Bonnie Parker was about 22 or so and died at 24. That said, her mother looked like an octogenarian. The casting for Bonnies mother could not have been worse. Why did they do this? This makes no sense to me. Bonnies mom should have been no more than mid 50s. This lady could have been Bonnies grand mother lmao.
shareAs the story goes, they chose the woman who played Bonnie's mom from a group of people who happened to be watching that scene being filmed. I don't know whether they had someone who was initially set to play her that didn't work out or what, but the one who ended up in that scene was just a local woman as far as I know. She was definitely too old to play Bonnie's mom, even taking into account that people tend to age quicker during the Depression. Not to mention the added stress of having a daughter who was absolutely determined to go down in a hail of bullets with her crazy boyfriend, and a legal system that was more than willing to make her dream come true. I think what creeped me out the most about the lady was her voice.
shareMaybe Bonnie's mom smoked. That will age your face very rapidly.
"It ain't dying I'm talking about, it's LIVING!"
Captain Augustus McCrae
Life was hard then, even before the Depression.
My Dad's family came from Kansas, and trust me, photographs of relatives from his side of the family look a good 20 years older than they were were, or more than that.
I think the woman who played the mother is ideally cast and her bit is one of the stand outs of the film.
I think she did a great job as Bonnie's mother and I was very surprised she was not a professional.
shareI thought she did a great job and was really believable. In the beginning when Clyde is describing Bonnie's life to her to her in the diner he says "Big family" like maybe she was the youngest of A LOT of siblings making her mother older + worn down. Throw in the Great Depression and alluded to failing health ... It didn't distract me at least.
shareBonnie was the middle of three children. Technically, she was the third child, but the oldest had died of crib death. Her brother Hubert (called Buster) was next (b. December 20, 1908), then Bonnie (b. October 1, 1910), and her little sister Billie Jean (b. December 16, 1912). Bonnie was around 4 when her father died, leaving her mom a struggling, single mother. They eventually had to move in with Bonnie's maternal grandparents.
Emma Parker was born on September 15, 1885, making her 25 when Bonnie was born. When Bonnie was killed on May 23, 1934, at age 23, Mrs. Parker was 48, and she did not look as ancient as her movie counterpart. She died on September 21, 1944, aged 59 years.
Emma (right) and Bonnie (left) at one of the family gatherings depicted in the movie:
http://image2.findagrave.com/photos/2003/17/6019215_1042912737.jpg
Emma and Bonnie's sister, Billie Jean:
http://www.babyfacenelsonjournal.com/uploads/3/8/2/4/3824310/2962638.j pg?293
Clyde was the one with the large family and elderly-looking parents. Cumie (b. November 21, 1874) and Henry Barrow (b. January 10, 1874) had 7 children between 1894 and 1918. Clyde was the 5th child (b. March 24, 1909), not "the baby of the family" as Buck states in the movie. Mr. and Mrs. Barrow were 60 and 59, respectively, when Clyde was killed alongside Bonnie but looked far older than their years.
Henry and Cumie Barrow shortly after Clyde's death:
http://texashideout.tripod.com/hencu.jpg
Cumie Barrow being carried into court during the Harboring Trial in 1935:
http://texashideout.tripod.com/assist.jpg
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