The Louisiana Hussy (1959)

Touches You

Just what I expected

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Nan Peterson literally rolls onto the scene after a harrowing horseback escape while sporting a sweater with an M L monogram emblazoned across her sculpted torso, which she claims stands for Minette Lanier, never mind the association with Marie Laveau. Upon her rescue and transport to town by Peter Coe as Jacques Guillot, the story begins to suck you in like Cajun quicksand. Jacques and his brother Pierre, played by Robert Richards, get their stones rolling via the coquettish Minette, yet still manage to gather a lot of moss as apparently there's a market for that stuff somehow. Minette skinny dips, dances in her bra to radio rock n' roll and initiates petting parties like a 50's anti-heroine busting out of the constraints of squareness in a seething cauldron of southern fried crawdad stew. These characters are engaging and of course get involved in inevitable spurts of violence, yet the last thing you want to see is any of them hurt or killed, based on an empathy for the players that seems rare in movies these days. There is a plot twist that is logical and unexpected which seamlessly rolls into the main story line. Full spectrum black and white low end production values only enhance the southern Gothic mise en scene. Betty Lynn of Andy Griffith fame along with character actor Harry Lauter and some lesser known figures add some spice to the cinematic gumbo which goes down quite smoothly.

Sexy and duplicitous Minette (saucily played by the fetching Nan Peterson) is found unconscious in the swamp. She's taken to the home of newlywed Pierre Guillot (a likable portrayal by Robert Richards), whom Minette tries to make the moves on. After Pierre rebuffs her advances, Minette moves in with and seduces Pierre's brother Jacques (a solid performance by Peter Coe). Director Lee Sholem offers a flavorsome evocation of the down-home rural setting with a strong sense of the region and the people who populate it. Charles Lang's compact script covers the hicksploitation bases in a pleasing manner: An enticing and conniving no-count tramp antagonist, a gnarled old backwoods hag, a rousing dramatic conclusion, some mild titillation (Minette goes skinny-dipping at one point), and several rough'n'tumble fights between the two principal conflicting siblings. Moreover, the competent acting by the sturdy cast holds this picture together, with especially sound contributions from Betty Lynn as Pierre's sweet wife Lili, Harry Lauter as dissolute rich dude Clay Lanier, Tyler McVey as the easygoing Dr. J.B. Opie, and Howard Wright as amiable old-timer Cob. The crisp black and white cinematography by Tom and Vincent Saizis makes nice occasional use of wipes. A fun diversion.

This film, which has an intriguing story and good location photography, is one of the most inept productions I've ever seen. Nan Peterson makes Cleo Moore look like a great actress in the name role. She struts around in tight clothes chasing everything in pants. The male actors, whose names I forget, win the prize for possibly the worst acting ever in a sound film. The laughable fight scenes are choreographed so poorly it makes one long for the old Republic serials. The only decent acting job in this potboiler comes from Betty Lynn, known mostly today from her role as Barney's girl friend in The Andy Griffith Show. According to Wikipedia, this screen classic was released in April, 1959 which I find puzzling. One scene has our lovely heroine doing a sleazy twist, a dance which, I believe, was not popular in 1959. In the last sequence, the lovely Miss Peterson is seen seducing a passerby driving a 1961 model Cadillac. Perhaps this screen gem was re-issued in 1961 with a few new scenes inserted. Several love scenes are interpolated which are quite steamy for 1959 (61?). If you ever enjoyed the Cleo Moore-Hugo Haas epics from the same era, you will enjoy this. I began watching this streaming on You Tube, from the "Alpha Special Edition" and couldn't turn it off. My friend and I were howling with laughter during the first five minutes. "She's a bad woman-a nymphomaniac!"

I had to rate this movie a 7/10, because it is a highly entertaining bayou trash romp. The intermittent sex scenes are especially humorous, thanks to the director's and cast's attempts to push the censors' envelope of acceptability to the limit for '59. In fact, the characters' intertwined shadows sometimes get away with more than the characters themselves do! Then there's lots of fightin' and fussin' to keep you interested between the romantic interludes.We saw this on public TV's One Star Theatre a few years ago, and had a blast watching it. The lead "hussy" is completely unscrupulous and immoral, and she's played against nice, sweet Betty Lynn ('Thelma Lou' of Mayberry fame) to great effect. Enjoy this one for all it's worth, if you can find it!!