Unchained (film)
Encyclopedia
Unchained is a 1955 prison
film based on the non-fiction
book Prisoners are People by Kenyon J. Scudder. The film is most remembered for its theme song, "Unchained Melody
", which was a #1 R&B hit for both Al Hibbler & Roy Hamilton in 1955, with Hibbler's version also reaching #3 on the Billboard Chart & also a #4 Pop hit for the Righteous Brothers in 1965.
The film was based on the career of Kenyon J. Scudder, former supervisor at Chino, as detailed in Scudder's book. Former football player Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch played the lead character, while other inmates were played by Chester Morris
and Jerry Paris
(later of The Dick Van Dyke Show
), among others. Others in the cast included Peggy Knudsen
and Barbara Hale
, who appeared as women visiting the prisoners. Jazz musician Dexter Gordon
has a small, uncredited role in the film, that of a saxophone
player in the prison jazz band. The film was shot at the correctional facility in Chino
, California
, where Gordon was then serving time for possession of heroin.
The film was originally released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 1955 and for a while was in the public domain
when the copyright
expired. The copyright was renewed in the 1980s by National Telefilm Associates
(who bought the film after initial release), the rights to the film are now owned by Paramount Pictures
through Republic Pictures
- theatrical rights are owned by Paramount themselves, while video rights have been licensed to Lions Gate Entertainment
, and TV rights to Trifecta Entertainment & Media
.
, or seeing his wife and family by escaping the prison. He is stopped from escaping by a black trustee inmate, who beats him up and drags him back to his cell to save him from himself.
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
film based on the non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book Prisoners are People by Kenyon J. Scudder. The film is most remembered for its theme song, "Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
", which was a #1 R&B hit for both Al Hibbler & Roy Hamilton in 1955, with Hibbler's version also reaching #3 on the Billboard Chart & also a #4 Pop hit for the Righteous Brothers in 1965.
The film was based on the career of Kenyon J. Scudder, former supervisor at Chino, as detailed in Scudder's book. Former football player Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch played the lead character, while other inmates were played by Chester Morris
Chester Morris
Chester Morris was an American actor, who starred in the Boston Blackie detective series of the 1940s.-Career:...
and Jerry Paris
Jerry Paris
Jerry Paris was an American actor and director best known for playing Jerry Helper, the dentist and next door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie, on The Dick Van Dyke Show.-Life and career:...
(later of The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
), among others. Others in the cast included Peggy Knudsen
Peggy Knudsen
Peggy Knudsen was an American character actress.-Biography:Born Margaret Ann Knudsen in Duluth, Minnesota, she made her Broadway debut in My Sister Eileen. She began her film career in 1946 in A Stolen Life opposite Bette Davis...
and Barbara Hale
Barbara Hale
Barbara Hale is an American actress best known for her role as legal secretary Della Street on more than 250 episodes of the long-running Perry Mason television series and later reprising the role in dozens of made-for-TV movies....
, who appeared as women visiting the prisoners. Jazz musician Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
has a small, uncredited role in the film, that of a saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player in the prison jazz band. The film was shot at the correctional facility in Chino
Chino
Chino is a Spanish proper word for "Chinese", also used informally to refer to people with Asian features who may not be actually Asian. Chino, in Spanish can colloquially refer to curly hair....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where Gordon was then serving time for possession of heroin.
The film was originally released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 1955 and for a while was in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
when the copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
expired. The copyright was renewed in the 1980s by National Telefilm Associates
National Telefilm Associates
National Telefilm Associates was an independent distribution company that handled reissues of American film libraries, including much of Paramount Pictures' animated and short-subjects library.-History:...
(who bought the film after initial release), the rights to the film are now owned by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
through Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
- theatrical rights are owned by Paramount themselves, while video rights have been licensed to Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
, and TV rights to Trifecta Entertainment & Media
Trifecta Entertainment & Media
Trifecta Entertainment & Media is an American entertainment company founded in 2006. The company's founders previously held jobs as executives at MGM Television. Trifecta is primarily a distribution company and also handles advertising sales in exchange for syndication deals with local television...
.
Plot synopsis
Steve Davitt is in a medium security prison and is struggling with two options: finishing his sentenceSentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
, or seeing his wife and family by escaping the prison. He is stopped from escaping by a black trustee inmate, who beats him up and drags him back to his cell to save him from himself.
Oscar nomination
- Best Music, Original Song: "Unchained Melody" - Music by Alex NorthAlex NorthAlex North was an American composer who wrote the first jazz-based film score and one of the first modernist scores written in Hollywood ....
; Lyrics by Hy ZaretHy ZaretHy Zaret was an American Tin Pan Alley lyricist and composer best known as the co-author of the 1955 hit "Unchained Melody", one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.-Biography:...