Upon its initial release,
The Revolt of Mamie Stover received mostly poor reviews. Criticism focused on the film's sanitizing of the novel's original content. The headline of the
Los Angeles Times review on the May 7, 1956 stated: "Mamie Stover's Revolt Suppressed by Censors".
Bosley Crowther of the
New York Times wrote a scathing review and made reference to the film's ad campaign which asked "Why Did Mamie Leave San Francisco?" His opening line of the review: "If you must know why Mamie Stover had to leave San Francisco, you'll have to ask someone other than this reviewer, who did not get the answer from the film..." Gossip columnist
Walter Winchell tried to soften the critical blows with a blurb in his syndicated column: "
The Revolt of Mamie Stover, considerably laundered from the book, is a more entertaining movie than the reviews indicated.
Richard Egan is a refreshing actor.
Jane Russell and
Agnes Moorehead are the other reasons it romps along."
Photoplay in its review gave it three out of four stars and wrote "Jane Russell does a spirited job in a story that has both corny and realistic aspects" concluding, "A couple of gay songs enliven the unsavory proceedings." Contemporary critics reappraised the film as a whole, its director and as well as Jane Russell's performance. Italian film historian Ermanno Comuzio wrote in 1982 "The story of this 'rebellious woman' is 'explosive.' Jane Russell perfectly incarnates an unusual female character with her fighter’s broad shoulders. She is the female equivalent of the implacable and conquering hero who wants to take the world in her fist...
The Revolt of Mamie Stover is an unconventional film, typical of Walsh’s last period, when he had even less patience with red tape and was more explicit in his speech, more focused on his filming, as well as the dismantling of the internal mechanisms of the more typical and standardised Hollywood filmmaking, and so of his own cinema." Filmmaker
Peter Bogdanovich wrote in 1965: "Very good...fascinating, ambiguously told story of a tough, flamboyant prostitute, her expulsion from San Francisco, her affair with a 'respectable' writer, her rise to wealth on the war in Hawaii. Very cleverly written and played to avoid the censors, but clear in its meanings and in Mamie’s lack of regeneration. Perfectly cast with Jane Russell, Richard Egan, directed with typical Walshian vigor and spirit; an amusing and devastating character study, with Russell staring at camera in the beginning (as opposed to the end as in Bergman’s
Monika), defying the viewer to judge her." Gary Tooze writing a review of the Blu-ray release of the film for DVDBeaver website "
The Revolt of Mamie Stover has adult themes, female empowerment, war and romance. It offers an impressive, tough girl, performance from Russell. I love the film's exotic look, extravagant costumes and mixed genres." ==Home media==