Only Roger Corman could get the most out of a rented dinghy, access to a small area of swamp and New Orleans stock footage. Man...these cool chicks are very groovy as they put the "touch" on Conners. Not really a laugh-out-loud-so-bad-it's-good kinda film, but bad enough to keep you with it to the bad-girl end. The "action" is paced well enough and the cast is near-perfect B-movie/drive-in stuff. The 50's style denim hot-pants are "prison issue" and with the tied-shirt halter tops they're all ready to wrestle. Poor Touch (Mike) Conners...he has to spend half the film with his hands tied behind his back. But that only makes it necessary for the girls to do all the heavy lifting as they plod through the swamp and pull the boat through the shallows. It's "African Queen" meets "Gator Girls" complete with diamonds, booze, guns, a homemade spear and an alligator that can't float. Holy cow!
48 Reviews
"On my way in I planned a way out."
classicsoncall4 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
On the trail of the once stolen and now missing "Nardo Diamonds", police woman Lee Hamilton (Carole Mathews) infiltrates the female members of said gang behind prison walls. Planning a jail break, she accompanies Beverly Garland, Marie Windsor and Jil Jarmyn into the swamps of Louisiana's bayou country where the gems are hidden. Along the way, the quartet runs into Mike Connors and his little bayou baby Marie (Susan Cummings) by way of the Mardi Gras. Marie earns her status as a gold digging, whiny opportunist, so that by the time she's attacked by an alligator, you wind up rooting for the reptile.
"Swamp Women" doesn't appear to be much more than an opportunity for director Roger Corman to put shapely women in cut off shorts on display in a lush tropical setting. It doesn't take long for the jailbirds to ditch their prison garb and land some eye candy duds for their swamp journey. You know it's only a matter of time before the obligatory cat fights and wet blouse tussles take center stage. Eventually, redhead Vera (Windsor) with visions of the entire fortune to call her own turns renegade. She ditches the group and attempts to escape with the gems, so why she climbs a tree instead of taking the boat is a mystery.
Mike Connors is credited in the cast as "Touch" Connors, and doesn't have much more to do in the film other than ogle the ladies. I'm not sure, but I bet when he auditioned for the part he said he could do it with his hands tied behind his back.
This is another mid 1950's film utilizing a color film process known as Pathe. My copy was heavy on the reds and browns including the swamp scenes, making it all look a bit unnatural. The entire business was filmed in and around New Orleans and Lacombe County. What's surprising is how many name actors wound up in this effort, with one on the way up (Connors), one on the way down (Windsor) and one still going strong (Garland). After watching the movie, there's only one thing that I'm still left wondering about - what prison cell in the country has a window?
"Swamp Women" doesn't appear to be much more than an opportunity for director Roger Corman to put shapely women in cut off shorts on display in a lush tropical setting. It doesn't take long for the jailbirds to ditch their prison garb and land some eye candy duds for their swamp journey. You know it's only a matter of time before the obligatory cat fights and wet blouse tussles take center stage. Eventually, redhead Vera (Windsor) with visions of the entire fortune to call her own turns renegade. She ditches the group and attempts to escape with the gems, so why she climbs a tree instead of taking the boat is a mystery.
Mike Connors is credited in the cast as "Touch" Connors, and doesn't have much more to do in the film other than ogle the ladies. I'm not sure, but I bet when he auditioned for the part he said he could do it with his hands tied behind his back.
This is another mid 1950's film utilizing a color film process known as Pathe. My copy was heavy on the reds and browns including the swamp scenes, making it all look a bit unnatural. The entire business was filmed in and around New Orleans and Lacombe County. What's surprising is how many name actors wound up in this effort, with one on the way up (Connors), one on the way down (Windsor) and one still going strong (Garland). After watching the movie, there's only one thing that I'm still left wondering about - what prison cell in the country has a window?
Where's the vast army of mosquitos when you need them??
icehole422 April 2002
Warning: Spoilers
***Some Spoilers***
Don't let the other review fool you. Swamp Women has the names Beverly Garland (It Conquered the World, Gunslinger) and Roger Corman (ditto) on it. The whole plot concerns itself with a bunch of bad girls who escape from a county jail in Louisianna. One of them has buried a bunch of diamonds in the swamps, so they go after it. They take two men hostage along the way. In one scene, one of the women is pushed into the water. They show someone splashing in the water from a distance in a swamp. When they do a close-up on her, it's painfully obvious that she's not in a swamp but in the local YWCA pool. Once they find the diamonds, greed naturally takes over and the ladies do a very bad catfight. Bad plot, bad acting, bad directing and the like shoot this one down.
Don't let the other review fool you. Swamp Women has the names Beverly Garland (It Conquered the World, Gunslinger) and Roger Corman (ditto) on it. The whole plot concerns itself with a bunch of bad girls who escape from a county jail in Louisianna. One of them has buried a bunch of diamonds in the swamps, so they go after it. They take two men hostage along the way. In one scene, one of the women is pushed into the water. They show someone splashing in the water from a distance in a swamp. When they do a close-up on her, it's painfully obvious that she's not in a swamp but in the local YWCA pool. Once they find the diamonds, greed naturally takes over and the ladies do a very bad catfight. Bad plot, bad acting, bad directing and the like shoot this one down.
Hooray for feminism!
Coventry23 November 2004
This 'Swamp Women' was one of the very first films Roger Corman directed (he was still in his 20's around the time it got released) but it immediately becomes clear how he built up of the reputation of being the 'King of the B's'. Swamp Women is short, only 67 minutes, and it looks like the whole thing only cost 50$. Still, it's a fun quickie handling about a gang of female cons who break out of prison accompanied by an undercover cop. They flee their way through a filthy swamp where a diamond-loot is hidden. Things get a little more complicated when they take a young couple, of which the male (Mike Connors) is a stud hostage. The acting is lame and the scenery is weak (rubber crocodiles!!) but you'll still have a good time. It feels like watching a vicious exploitation gem with situations and plot ahead of their time. If the actresses would have been a bit bustier, this easily could have been a Russ Meyer flick.
Southern Comfort And Prune Juice
ferbs544 December 2007
For me, B-movie fan that I am, a film starring cult actresses Beverly Garland AND Marie Windsor, and directed by the legendary Roger Corman, was too great a lure to resist. And "Swamp Women" (1955) does indeed live up to its potential, at least in part. It tells the story of a trio of tough dames who bust out of jail and hightail it to the Louisiana bayou to recover their cache of stolen diamonds. They are abetted in their jailbreak by an undercover lady cop, who is trying to find the gems, too. In the wild, they bump into Mike Connors and his fiancée, which only leads to more trouble. Anyway, this little B features lots of female fistfights, knife fights and tough talk, with Beverly perhaps being the "baddest" of the bunch. Viewers will enjoy counting how many times she says "shut up" during the course of this short film. And at a mere 73 minutes, the film IS short, but somehow still feels padded with endless Mardi Gras and nature shots. Still, "Swamp Women" is a reasonably fun entertainment. The bad news that I have to report, however, concerns the state of this DVD itself. I have never seen a worse-looking DVD in my life. Not only have all the colors of its source print turned pink, but the image itself is fuzzy and blurry. The promise of crystal-clear DVD images has certainly not been met here, to put it mildly! The folks at Brentwood Communications should hang their heads in shame. If I wanted to see sickening off colors and blurry images, I'd be doing drugs and shots of Southern Comfort and prune juice! This film deserves so much better!
Entertaining Film
whpratt117 February 2008
This film might be considered awful, but this film was very entertaining and Roger Corman created a very low budget film with some great stars like Mike Connors, (Bob Matthews) and Beverly Garland as Vera. This film takes place in Bayou Lacombe, Louisiana and New Orleans, and deals with a woman named Police Lt. Lee Hampton, (Carole Mathews) who is willing to enter a prison of women and obtain information about stolen diamonds. Vera and Josie, (Marie Windsor) are women prisoners and Lee Hampton is in the same jail cell and cons these two criminals into escaping from jail in order to obtain these diamonds and catch them in a very swampy area in which they are hidden. Bob Matthews has the misfortune of being held prisoner by these very sexy and hot young gals and he has to try and out smart these very cruel and dangerous women. Enjoy.
So bad, it's . . . well, not good, but amusing.
silvrdal22 April 2005
When I saw that the two queens of the B-movies, Marie Windsor and Beverly Garland were in one glorious, trashy flick togETHer -- I had to have it. I wasn't disappointed.
This movie is quite bad, but the highlights are so delightful there's no way it can be dismissed or forgotten. One reviewer dubbed it "Catfighting Floosies", and that clinched my purchase. I've called it this ever since, rather than it's actual title.
Honestly, someone should put out a heavily-edited version of it, stringing together all the squabbling women bits and deleting all the annoying paddling-through-the-bayou scenes. If it weren't for the latter, I'd have given this ... oh, at least a 6. Huzzah for the Fast Forward button.
This movie is quite bad, but the highlights are so delightful there's no way it can be dismissed or forgotten. One reviewer dubbed it "Catfighting Floosies", and that clinched my purchase. I've called it this ever since, rather than it's actual title.
Honestly, someone should put out a heavily-edited version of it, stringing together all the squabbling women bits and deleting all the annoying paddling-through-the-bayou scenes. If it weren't for the latter, I'd have given this ... oh, at least a 6. Huzzah for the Fast Forward button.
Much Better Than What the Critics Have Said About It
Uriah4322 September 2012
Regardless of what anybody else has to say, I thought this movie was much better than what the critics have said about it. Yes, it has its faults. But people should remember that this was a low-budget film made in 1956. As such, it doesn't have the advantage of the modern special effects that are now available and I've certainly seen worse movies that were much more expensive to produce. In that regard, I thought the director (Roger Corman) did an excellent job with what he had. While the acting was slightly below average overall, I thought Marie Windsor played a decent role as "Josie Nardo" who was essentially the leader of the group of escaped female convicts. Likewise, Carole Matthews (Police Lt. Lee Hampton) and Mike Connors (Bob Matthews) played their parts pretty well too. I thought both Beverly Garland (Vera) and Susan Cummings (Marie) were nice-looking but their acting didn't really impress me. On the other hand, Jil Jarmyn (Billie) stood out as the sexiest of the five females (in my opinion) even if her acting was only average. As for some other faults, I thought the women wearing cutoffs in an insect-infested swamp was rather absurd. Another was the scene where the rattlesnake advanced to attack Bob Matthews. In real life the rattlesnake would slither as fast as it could to get away and only attacks a person when it feels cornered and has no choice. But that's Hollywood for you. All things considered though, while some critics might consider it among the "50 worst" films in history, I regard it as more deserving than that. While it's definitely a "B-Movie", I think it was entertaining enough to rate a solid score.
Oh Yeah, It's Bad..........
underfire3525 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
SWAMP WOMEN opens and closes with profuse thanks to the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana for help in making this film. If any of the people who are mentioned actually saw SWAMP WOMEN they may have insisted that the filmmakers thank Florida instead. The truth is, there seems to be few shots set in New Orleans; the rest of the film takes place in unidentifiable swampland (and various swimming pools). The basic story involves a gang of women, hidden diamonds and, of course, catfights. The woman in this film (after having cut the legs off their jeans) roll around in mud, water, and dirt, often times going from one to the other in the same scene. When their limbs are not entangled in heated female rage, the women sit around and talk, or sometimes dock a boat. It's all about the "bling" for these girls, so when they become stranded ashore they "boat-jack" two young lovers who are out admiring the fettering malaria-infested bayou locales. The girlfriend gets eaten by a shark (or something) along the way, but they keep her hunky boyfriend (Mike "Touch" Conners) tied up as an insurance policy. Considering all four of the girls are sweet on this guy, being a hostage does not seem like such a bad gig. Anyway, the plot of SWAMP WOMEN floats along like a flip-flop caught in the "lazy river" ride at your local waterpark. Towards the end, I just kind of advanced through most of the scenes unless there seemed to be some integral plot revelation (catfight) that could not be overlooked. Some stuff happened, I think, and then the film ended.
SWAMP WOMEN was produced and directed by B-movie maestro Roger Corman, which explains quite a lot. He is of course famous for giving just about everyone in Hollywood their "big break." It is true that he has fostered (or exploited) many young filmmakers and actors; the list would be far reaching and hard to compile. However, as a director, he seems to be only as good as the material he is given. Now this is the same guy who directed THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, which is considered a classic in the "cheapie" genre, but was based on an inventive and outlandishly bizarre screenplay by Charles Griffith. Corman does not seem to be a director who interprets a writer's work, but simply puts to film every page he has in hand. Here, working with a script by David Stern, Corman fashions a no-budget fetish fest. SWAMP WOMEN lacks any style, vision or logic. Yes, I know, the film was a financially anemic early effort by Corman, but c'mon, the integration of different shooting locations and the obvious stock footage is embarrassing at best. I'm also fairly certain that they killed an actual rattlesnake in the making of SWAMP WOMEN. If this is true, then, as viewed through the looking glass of time, that snake's brave and noble sacrifice was ultimately in vain. 1/10
SWAMP WOMEN was produced and directed by B-movie maestro Roger Corman, which explains quite a lot. He is of course famous for giving just about everyone in Hollywood their "big break." It is true that he has fostered (or exploited) many young filmmakers and actors; the list would be far reaching and hard to compile. However, as a director, he seems to be only as good as the material he is given. Now this is the same guy who directed THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, which is considered a classic in the "cheapie" genre, but was based on an inventive and outlandishly bizarre screenplay by Charles Griffith. Corman does not seem to be a director who interprets a writer's work, but simply puts to film every page he has in hand. Here, working with a script by David Stern, Corman fashions a no-budget fetish fest. SWAMP WOMEN lacks any style, vision or logic. Yes, I know, the film was a financially anemic early effort by Corman, but c'mon, the integration of different shooting locations and the obvious stock footage is embarrassing at best. I'm also fairly certain that they killed an actual rattlesnake in the making of SWAMP WOMEN. If this is true, then, as viewed through the looking glass of time, that snake's brave and noble sacrifice was ultimately in vain. 1/10
Swamp Cubic Zirconia, is more like it
Dextrousleftie13 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Thisa has to be one of the best of the Corman films that I've ever seen. The plot is a little slow and silly, there appear to be only three sets, and th dialog is campy at best. But the things it has that other Corman films do not have - 1. Not one, but FOUR strong female leads. Corman films tend to have strong females in them, but usually only one at a time(or two at most). And while the girls do spend a bit too much time drooling over the one guy in the film, they're still smart, strong-willed, and(in the case of Beverly Garland's character) vicious, as well. 2. The color's not bad. Most Corman films are in black-and-white, but the thing is even the colorized ones tend to look gray because they're usually so drab and depressing(i.e., Gunslingers). 3. There is no stupid, ridiculous looking monster involved. True, Gunslinger doesn't have one either, but most of the rest of Corman's turds have the dumbest looking monsters ever put on screen in them. Look at It Conquered the World, which still has the worst, stupidest looking monster ever(at least in my estimation, anyway). 4. The plot's not bad, for a Corman flick. I mean it is thin, of course - the entire film is about these women wandering around a swamp while getting drunk, cutting their jeans into shorts, cat fighting, etc. But this is STILL more plot than in normal Corman fare.
Swamp Diammonds is brilliant for a movie made by the truly untalented Roger Corman. It's actually almost worth watching - almost.
Swamp Diammonds is brilliant for a movie made by the truly untalented Roger Corman. It's actually almost worth watching - almost.
Fun exploitation movie
Undead_Master25 October 2002
Swamp women rocks!!! It has a fun cheesy story about fugitive women, some bad acting mixed with some `ok' acting, lots of funny dialogue and of-course, many scenes of attractive women rolling around on the ground trying to kill each other while wearing skimpy clothing.
Corman does a nice job with a limited budget (as is his trademark.) squeezing the most entertainment he can out of limited material. We have some nice visuals (I love the moving shots in the swamp) and the style of the film is much more polished than most movies in this budget range. The pacing is quick with very few wasted scenes. Something is always happening in this film and it's never boring for a moment. Even though the story is pretty bad, I still got interested in it and I was excited to see what happened next which is a testament to Corman's technical skill in handling material. For the most part Corman is able to keep the production values from standing out in such a way that they would hurt the films entertainment value. It comes across as a cheap film, but not in a bad way.
The acting is mostly ok with a few really bad performances here and there, but the dialogue is so bad it makes the acting seem horrible. Some of the characters in this film are so over the top that you can't help but laugh at the hilarious things they do and say. They're all Caricatures, but they're funny and it works.
Overall, This is one of the most enjoyable exploitation movies about fugitive women of all time. Of-course that's a pretty limited sub-genre of films, but this one stands out compared to most others. Don't miss it if you're a fan of this type of cinema.
Corman does a nice job with a limited budget (as is his trademark.) squeezing the most entertainment he can out of limited material. We have some nice visuals (I love the moving shots in the swamp) and the style of the film is much more polished than most movies in this budget range. The pacing is quick with very few wasted scenes. Something is always happening in this film and it's never boring for a moment. Even though the story is pretty bad, I still got interested in it and I was excited to see what happened next which is a testament to Corman's technical skill in handling material. For the most part Corman is able to keep the production values from standing out in such a way that they would hurt the films entertainment value. It comes across as a cheap film, but not in a bad way.
The acting is mostly ok with a few really bad performances here and there, but the dialogue is so bad it makes the acting seem horrible. Some of the characters in this film are so over the top that you can't help but laugh at the hilarious things they do and say. They're all Caricatures, but they're funny and it works.
Overall, This is one of the most enjoyable exploitation movies about fugitive women of all time. Of-course that's a pretty limited sub-genre of films, but this one stands out compared to most others. Don't miss it if you're a fan of this type of cinema.
Corman, Garland, and Windsor...What Else is Needed?
mrb19805 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This hilariously trashy camp classic from Roger Corman follows the adventures of the notorious "Nardo Gang", an all-female criminal gang. The participants (Windsor, Garland, and Mathews) escape from prison and head for the swamp, where they have hidden a fortune in diamonds among the cypresses and alligators. Along the way they kidnap Mike Connors and his girlfriend.
Connors' girlfriend is unfortunately served as dinner to an alligator, so the gang keeps Connors as their boy toy while going deeper and deeper into the swamp. The digging up of the diamonds and the following action is as campy as possible, producing nonstop and unintentional laughter. The ending of the movie just has to be seen to be believed.
The attraction of this movie has to be the characters played by Garland and Windsor. Garland plays certainly one of the most bitchy and disagreeable female prison escapees ever captured on film, while Windsor's character plays the steady, diplomatic one, all the while lusting after Connors...who is kept tied up most of the time. A very interesting film, worth watching for the three leads, and for the outrageous story.
P.S.: Best line: Connors, after seeing his girlfriend chomped by an alligator: "Poor kid!"
Connors' girlfriend is unfortunately served as dinner to an alligator, so the gang keeps Connors as their boy toy while going deeper and deeper into the swamp. The digging up of the diamonds and the following action is as campy as possible, producing nonstop and unintentional laughter. The ending of the movie just has to be seen to be believed.
The attraction of this movie has to be the characters played by Garland and Windsor. Garland plays certainly one of the most bitchy and disagreeable female prison escapees ever captured on film, while Windsor's character plays the steady, diplomatic one, all the while lusting after Connors...who is kept tied up most of the time. A very interesting film, worth watching for the three leads, and for the outrageous story.
P.S.: Best line: Connors, after seeing his girlfriend chomped by an alligator: "Poor kid!"
A Horror Movie???
Hitchcoc17 March 2006
I watched this because it is part of a collection of 50 horror movies. This package is a hodgepodge of B movies and old classics. The only horror about this film is the fact that it went into distribution. I saw that Roger Corman's name was above the title, so I figured some silly spook show. It's a women's prison movie. How did it get into the collection? Let's see. There is some plot about diamonds that have been hidden away in the Bayou. There are a group of women, some pretty famous actresses. There's Mike Connors (Mannix), and then a lot of gun pointing, and, pardon my sexism, cat fights. Connors' girl friend gets eaten by an alligator. The undercover cop is the hero but she allows innocent people to be killed. She's also not particularly attractive. There's Beverly Garland, the last wife on "My Three Sons." There's more fights. Connors sits with his hands tied behind his back for most of the movie. I don't mind bad movies. Sometimes they have something redeeming. This just pushes the button of stupidity.
A cinematic pleasure!
Steven-1027 November 2000
"Swamp Diamonds" is the absorbing new (well, new in 1955) thriller from Roger Corman concerning the often razor thin boundaries that separate feminism from, well, anything that makes sense. But hey, if you like chases, escapes, fencing, magic, giants, revenge, and true love, go watch "The Princess Bride". It's a great film! But right after that catch "Swamp Diamonds"... and only if you have nothing else to do. Why not, right?
Oh, and make sure it's the MST3K version.
Oh, and make sure it's the MST3K version.
Corman bombs again. *ONE SPOILER*
icehole427 April 2002
Warning: Spoilers
The film's basic philosophy is "We have three good looking women in shorts, so who needs things like plot, character development, and anything to endear them to you." The obviously staged catfights are delplorable at best. In the scene where the woman gets thrown into the water, watch the water go back and forth from being in the swamp (when shown from a distance) and the local YWCA pool (when close up.)
"She always wanted to kill and kill anything. But the last thing she did was save his life."
alminator14 November 2018
Aka Swamp Diamonds or Cruel Swamp
Ok story, acting, and suspense. Bad fight scenes due to actors performing their own stunts.
A female police officer goes undercover to help a gang of female jewel thieves escape and recover the diamonds they stole. Along the way, they kidnap an oil prospector played by Touch Connors (awesome name alert!) and his girlfriend. It's a treacherous journey through the swamps and jungles of the bayou, and these women haven't seen a man in quite some time. Trouble ensues. Corman's first real foray into sexploitation.
Ok story, acting, and suspense. Bad fight scenes due to actors performing their own stunts.
A female police officer goes undercover to help a gang of female jewel thieves escape and recover the diamonds they stole. Along the way, they kidnap an oil prospector played by Touch Connors (awesome name alert!) and his girlfriend. It's a treacherous journey through the swamps and jungles of the bayou, and these women haven't seen a man in quite some time. Trouble ensues. Corman's first real foray into sexploitation.
Catfight
drystyx3 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Four women stage a jailbreak to get diamonds out of a swamp. One of them is undercover, however. Good thing, since the other three are very deadly.
One of the women is a homicidal maniac, but not nearly the cliché that we usually see for this character. She doesn't have many dimensions, but clearly more than the modern horror movie homicidal maniac has.
Another woman gets kidnapped, along with a hunky guy. The kidnapped girl is by far the most gorgeous of the women, but she is "film fatally flawed" in every detail, so her early exit is no spoiler.
The other two cute girls have the big catfight at the end, but there are many catfights along the way. I'm not big on blocking fights, but these catfights looked very well done, maybe the most authentic looking ones you'll see on film.
Gators, swamp boats, and mud add to the spectacle.
Since this is movie where mostly women get killed, it isn't much of a "guy movie", but more of a "chick flick", the sort that girls like to see in order to cuddle close to a guy at a theater. That's probably about the only use for this movie. Still, it isn't what you would call a poor movie. If you don't expect a lot, you'll be happy enough.
One of the women is a homicidal maniac, but not nearly the cliché that we usually see for this character. She doesn't have many dimensions, but clearly more than the modern horror movie homicidal maniac has.
Another woman gets kidnapped, along with a hunky guy. The kidnapped girl is by far the most gorgeous of the women, but she is "film fatally flawed" in every detail, so her early exit is no spoiler.
The other two cute girls have the big catfight at the end, but there are many catfights along the way. I'm not big on blocking fights, but these catfights looked very well done, maybe the most authentic looking ones you'll see on film.
Gators, swamp boats, and mud add to the spectacle.
Since this is movie where mostly women get killed, it isn't much of a "guy movie", but more of a "chick flick", the sort that girls like to see in order to cuddle close to a guy at a theater. That's probably about the only use for this movie. Still, it isn't what you would call a poor movie. If you don't expect a lot, you'll be happy enough.
Swamp Sleaze
hrkepler6 June 2018
First, I give you a warning (not for spoilers, don't worry, there's nothing to spoil) before you watch that particular film - wait the day with right mood for cheap entertaining exploitation. Don't force yourself to watch it because you're doing some Roger Corman retrospect or something. First time I saw 'Swamp Women' years ago, I hated it, I thought it was one of the worst film ever made (what it exactly is), second time I watched to see if I was correct about it, and I loved it.
Early Roger Corman cheesy exploitation girl power flick definitely doesn't belong among his best works. In this adventure crime thriller, a police officer Lee Hampton (Carole Mathews) is sent to prison undercover to infiltrate into a gang of criminals who know where the stolen diamonds are hidden. She helps them escape from prison and four women start journey in their cut short jeans through swamps of Louisiana with loving couple (Mike Connors and Susan Cummings) as hostages. The trip is filled with girls nagging on each other and constantly falling into catfights.
The film is cliché ridden and screenplay is thinner than the paper it was printed on. The prison break is as easy as climbing over the fence (practically that was all that it was in the movie) and infiltrating into a gang of women of hardened criminals is easier than gaining friends in school yard. Thanks to the real setting of bayou and passable acting (except the police captain who was more wooden than a log), the film is quite entertaining. The characters seemed interesting and motivated enough to keep the film alive.
'Swamp Woman' is good testament to Roger Cormans directing abilities to churn out such (cheap) entertainment out of so dull script. Don't expect too much action or thrills or suspense. But B-movie and exploitation genre aficionados might find 'Swamp Women' quite fun (boat) ride (through swamp). At least, I did.
Early Roger Corman cheesy exploitation girl power flick definitely doesn't belong among his best works. In this adventure crime thriller, a police officer Lee Hampton (Carole Mathews) is sent to prison undercover to infiltrate into a gang of criminals who know where the stolen diamonds are hidden. She helps them escape from prison and four women start journey in their cut short jeans through swamps of Louisiana with loving couple (Mike Connors and Susan Cummings) as hostages. The trip is filled with girls nagging on each other and constantly falling into catfights.
The film is cliché ridden and screenplay is thinner than the paper it was printed on. The prison break is as easy as climbing over the fence (practically that was all that it was in the movie) and infiltrating into a gang of women of hardened criminals is easier than gaining friends in school yard. Thanks to the real setting of bayou and passable acting (except the police captain who was more wooden than a log), the film is quite entertaining. The characters seemed interesting and motivated enough to keep the film alive.
'Swamp Woman' is good testament to Roger Cormans directing abilities to churn out such (cheap) entertainment out of so dull script. Don't expect too much action or thrills or suspense. But B-movie and exploitation genre aficionados might find 'Swamp Women' quite fun (boat) ride (through swamp). At least, I did.
Swamp diamonds
BandSAboutMovies18 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Also known as Cruel Swamp or Swamp Women but not Swamp Woman, this Roger Corman-directed movie has undercover police officer Lee Hampton get in with a gang of females who escape from jail and head out to the swamp - hey the title didn't lie! - to find a hidden cache of diamonds.
This is the first film that Corman made with Lawrence, Bernard and David Wolner, who eventually bankrolled New World Pictures. They were the owners of New Orleans' first drive-in theaters, so having movies of their own helped keep costs down.
Released on a double bill with Gunslinger, the bayou setting really helps make this movie better than it should be. It's in The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (And How They Got That Way) by Harry Medved and Randy Lowell, but there are definitely way worse films than this one.
Every woman in this movie - Marie Windsor (the queen of the b's who appeared in The Killing, The Day Mars Invaded Earth and 170 other movies), Beverly Garland (Gunslinger, It Conquered the World), Susan Cummings (The Street Is My Beat) and Jil Jarmyn (No Man's Woman) - is the kind of girl who'd sooner punch you in the jaw than kiss you on the lips and that's exactly why I love them all so much.
This is the first film that Corman made with Lawrence, Bernard and David Wolner, who eventually bankrolled New World Pictures. They were the owners of New Orleans' first drive-in theaters, so having movies of their own helped keep costs down.
Released on a double bill with Gunslinger, the bayou setting really helps make this movie better than it should be. It's in The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (And How They Got That Way) by Harry Medved and Randy Lowell, but there are definitely way worse films than this one.
Every woman in this movie - Marie Windsor (the queen of the b's who appeared in The Killing, The Day Mars Invaded Earth and 170 other movies), Beverly Garland (Gunslinger, It Conquered the World), Susan Cummings (The Street Is My Beat) and Jil Jarmyn (No Man's Woman) - is the kind of girl who'd sooner punch you in the jaw than kiss you on the lips and that's exactly why I love them all so much.
A very fine swamp film for conniSEWERs of cat fighting
yonhope3 April 2008
A tiny bit of stock footage was used to create the awesome feeling of actually being in a swamp. Professionally trained wrestling alligators were imported from Canada to enhance the action with carefully choreographed water ballet scenes of a knife fight. The opening title credits were punctuated with orchestral tones that bring cheers from the audience. I doubt if any of you will be able to stay in your seats when Mike Connors or Touch Connors deftly fights for his manhood in a canoe being attacked by prison girl escapees. The dialog is smoothly delivered as we hear memorable quotes like "Alright, break it up." and "She can't swim." Only Roger Corman could raise the budget needed for this epic of the soggy South. There is a nice 1949 Cadillac that is seen a couple of times. The escape scene from the barred window of what looks like any house in Los Angeles is worth the price of admission if you watch it for free.
If you like swamp films I do recommend Southern Comfort.
I must seriously admit Mike Connors rose above expectations in this. His voice is excellent and he has a look that is not that far from Clark Gable or Cary Grant. He could have made some good movies.
Swamp Women. Diamonds, Dames, Guns, short shorts... and swamp love. If you don't watch this film over and over, you are made of steel.
If you like swamp films I do recommend Southern Comfort.
I must seriously admit Mike Connors rose above expectations in this. His voice is excellent and he has a look that is not that far from Clark Gable or Cary Grant. He could have made some good movies.
Swamp Women. Diamonds, Dames, Guns, short shorts... and swamp love. If you don't watch this film over and over, you are made of steel.
Eight Legs to Hold You
wes-connors26 July 2008
Policewoman Carole Mathews goes "undercover" to join Marie Windsor, Beverly Garland, and Jil Jarmyn in prison. The "Gang of Four" escape, and head for the local swamp, to look for some stashed diamonds. Who would hide their booty in a swamp? They take turns touching tied-up hostage Mike Connors. His girlfriend gets eaten by the alligator. Let's not beat around the bush. Stripped to its basics, "Swamp Women" was made for 1950s viewers to watch four naughty young women escape from prison, get drunk, cut off the legs of their pants, and wrestle in the swamp. Directed by Roger Corman. In color.
** Swamp Women (1955) Roger Corman ~ Marie Windsor, Carole Mathews, Beverly Garland
** Swamp Women (1955) Roger Corman ~ Marie Windsor, Carole Mathews, Beverly Garland
Catfight in the bayou with Mannix
ace-15023 February 2007
In this cautionary tale of greed and Roux rinses, three gun molls, one intersexual police decoy and Mike (Touch) Connors go on a boat trip. Desperately hoping to avoid the police in their rite of passage through an existential mobius strip of bayou, the women don hot pants and traffic-cone-orange shirts. In the case of Beverly Garland, also traffic-cone-orange hair. The erotic tension between the women, the intersexual and Mike Connors (and this reviewer) clearly trumps the need for camouflage as the floozies compete with the intersexual for the chance to caress Mike's big, hairy arms. And then slap him upside the head. Which brings me to the problem with this film. Mike gets wet, but Mike never takes off his shirt. Mike Connors with his hands tied behind his back is good. Mike Connors, shirtless and tied up would be better. Roger Corman really missed his chance to ramp up the subtext in this one.
If you're watching MST3K, Joel and the bots are a little limp on this one, but the movie is fantastic. The short "What to do on a date" is a bit upsetting as it seems to feature two actors with affective disorders, perhaps Asperger's Syndrome. Tom's disastrous date with Gypsy doesn't fare much better.
If you're watching MST3K, Joel and the bots are a little limp on this one, but the movie is fantastic. The short "What to do on a date" is a bit upsetting as it seems to feature two actors with affective disorders, perhaps Asperger's Syndrome. Tom's disastrous date with Gypsy doesn't fare much better.
Wahey
Bezenby12 December 2013
This is a film you'll either love or hate, depending on your tolerance for low budgets and passable acting. It doesn't have any ambitions other to entertain on the cheap, and it does that fine.
A couple decide, during a stock footage Mardis-Gras, to head into the bayou for reasons I've already forgotten. At the same time, a female cop goes undercover and heads into jail to meet a gang of three women who know the location of some diamonds (also in the bayou). Luckily for the cop, all three women are in the same cell. Also luckily for the cop, they believe her story and volunteer almost immediately to escape, promising her a share of the diamonds. No wonder they got caught in the first place! As you could predict, our gang of convicts and our romantic couple meet in the bayou, and that's when the trouble starts. After killing the couple's guide, the girls kidnap the couple and the cop finds it difficult to stay under cover and protect the couple. Much flirting, drinking, and cat fighting ensues.
Also, the couple don't turn out to be so in love either. When one of them gets eating by an alligator, the other is seemingly non-chalant about it. True love.
Like most early Roger Corman films, everything's cheap, the film is short, but it's lots of fun too. All the girls run around in cut off shorts while cat fighting or moaning about stuff, and the story zips along quickly enough. What else do you want from Roger Corman?
A couple decide, during a stock footage Mardis-Gras, to head into the bayou for reasons I've already forgotten. At the same time, a female cop goes undercover and heads into jail to meet a gang of three women who know the location of some diamonds (also in the bayou). Luckily for the cop, all three women are in the same cell. Also luckily for the cop, they believe her story and volunteer almost immediately to escape, promising her a share of the diamonds. No wonder they got caught in the first place! As you could predict, our gang of convicts and our romantic couple meet in the bayou, and that's when the trouble starts. After killing the couple's guide, the girls kidnap the couple and the cop finds it difficult to stay under cover and protect the couple. Much flirting, drinking, and cat fighting ensues.
Also, the couple don't turn out to be so in love either. When one of them gets eating by an alligator, the other is seemingly non-chalant about it. True love.
Like most early Roger Corman films, everything's cheap, the film is short, but it's lots of fun too. All the girls run around in cut off shorts while cat fighting or moaning about stuff, and the story zips along quickly enough. What else do you want from Roger Corman?
A super-cheap film loaded with "cat fights" and thrills(?)
planktonrules17 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This film practically screams "cheap" from start to finish. The dialog is lousy, the acting amateurish and the music pure "cheese". Although the film cost more than PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE to produce, it probably didn't cost much more! The film opens with some Mardi Gras footage and you are introduced to Mike Connors (TV's "Mannix") and his "dame". Then, abruptly, the footage switches to a women's prison were some more tough dames are discussing some stolen diamonds--unaware that their new bunkmate is a cop in disguise! When these evil dames escape, they make a bee-line for the stolen loot. Too bad for Connors and his hot tomato that they stumble upon these tough broads!
What follows is a rather dull boat trip through the bayou punctuated by silly dialog (featuring lots of "cat fighting", frequent use of words such as "dame", "broad" and "loot" as well as frequent whining by Connor's girlfriend) and stock footage that is rather randomly inserted. Well, at least it seemed dull until some of the women noticed that young and studly Connors was too much man to leave alone--and they began slobbering and fighting to get into his pants.
All this slobbering is punctuated when the undercover cop falls into the swamp and she can't swim. Connors springs to the rescue and quickly dispatches an alligator with just a pocketknife AND he saves her from drowning---what a guy! Inexplicably, just moments later, the ladies take a break and a couple of them take off their clothes to take a swim--including the one who couldn't swim in the previous scene! Oh, well,...I guess they figured the movie needed a cheesecake scene regardless of whether or not it made any sense.
Later, when they find the diamonds the ladies do the most logical thing--have a long and pointless cat fight--complete with everything but jello!! Then, even more stock footage in a long and meaningless montage follows. Then, in the end, the women all turn on each other and by this point, rather inexplicably, the cop and Connors have fallen in love and the film ends with the surviving broads being arrested. Hurrah for justice!
This movie made the list of 50 worst films (from Harry Medved's book "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time and How They Got That Way") and whether it should or shouldn't have made this list is debatable. I'd put it on a list of maybe 200 worst films, but either way the movie stinks. As a result, the film is best seen only by bad film lovers (like myself)--not sane or "normal" people.
What follows is a rather dull boat trip through the bayou punctuated by silly dialog (featuring lots of "cat fighting", frequent use of words such as "dame", "broad" and "loot" as well as frequent whining by Connor's girlfriend) and stock footage that is rather randomly inserted. Well, at least it seemed dull until some of the women noticed that young and studly Connors was too much man to leave alone--and they began slobbering and fighting to get into his pants.
All this slobbering is punctuated when the undercover cop falls into the swamp and she can't swim. Connors springs to the rescue and quickly dispatches an alligator with just a pocketknife AND he saves her from drowning---what a guy! Inexplicably, just moments later, the ladies take a break and a couple of them take off their clothes to take a swim--including the one who couldn't swim in the previous scene! Oh, well,...I guess they figured the movie needed a cheesecake scene regardless of whether or not it made any sense.
Later, when they find the diamonds the ladies do the most logical thing--have a long and pointless cat fight--complete with everything but jello!! Then, even more stock footage in a long and meaningless montage follows. Then, in the end, the women all turn on each other and by this point, rather inexplicably, the cop and Connors have fallen in love and the film ends with the surviving broads being arrested. Hurrah for justice!
This movie made the list of 50 worst films (from Harry Medved's book "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time and How They Got That Way") and whether it should or shouldn't have made this list is debatable. I'd put it on a list of maybe 200 worst films, but either way the movie stinks. As a result, the film is best seen only by bad film lovers (like myself)--not sane or "normal" people.
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