Caged (1950 film)
Encyclopedia
Caged is a 1950 film released by Warner Bros. It tells the story of a teenage newlywed, who is sent to prison for being an accessory to a robbery. Her experiences while incarcerated, along with the killing of her husband, change her from a very frightened young girl into a hardened convict.
The movie was adapted by Virginia Kellogg
from the story Women Without Men by Kellogg and Bernard C. Schoenfeld
. It was directed by John Cromwell
.
) named Marie Allen is sent to prison, after a botched armed robbery attempt with her equally young husband, Tom (who is killed). While receiving her prison physical, she finds out that she is two months pregnant. Despite the hardships she is put through under Matron Evelyn Harper (Hope Emerson
), she gives birth to a healthy baby and wants to "temporarily" grant full custody to her mother. The intent is to get the baby back after she is released. However, her mother informs Marie that her callous step-father has decided that under no circumstances will he allow the baby into his house, and she uses the excuses that she's "too old" and "hasn't a penny in [her] name" as reasons why she can't leave him and help Marie. The prison is forced to permanently give the child up for adoption. Marie never sees her baby again. After her exposure to hardened criminals and truly sadistic guards, by the end of the film she leaves prison a hardened woman with debts to the criminals who helped get her released from jail.
for Best Actress in a Leading Role
(Eleanor Parker
), Best Actress in a Supporting Role
(Hope Emerson
) and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.
The movie was adapted by Virginia Kellogg
Virginia Kellogg
Virginia Kellogg was a film writer whose scripts for White Heat and Caged were nominated for Oscars.At one time, she was married to director Frank Lloyd.-External links:...
from the story Women Without Men by Kellogg and Bernard C. Schoenfeld
Bernard C. Schoenfeld
Bernard C. Schoenfeld was a film screenwriter. He wrote for over twenty films and television series including Phantom Lady , The Dark Corner , Caged , Macao , and The Twilight Zone episode "From Agnes - with Love".-External links:...
. It was directed by John Cromwell
John Cromwell (director)
Elwood Dager Cromwell , known as John Cromwell, was an American film actor, director and producer.-Biography:...
.
Plot
A married 19-year-old (played by Eleanor ParkerEleanor Parker
Eleanor Jean Parker is an American screen actress. Her versatility led to her being dubbed Woman of a Thousand Faces, the title of her biography by Doug McClelland.- Early life :...
) named Marie Allen is sent to prison, after a botched armed robbery attempt with her equally young husband, Tom (who is killed). While receiving her prison physical, she finds out that she is two months pregnant. Despite the hardships she is put through under Matron Evelyn Harper (Hope Emerson
Hope Emerson
-Early life:Emerson was born in Hawarden, Iowa. Following her graduation from West High School in Des Moines in 1916, she moved to New York City where she performed in vaudeville.-Career:...
), she gives birth to a healthy baby and wants to "temporarily" grant full custody to her mother. The intent is to get the baby back after she is released. However, her mother informs Marie that her callous step-father has decided that under no circumstances will he allow the baby into his house, and she uses the excuses that she's "too old" and "hasn't a penny in [her] name" as reasons why she can't leave him and help Marie. The prison is forced to permanently give the child up for adoption. Marie never sees her baby again. After her exposure to hardened criminals and truly sadistic guards, by the end of the film she leaves prison a hardened woman with debts to the criminals who helped get her released from jail.
Awards
It was nominated for Academy AwardsAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Eleanor Parker
Eleanor Parker
Eleanor Jean Parker is an American screen actress. Her versatility led to her being dubbed Woman of a Thousand Faces, the title of her biography by Doug McClelland.- Early life :...
), Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
(Hope Emerson
Hope Emerson
-Early life:Emerson was born in Hawarden, Iowa. Following her graduation from West High School in Des Moines in 1916, she moved to New York City where she performed in vaudeville.-Career:...
) and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.
Cast
- Eleanor ParkerEleanor ParkerEleanor Jean Parker is an American screen actress. Her versatility led to her being dubbed Woman of a Thousand Faces, the title of her biography by Doug McClelland.- Early life :...
as Marie Allen - Agnes MooreheadAgnes MooreheadAgnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
as Ruth Benton - Ellen CorbyEllen CorbyEllen Corby was an American actress. She is most widely remembered for the role of "Grandma Esther Walton" on the CBS television series The Waltons, for which she won three Emmy Awards...
as Emma Barber - Hope EmersonHope Emerson-Early life:Emerson was born in Hawarden, Iowa. Following her graduation from West High School in Des Moines in 1916, she moved to New York City where she performed in vaudeville.-Career:...
as Evelyn Harper - Betty GardeBetty GardeKatharine Elizabeth "Betty" Garde was an American stage, radio, film, and television actress. She played Aunt Eller in the original Broadway production of Oklahoma!, but her long acting career also included film, radio, and television.The 5'10" Garde had a major role in the 1950 movie Caged as a...
as Kitty Stark - Sheila MacRaeSheila MacRaeSheila MacRae is an English actress and author. She was born Sheila Margaret Stephens. She appeared in such films as Pretty Baby , Caged , Backfire , and Sex and the Single Girl ....
as Helen - Jan SterlingJan SterlingJan Sterling was an American actress.Most active in films during the 1950s, Sterling received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The High and the Mighty , and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the same performance...
as Smoochie - Lee PatrickLee Patrick (actress)Lee Patrick was an American theater and film actress.-Early life and education:Born in New York City, Patrick began acting on Broadway in 1924. For more than a decade, she was constantly employed and established herself as a popular actress. She appeared in the original 1929 production of June...
as Elvira Powell - Jane Darwell as the Solitary Confinement Matron
- Gertrude W. Hoffmann (in a bit role as Millie, an elderly "lifer" who warns Marie to go straight)