On Roger Corman's 1974 crime-sexploitation picture Big Bad Mama — directed by Steve Carver and starring Angie Dickinson opposite William Shatner and Tom Skerritt — an apparently small but telling on-set confrontation over privacy unfolded around the film's nude and sex scenes. Director Steve Carver later recounted that Dickinson, the established movie star playing Wilma McClatchie, was relaxed enough about the production's bawdy demands that she allowed the crew to remain on set during her love scene with Tom Skerritt. By contrast, William Shatner, who also filmed a sex sequence with Dickinson, insisted that all nonessential crew be cleared from the set. The anecdote highlights a classic clash of acting styles and star prerogative: Dickinson's professionalism and comfort within the often exploitative practices of 1970s low-budget filmmaking versus Shatner's stricter boundary-setting and concern for privacy.
Preparing the daily feature…
AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1970s
William Shatner Demanded an Empty Set During His Sex Scene on 1974's Big Bad Mama While Angie Dickinson Allowed Crew to Stay
Big Bad Mama (film) / William Shatner / Angie Dickinson / 1970s
On Roger Corman's 1974 crime-sexploitation picture Big Bad Mama — directed by Steve Carver and starring Angie Dickinson opposite William Shatner and Tom Skerritt — an apparently small but telling on-set confrontation over privacy unfolded around the film's nude and sex scenes. Director Steve Carver later recounted that Dickinson, the established movie star playing Wilma McClatchie, was relaxed enough about the production's bawdy demands that she allowed the crew to remain on set during her love scene with Tom Skerritt. By contrast, William Shatner, who also filmed a sex sequence with Dickinson, insisted that all nonessential crew be cleared from the set. The anecdote highlights a classic clash of acting styles and star prerogative: Dickinson's professionalism and comfort within the often exploitative practices of 1970s low-budget filmmaking versus Shatner's stricter boundary-setting and concern for privacy.
The daily feature is taking an intermission. There’s still an entire archive to explore.