Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.0

Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 26, 2024

If you've ever wondered if there's a through line connecting Mae Marsh to Judy Canova to Ferlin Husky to Burt Reynolds (and who amongst us hasn't?), look no further than the rather convoluted but fascinating history of so-called "Hicksploitation" given by C. Courtney Joyner in a supplement included with the latest cult double feature from Film Masters. The actual films included in this set may admittedly come across as extremely low rent bus and truck versions of, say, Baby Doll , though in this case any perceived comedy is of the unintentional variety, and any provocative material probably tends to be a bit more on the sleazy side than the sort of literary imprimatur that a writer like Tennessee Williams could bring to the subject of so called child brides.

For reviews of the films in this set, please click on the following links:

Common Law Wife Blu-ray review

Jennie, Wife/Child Blu-ray review

Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Per their standard operating procedure, Film Masters has packaged these films as a double feature, with supplementary content that may not be exclusive to any individual film, so I'm including the complete supplemental package on both discs:

Disc One: Common Law Wife

• New Commentary with Millie De Chirico and Ben Cheaves is accessible under the Setup Menu.


• Archival Commentary with Larry Buchanan and Nathaniel Thompson is accessible under the Setup Menu.


• Restored 1963 Trailer for Common Law Wife (HD; 2:44)

Disc Two: Jennie, Wife/Child

• Commentary for Jennie, Wife/Child with Millie De Chirico is accessible under the Setup Menu.


• That's Hicksploitation! (HD; 50:30) is an interesting look at this peculiar subgenre with host C. Courtney Joyner. And, yes, I promise you'll get from Mae Marsh to Burt Reynolds faster than you might think.


• New 2024 Jennie, Wife/Child Trailer (HD; 2:06)

Additionally Film Masters provides a nicely appointed insert booklet with an essay by Lisa Petrucci.

Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a completely peculiar double feature that I frankly might have expected to come more from the likes of some label like the American Genre Film Archive. Film Masters has done a commendable job attempting to get these cult items into shape, and they've also provided some appealing supplements for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.