Little Laura and Big John

It's hard to believe that Karen Black appeared in this terrible, extremely low=budget travesty, when she was already established as a star. Perhaps it was filmed years earlier and released after she became popular. Filmed in Florida, it's pretty torturous to sit through, and is recommended only for Karen fans, since she does look especially attractive, in black eyeliner. Aside from this, there's little else to remark on.

Fifth-rate 1920s crime spree with Fabian Forte cast as real-life Prohibition-era crook John Ashley who, along with his girlfriend Laura and assorted pals, preceded even Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in the bank robbing field. Luke Moberly directs with a wink and a smile; he must have known this threadbare outing was no "Bonnie & Clyde", though he was clearly inspired by that film in visual terms, and his picture gets off to a decent start. However, with very green and inexperienced actors in front of the camera--and poor cinematography and sloppy editing going on behind it--the picture loses steam even before the halfway mark. Bill Walker's inappropriate score and some terrible quasi-period tunes on the soundtrack make the film unbearable to hear, much less to watch. It is inconceivable that rising star Karen Black, having already earned attention for her performances in "Easy Rider" and "Five Easy Pieces" (for which she was Oscar-nominated), should appear in such a low-rent production. Black and Forte are really the only cast members with legitimate acting experience (Forte had recently portrayed 'Pretty Boy' Floyd in 1970), yet their performances are just as lousy as everyone else's (like the script, perhaps they were simply confused as to how to proceed). The early scenes give hint that maybe Moberly was onto something with his approach, but he loses his footing quickly--and the movie doesn't so much crash and burn as it does disintegrate on impact. * from ****

This movie was based on an 80 page book "The Notorious Ashley Gang" 'A Saga of the King and Queen of the Everglades' by Hix C.Stuart, printed/copyright date 1928 by St.Lucie Printing Co, Inc. Stuart, Florida. Hix was my husband's grandfather who lived in the area at the time the Ashley Gang was most active. It amazes the heck out of me how they could have made this movie based on an 80 page book...but it was non-the less a fun opportunity for the Stuart families as well as many of the locals with the film being made. (I had to give the movie a '2' just to be kind... but what can you say, most of those stories about the gangs of the late 1800's & early 1900's were pretty much pieced together with speculations; things people would journal; and many handed down stories with a touch of glamor to make them entertaining)

"Little Laura and Big John" is an obviously low, low budgeted, and regional production that may not be based on the "Bonnie & Clyde" story, but certainly owes something of a debt to it. It actually tells the true story of the John Ashley gang, which terrorized the Florida countryside in the 1920s. Ashley (former singing idol Fabian Forte) is the charismatic ringleader, and beloved character actress Karen Black is "Little Laura", his sweetheart. They ultimately run afoul of a Sheriff (noted character actor Paul Gleason) who realizes that he will have to shut them down, but GOOD.

Taken on its own terms, "Little Laura and Big John" is an okay movie, no more. Fabian and Black won't make you forget Beatty and Dunaway anytime soon, but they do alright. (However, one might wish that Black were given a little more to do.) Directed by a man named Luke Moberly, and scripted by Moberly and Bob Woodburn, it doesn't overflow with filmmaking talent, but does get by thanks to its flavourful rural atmosphere. Moberly and company do whatever they can to recreate the period, with whatever limited means they had. The film actually begins with a narrated overview of criminal activity during this era, citing key players like Capone and Schultz, and the activities of people like Pretty Boy Floyd in the more rural areas. Then it segues into the story proper. The oddest element is that the character of Laura's mother (Ivy Thayer) does some of the narration, straight to the camera. An offbeat score and some silly but catchy songs are - how shall I put it? - interesting to hear. Some viewers may be pleased to note that the film is violent without being particularly gory. However, the storytelling can get awfully incoherent at times.

Not very many people in this cast have substantial acting experience, other than Black and Gleason. Even Fabian comes off as more professional than a lot of the locally selected thespians hired for the production. Still, this viewer will give some of them credit for at least being fairly spirited, in particular Ken Miller as goofy, upbeat Hanford.

While this viewer doesn't feel that the picture is nearly as worthless as some people make it out to be, there's really nothing all that great about it either.

Five out of 10.

My entertainment of this movie was laughing at it. I think the point when it really goes over the edge was when Fabian's eye patch actually switched from his one eye to his other eye and back again. I thought this was such an obvious mistake that I rewound and watched the one scene again. He is running on a dock when this happens. Sure enough his eye patch switched eyes with no explanation.

I watched this movie because it was on late night and it was free. And I was interested in seeing Karen Black and Fabian Forte in a movie together. So it was an okay movie for that type of watching. But if you really want to see a movie about lovers being outlaws. I would stick to Bonnie and Clyde with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.