scorsese how to make films quickly and economically.
Besides the name of the heroine and her freight riding, very little of the film bears any resemblance to the original story written in Sister of the Road. The film tells the story of Bertha Thompson (played by Barbara Hershey) and "Big" Bill Shelly (played by David Carradine), two train robbers and lovers who are caught up in the plight of railroad workers in the American South. When Bertha is implicated in the murder of a wealthy gambler, the pair become fugitives from justice. While this story adheres to certain conventions of exploitation narrative, it also offers a surprisingly frank look at race and gender issues in the 1930s.
Based on "Sister of the Road," the fictionalized autobiography of radical and transient Bertha Thompson as written by physician Dr. Ben L. Reitman, 'Boxcar' Bertha Thompson, a woman labor organizer in Arkansas during the violence-filled Depression of the early '30's meets up with rabble-rousing union man 'Big' Bill Shelly and they team up to fight the corrupt railroad establishment and she is eventually sucked into a life of crime with him.
Keywords: 1930s, abandoned-building, adding-machine, african-american, airplane, airplane-crash, anarchist, anthropologist, arkansas, baby
'Big' Bill Shelly: Hey, Bertha!
Boxcar Bertha: Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Actors: Cathie Dorsch (writer), Cathie Dorsch (actress), Cathie Dorsch (actress), Cathie Dorsch (actress), Cathie Dorsch (producer), Cathie Dorsch (miscellaneous crew), Cathie Dorsch (actress), Cathie Dorsch (actress), Cathie Dorsch (actress), John Williams (writer), John Williams (actor), John Williams (actor), John Williams (miscellaneous crew), Jim Grant (actor), Cindy Grant (actress),
Plot: Miss Cathie is the host of this energetic half-hour for youngsters - and the young in heart - that employs original songs, puppetry, and live-action comedy sketches. Miss Cathie is often joined by her cohorts Jailhouse Joe and Boxcar Billy, and occasionally they hosted some episodes of "Kids Like You" by themselves. Other regulars included Boxcar Bertha; Beauticia, the beauty shop owner; Miss Agnes, who, it seemed, never had anything nice to say; Peachy, the Southern belle and her father, owner of the estate; Dixie, Pixie, the resident homemaker, and Le Doctaire, a nutty scientist. Puppet regulars included Betty Lou, Charlie Blue, Daisy, Grueney (who has a clutch of green hair), Jeremiah, Laura Lamb, Mr. Heart, Patty Sue, Penelope Turtle, Reggie, Rusty, Vinnie, and Violet, as well as bad guys Big John and Butch. Each episode revolved around a life lesson (e.g. avoiding temptation, not filling yourself with negative images and messages, using self-control, not running away from your problems) and challenged youngsters' thinking on how to solve each problem. The show was recorded mostly on location throughout Arkansas (the production company is based in Little Rock), although some episodes were taped in other locations around the country, such as in the Black Hills area of South Dakota and Mount Rushmore.
Genres: Comedy, Family, Musical,Actors: Franklin D. Roosevelt (actor), James H. Nicholson (producer), Martin Scorsese (director), Barbara Hershey (actress), Bernie Casey (actor), Samuel Z. Arkoff (producer), Roger Corman (producer), Victor Argo (actor), David Carradine (actor), Martin Scorsese (actor), Barry Primus (actor), John Carradine (actor), Samuel Z. Arkoff (producer), James H. Nicholson (miscellaneous crew), Samuel Z. Arkoff (miscellaneous crew),
Plot: Based on "Sister of the Road," the fictionalized autobiography of radical and transient Bertha Thompson as written by physician Dr. Ben L. Reitman, 'Boxcar' Bertha Thompson, a woman labor organizer in Arkansas during the violence-filled Depression of the early '30's meets up with rabble-rousing union man 'Big' Bill Shelly and they team up to fight the corrupt railroad establishment and she is eventually sucked into a life of crime with him.
Keywords: 1930s, abandoned-building, adding-machine, african-american, airplane, airplane-crash, anarchist, anthropologist, arkansas, baby