Wealthy old coot Shugfoot Rainey wants to trade in his over-the-hill mistress for his young niece, “Baby Doll” Jonelle, a pouty-faced stripper from New Orleans. But Rainey’s mistress, Linda, has a surprise for both: according to Texas law, she’s Shugfoot’s COMMON LAW WIFE and has no intention of leaving quietly. Jonelle, however, is so eager to get her greedy mitts on Uncle Rainey’s loot that she ups the ante by having a moronic moonshiner put cyanide in Shugfoot’s whiskey! All of which lead to the two women eventually squaring off in a surprisingly violent showdown. With its small-town setting and hilariously rotten characters, Common Law Wife is an overripe slice of Southern sleaze courtesy of cult director Larry Buchanan, the outrageous auteur of Mars Needs Women!

Also included is the feature, “Jennie, Wife/Child,” a twenty-year-old is unhappily married to the way-too-old-for-her, Albert Peckingpaw. Jennie is so unhappy she puts the moves on Mario, the hunky hired hand. But when Albert realizes Jennie and Mario have been making’ bacon in the barn, he drugs them, chains them in the cellar, and digs their graves. Which is when Lulu Belle, the cheerful “town floozie,” unexpectedly pays Albert a visit. From the director of The Sadist and featuring music by Davie Allan and the Arrows, and photography by Vilmos Zsigmond (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Jennie, Wife/Child easily exudes the long-lost charms of an evening at a Carolina drive-in!

For thoughts on Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child make their domestic Blu-Ray debut thanks to Film Masters in collaboration with Something Weird with brand new 1080p masters in both their original aspect ratios. Both are derived from restorations of 35mm archival materials with additional 16mm elements to supplement some of the material in Common Law Wife. Jennie, Wife/Child is the more formidable of the two, but both transfers get the most out of their source allowing them to look better than they ever have. That being said, these are both lower-tier productions that have many source-related flaws intact.

These two releases are pretty similar to one another and will be discussed as a pair with any meaningful differences pointed out. The black-and-white photography looks nice in high definition with natural grain intact throughout. The grain field seems more coarse in Common Law Wife thanks to the blow-up of the 16mm material, but both transfers are resolved without significant disc-related issues. Print damage is prevalent in these presentations with plenty of nicks, scratches, and fluctuations making their way through the restoration process. There are obvious limitations to the source, but fans will appreciate the care taken to make them look presentable.

There are moments during each film when you will be surprised by the detail extracted from the image, but you should keep expectations low. There is some appreciable detail present with texture on the clothing and within the locations that serve as the setting. The contrast is okay but showcases more flicker and density fluctuation than we like to see. Black levels could be stronger but do not show major crush or compression artifacts. These films have been treated with more care than many ever imagined.

Audio Quality

These two films come with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track that brings these stories to life the best that they can. Given their vintage, these tracks do flow out with an expected amount of age-related wear and tear including some light crackles that likely trace back to the source elements. The music presents a baseline sense of fidelity, but you can tell it is a weaker source. The music plays well with the dialogue and other important information, but it does sound a little fragile at its highest peaks. Dialogue and background noises stay balanced with all competing elements. You can definitely tell these films have some age to them. Film Masters has done their best to provide the most stable track possible for these. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for all feature films and commentary tracks.

Special Features

Common Law Wife

Audio Commentaries: There are two commentary tracks provided that approach the film from a historical perspective along with a personal one from the director. Due to the nature of the production, a lot of information is not known, but there are some insights into the background of the creative figures involved, how it evolved out of two different productions, how this film fits into the exploitation subgenre, how it offered something different during the Pre-Code era, and more.

- Audio Commentary #1 (New): Film Historians Millie De Chirico and Ben Cheaves

- Audio Commentary #2 (Archival): Director Larry Buchanan and film historian Nathaniel Thompson

Restored 1963 Trailer: The disc provides the nearly three-minute restored trailer for Common Law Wife.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is provided featuring writing from Lisa Petrucci.

Jennie, Wife/Child

Audio Commentary: Film Historian Millie De Chirico provides a welcome commentary track in which she discusses the use of music to complement the narrative, the evolution of the title, the background of the performers, the film’s legacy, and more.

That’s Hicksploitation: A 51-minute documentary from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures is provided featuring insights from author and film historian C. Courtney Joyner that explores this subgenre in great detail. This is the most entertaining part of either disc.

New 2024 Trailer: The disc provides a two-minute 2024 trailer for Jennie, Wife/Child.

Final Thoughts

Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child are two schlocky productions from the Hicksploitation subgenre, and we will be charitable and say it is not a genre that appeals to us. Even trying to give it a fair shake, the filmmaking behind Common Law Wife, especially, is scattershot and unfulfilling. Jennie, Wife/Child at least put forth a passable effort with a greater level of filmmaking and narrative prowess, but it is not something we see ever watching again. If you do love this subgenre, Film Masters has released a Blu-Ray featuring a decent A/V presentation and terrific special features.

Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 25, 2024.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Film Masters has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.