Prison Escapes
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- DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodPatrick McGoohanRoberts BlossomAlcatraz is the most secure prison of its time. It is believed that no one can ever escape from it, until three daring men make a possibly successful attempt at escaping from one of the most infamous prisons in the world.
- DirectorRobert BressonStarsFrançois LeterrierCharles Le ClaincheMaurice BeerblockA captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from a German prison in France.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsJames CagneyVirginia MayoEdmond O'BrienA psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsJames CagneyBarbara PaytonHelena CarterStarting with a violent prison break, clever, ruthless Ralph Cotter corrupts everyone around him.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsPaul MuniGlenda FarrellHelen VinsonWrongly convicted James Allen serves in the intolerable conditions of a Southern chain gang, which later comes back to haunt him.
- DirectorStanley KramerStarsTony CurtisSidney PoitierCara WilliamsTwo chained-together escaped convicts, White and Black, must learn to get along in order to elude capture.
- DirectorFrank BorzageStarsClark GableJoan CrawfordIan HunterConvicts escaping from Devil's Island come under the influence of a strange Christ-like figure (Ian Hunter).
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartClaude RainsMichèle MorganFive patriotic convicts are helped to escape imprisonment in Devil's Island so they can fight for occupied Free French forces against the Nazis.
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsSteve McQueenDustin HoffmanVictor JoryA French convict in the 1930s befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence in the South American penal colony on Devil's Island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.
- DirectorBuzz KulikStarsJim BrownGene HackmanMike KellinA riot in a state prison is staged to cover up an escape attempt, during which many inmates and guards are killed. Shot on location at Arizona State Prison.
- DirectorJacques BeckerStarsAndré BervilJean KeraudyMichel ConstantinDistrust and uncertainty arise when four long-term inmates cautiously induct a new prisoner into their elaborate prison-break scheme.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsBurt LancasterHume CronynCharles BickfordAt a tough penitentiary, prisoner Joe Collins plans to rebel against Captain Munsey, the power-mad chief guard.
- DirectorHoward W. KochStarsBroderick CrawfordRalph MeekerReed HadleyGerry Barker finds a lost boy whose rich father is extorted into paying a ransom for his return but the boy accidentally dies and Gerry goes to prison.
- DirectorLewis R. FosterStarsWilliam BendixArthur KennedyLuther AdlerThe survivors of a prison break set out on an arduous journey to retrieve some loot.
- DirectorCrane WilburStarsScott BradyJeff CoreyWhit BissellTwelve inmates plan a prison break from the Colorado State Penitentiary but one of them reluctantly joins the group.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsNeville BrandEmile MeyerFrank FaylenFed up with the inhumane prison living conditions, a general prison riot breaks out, leading to hostage-taking, a stand-off with the guards and eventual negotiations with the prison administration officials.
- DirectorCrane WilburStarsSteve CochranDavid BrianPhilip CareyAt California's Folsom Prison, escape attempts and riots are on the rise due to the old-school sadistic style of management of a brutal warden.
- DirectorHugo FregoneseStarsEdward G. RobinsonJean ParkerPeter GravesGangster Vincent Canelli and bank robber Peter Manning escape from Death Row minutes before their execution by electric chair.
- DirectorEdward L. CahnStarsCarole MathewsBeverly MichaelsPeggy KnudsenThe governor appoints lawyer Jeff Darrow to open an investigation on the reported cruelties inflicted on the inmates of the Bayou Reformatory For Women. The investigation is opposed by Mrs. Ballard, head of the prison, whose moronic brother, Cletus, is keeper of the prison bloodhounds. Nora Collins, once engaged to Jeff, but now an inmate because she had stolen to protect her brother, is resentful of prison methods and particularly bitter against the sadistic methods of a brutal prison guard named Darcy. Honey Blake and Kate unsuccessfully try to use Cletus in an escape attempt. But they try a second escape using Jeff, Nora and Mrs. Ballard as hostages. Mabry, Kate's gangland lover, hears of the escape and knowing she will go where she had hidden $50,000 gets there ahead of her.
- DirectorElmo WilliamsStarsBeverly MichaelsJim DavisJoan RiceU.S. State Department agent Kent Foster, on the trail of a murderous traitor, Nick Randall, hopes to trap Randall through singer/stripper Angela Booth. The latter has promised to marry Randall on New Year's Eve even though she is not to see him until then. However, she lands in prison after a quarrel with influential Julius Lord, during which she defended herself with a broken mirror. Foster arranges for her escape with the aid of "Granny" Ramsey in hope that she will lead him to Randall. The plan is snarled when another girl prisoner with her infant joins the escape and Angel slips away. She manages to meet Randall, and, when he slaps her, she realizes that all she has heard about him is true.
- DirectorSidney HayersStarsLee PattersonConrad PhillipsEwen SolonServing a jail sentence for a crime he didn't commit, Paul Langley makes several attempts to escape from prison, in order to clear his name. He also has other problems, his wife is about to go into labor with their first baby.
- DirectorMontgomery TullyStarsTerence LongdonJennifer JayneHarry FowlerA prisoner transport bus hijacked to free one inmate. Other prisoners locked in petrol-soaked barn, warned not to escape. Police find freed prisoner dead in crash, race to find bus and prisoners before barn catches fire.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsDennis O'KeefeClaire TrevorMarsha HuntJoe Sullivan (Dennis O'Keefe) has taken the rap for Rick (Raymond Burr), who double-crosses him with a flawed escape plan and other means intended to get rid of him.
- DirectorAlfred RoomeStarsJack WarnerJane HyltonGeorge ColeWar hero George Martin escapes prison handcuffed to crook Willie Stannard. They obtain railway tickets. Pursued by police and press, George aims to break free from Willie and escape.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsRex HarrisonPeggy CumminsWilliam HartnellA convict sentenced to three years for killing a detective escapes from a prison and goes on the run aided by a local girl.
- DirectorFrancis SearleStarsPeter ReynoldsAvice LandoneDavid KernanA family of burglars and safecrackers plan a heist at a jewelry store. When one of the family--who is the safecracking expert--gets arrested and jailed, they hatch a plan to break him out so he can take part in the robbery.
- DirectorWalter ColmesStarsJohn SheltonAnn DoranGuinn 'Big Boy' WilliamsIn 1929, middle-class bank clerk Eddie Clark, unhappy with his lot in life and jealous of prosperous George Bates, an ex-suitor of his loyal wife Agnes, steals $200,000 from his bank, with intentions of he and Agnes being in Mexico before the theft is discovered. Agnes tries to persuade him to return the money to no avail. He is caught and sent to prison without revealing the hidden location of the loot, figuring to get it and live in luxury when his ten-year term is over. His case has received much publicity and nearly every inmate in the prison attempts to wrest the information from him. Gangsters on the outside arrange with convicts Clyde Sutter and Butch McQuinn to get the secret from him. Agnes, who has taken a waitress job in a nearby city, is also trying to find the money with the intention of returning it and getting Eddie a reduced sentence. Sutter's plan is to involve Eddie in a prison break and turn him over to the gangsters on the outside. Butch is shot during the break, and Eddie is the only one to escape. He meets Agnes in an old warehouse but she has been trailed by gangsters Kelvin and Benson. They beat him up but his life is saved by the arrival of the state police. He is returned to prison with an additional five years added to his sentence. He is released in 1947 and makes his way to the money's hiding place - a cemetery plot he had bought in 1929.
- DirectorLaurence HarveyStarsLaurence HarveySarah MilesRobert Walker Jr.A bank robber is sentenced to prison for committing a murder during the robbery. His brother comes up with a plan to break him out of prison--but on the condition that his brother's girlfriend "date" him first.
- DirectorPhilip FordStarsDon 'Red' BarryJanet MartinWilliam PhippsA group of prisoners being transported by train to Alcatraz prison plot an escape.
- DirectorGeorge W. HillWard WingStarsChester MorrisWallace BeeryLewis StoneA convict falls in love with his new cellmate's sister, only to become embroiled in a planned break-out which is certain to have lethal consequences.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsWalter HustonPhillips HolmesConstance CummingsAfter a failed attempt at running for governor, D.A. Mark Brady is appointed warden of the state prison where many of the criminals he prosecuted are incarcerated.
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanGeorge KennedyStrother MartinA laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsSpencer TracyClaire LuceWarren HymerWhen paroled trustee Steve and former inmate Judy who try to put their criminal lives behind them are blackmailed, two career criminals come to their rescue.
- DirectorArthur LubinStarsBarton MacLaneGlenda FarrellPaul HurstJoaquin Shannon arrives home from a cruise on his fishing boat. His first mate, Charles Nelson, is to marry Shannon's sister the next day. Nelson gets drunk and Shannon finds him near the unconscious body of a man that he, Shannon, had been fighting with previously. The man dies and Shannon takes the blame and goes to prison. There he gets into trouble instigated by "Big Red" Kincaid and is denied a parole. He stops a prison break and get a parole. Not able to get work, he takes a job with a former convict on a fishing boat. Kincaid, who has shot a guard and escaped and vowing vengeance on Shannon, shows up.
- DirectorGordon WilesStarsFred KeatingDorothy ComingoreClarence MuseFrankie Terris and Mannie Robbins are the two most powerful gangsters in their city. Frankie has a young sister, Louise, whom he has kept at a boarding school away from the stench of his racketeering. Mannie's young son, Joe, is also ignorant of his father's profession. Louise and Joe meet, and Joe tries to make love to her. Frankie interrupts and, in a fight that follows, kills Joe. Mannie vows to get Frankie. The latter, sentenced to Alcatraz, fears for Louise's safety and makes her promise to take a trip abroad. Louise learns that Mannie plans to shoot Frankie on the train taking him to prison, and she stows away in hopes of warning her brother. On the train, she falls into the protective arms of Federal Agent Bill Adams. Before she has a chance to warn Frankie, Mannie's henchmen go to work and a gangland shootout ensues.
- DirectorTom CleggStarsRoger DaltreyAdam FaithCheryl CampbellJohn McVicar was a notorious London criminal known as "Public Enemy No. 1" for armed bank robberies. He was captured and imprisoned in a high security facility, but continued attempting escapes.
- DirectorSidney PoitierStarsGene WilderRichard PryorGeorg Stanford BrownSet up and wrongfully accused, two best friends are sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit. However, no prison cell can keep them locked in a cage.
- DirectorWilliam NighStarsCharles BickfordBarton MacLanePat MoriarityA young man forges a check in order to help his mother, but is caught and sentenced to 14 years in prison. The prison chaplain, seeing that the new arrival is a good man who's had some bad luck, sets out to help keep him out of trouble so he can serve his sentence and get out. However, his cellmate, a hardened con, sees the chaplain's interest in the young convict as something he can use in his planned jailbreak.
- DirectorJames ParrottStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyJune MarloweTwo guys end up in prison after attempting to sell beer to a policeman during Prohibition.
- DirectorFred F. SearsStarsJohnny DesmondMerry AndersRichard DevonAn escaped convict decides to quit running and turn himself and his fellow escapee in to the authorities - but not without complications.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsEdward NorrisJoan WoodburyJack La RuePlayboy Johnny Gray is framed and sent to prison after his stolen car is found at a holdup committed by Rico, and while the latter is not suspected, his henchman Harry, Creeper and Red are convicted with Johnny. Stung by the injustice, when even his fiancée believes him guilty, Johnny becomes an unruly prisoner and is put in a cell with Cain, head of the prison gang planning a break. The new warden, Frank Sanders, wins Johnny over by changing his cell mate and giving him a chance to work in the prison gardens. Here, he meets Amy Duncan, daughter of prison guard Duncan. In an failed escaped, engineered from the outside by Rico, who is killed, one of Rico's men confesses that Johnny is innocent.
- DirectorNick GrindeStarsBarton MacLaneJune TravisCraig ReynoldsEx-racketeer slugs a cop and goes to prison to keep from being involved in crime again. On the day of his parole, his plans are dashed. It's up to a brash newspaper reporter to figure out what happened.
- DirectorWalter DonigerStarsLouis HaywardJoanne DruPaul KellyA group of prisoners are planning an escape. They take hostages. Warden Duffy tries to convince one of the inmates that their plight is useless, and to give up.
- DirectorR.G. SpringsteenStarsGene EvansRobert BlakeTimothy CareyGannon is an imprisoned racketeer kingpin who tries to manipulate his young cell mate into staging a riot and prison break, but the cell mate tries to back out when he realizes other inmates may be killed in the process.
- DirectorBill KarnStarsMyron HealeyDon C. HarveySam EdwardsHardened criminal repeatedly breaks out of Oregon State Prison, eluding police for prolonged periods afterwards.
- DirectorMontgomery TullyStarsJack WarnerRichard AttenboroughDirk BogardeA slice of life in a British Borstal reform institution for young criminals.
- DirectorNobuo NakagawaStarsMiyuki TakakuraTatsuo TerashimaYôichi NumataRich industrialist Imai wishes to marry his elder daughter Kyoko off to Aoki, who he sees as the ideal candidate to take over his business. Kyoko, however, prefers the rugged but poor Soichi to Aoki's goody-two-shoes.
- DirectorPeter Graham ScottStarsLee PattersonHazel CourtWilliam LucasA government official arranges prison breaks as a sideline, but the police steps in and his gang is caught.
- DirectorSamuel BischoffStarsHoward PhillipsPreston FosterGeorge E. StoneAn innocent man sentenced to death gets caught up in a prison riot.
- DirectorJ. Walter RubenStarsJean HarlowSpencer TracyUna MerkelFisherman Dutch marries cannery worker Hattie and quits his poorly paid job to concentrate on getting better working conditions as union leader. Unfortunately, the union members disagree with Dutch's ideas and kick him out. Without a job or union card to get another, he leaves Hattie to look for work. Hattiee steals money to help him when she learns he is really down on his luck and she goes to jail. He gets a new job, foils a plot to dynamite the ship, and promises to wait for Hattie.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsDorothy LamourJon HallMary AstorA Polynesian sailor unjustly imprisoned after defending himself against a colonial bully is relentlessly persecuted by his island's martinet French governor.
- DirectorEdward F. ClineBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonSybil SeelyJoe RobertsA young golfer is mugged by an escaped convict and finds himself in a prison where he foils a jailbreak.
- DirectorCompton BennettStarsDirk BogardeMai ZetterlingPhilip FriendSimon Van Halder (Sir Dirk Bogarde) is accused of murdering a British soldier during post-World War II mayhem. His girlfriend works on his behalf to expose the true villain.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsSpencer TracyBette DavisArthur ByronBrash hoodlum Tom Connors enters Sing Sing cocksure of himself and disrespectful toward authority, but his tough but compassionate warden changes him.
- DirectorRobert LynnStarsSabine SesselmannWilliam SylvesterHermione BaddeleyThey set a trap for each other... from which only one could escape!
- DirectorAnatole LitvakStarsJohn GarfieldAnn SheridanPat O'BrienAn arrogant mobster, sentenced to a long prison term in Sing Sing, becomes a changed man when given a chance by the fair and progressive warden.
- DirectorHoward W. KochStarsMickey RooneyFrank OvertonMichael ConstantineA prison break is attempted the same night an execution occurs on death row.
- DirectorMarino GirolamiStarsMaria MontezMassimo SeratoHans SöhnkerPeriod crime drama: The King in Rome sends an official to Naples to break up the Camorra, the powerful group running things behind the scenes, currently they are hunting the man who killed one of their members.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsSpencer TracyGladys GeorgeFranchot ToneA World War I veteran who married the girlfriend of his presumed-dead war buddy falls into the racketeering business.
- DirectorPeter GodfreyStarsDavid BrianMarjorie ReynoldsJohn ArcherEscaping from a Canadian prison farm, master thief Gerard Dennis (David Brian) makes his way to Buffalo with Peggy Arthur (Perdita Chandler), who supplies him with money needed for forged papers. Dennis, Peggy and a crooked bartender in a Buffalo hotel pull a robbery in which Dennis is almost caught, but he escapes to find his accomplices have deserted him. Later, confronting them, he is badly beaten and is taken to a hospital where he meets nurse Martha Rollins (Marjorie Reynolds), who falls in love with him. They go to New Rochelle where he is wounded attempting another robbery. Martha performs the necessary surgery, believing that he will give up his life of crime. When she finds him in New York with another girl, Martha gives the police his picture and hideout location, but he escapes the police trap. He flees to Los Angeles where he meets wealthy divorcee Mrs. Arthur Vinson (Jacqueline De Wit), whose confidence he wins in order to systematically rob her society friends' jewels.
- DirectorArchie MayoStarsLew AyresJames CagneyDorothy MathewsDespite his efforts to go straight, a young gangster keeps falling back into crime.
- DirectorRobert S. BakerStarsPatrick HoltSandra DorneSonia HolmA cop robs a store to go undercover in a gang. In prison he meets a member and escapes. Now inside, he identifies the boss and thieves, but not the informant. As a big heist nears, the cop is distracted by the boss's girlfriend.
- DirectorJames FloodStarsFredric MarchMiriam HopkinsGeorge RaftA professor tires of the direction his life is going and wants to move west, but his girlfriend doesn't understand why he is so dissatisfied.
- DirectorHugo FregoneseStarsMillard MitchellGilbert RolandJohn BealA psychologist pioneers a research study at a prison. He seeks the help of six savvy inmates including a safe-cracker, a mobster, a pair of armed robbers and psychopath. Could he trust them? What's in it for them?
- DirectorNoel M. SmithStarsJane WymanAllen JenkinsTom KennedyTorchy Blane and Steve McBride try to nab a gangster by tracking his moll.
- DirectorBenjamin StoloffStarsLewis StoneJames GleasonBruce CabotA conscientious attorney who is a member of the State Parole Board, finds his own son, using an alias, up for parole and makes the decision to cast the approving vote. This turns out to cause many problems for the family while on vacation.
- DirectorLew LandersStarsWarner BaxterOnslow StevensKarin BoothRoger Manners (Warner Baxter), a former aircraft manufacturer is wrongly accused and convicted of embezzlement of $400,000 and is given a long prison sentence. There he must decide rather or not to get involved in a prison break, or stay there while his wife, Shirley (Karin Booth), can prove his innocence by playing at romance with the real culprit. More stock footage and narration than dialogue.
- DirectorWilliam C. McGannStarsJane BryanRonald ReaganAnthony AverillA dizzy young girl falls into crime but wins her lawyer's heart.
- DirectorMark SandrichStarsCharles FarrellWynne GibsonWilliam GarganWhen Aggie's boyfriend Red is sent to jail, she meets a mild-mannered man and decides to turn him into a real man.
- DirectorHoward BrethertonWilliam KeighleyStarsBarbara StanwyckPreston FosterLyle TalbotAttractive Nan, member of a bank-robbery gang, goes to prison thanks to evangelist Dave Slade...who loves her.
- DirectorWilliam C. McGannStarsBrenda MarshallArthur KennedyWilliam LundiganClaire Foster (Brenda Marshall) discovers that her respectable-businessman husband George Foster (Arthur Kennedy) isn't respectable and isn't a businessman, but a gunman in this remake-version of "Heat Lightning".
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsJames CraigBonita GranvilleFrank JenksAfter Pearl Harbor, convicts at Alcatraz prison live in fear of bomb attacks, driving Champ Larkin and his pal Jimbo to a desperate escape attempt which lands them on a tiny lighthouse island, where they take over. The five inhabitants are stymied in their efforts to summon aid. But the island also figures in the schemes of a big Nazi spy ring; which will win out, the gangsters' greed or their patriotism?
- DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsArthur KennedyJoan PerryJonathan HaleIn a pre-arranged set-up, a cop strikes his police-chief, is fired and infiltrates the mob but when the police-chief is murdered, the ex-cop is unable to prove his innocence and is left-out in the cold, on the wrong side of the law.
- DirectorEdward BuzzellRichard RossonStarsRobert SterlingCharles WinningerDonna ReedA G-man is sent to prison to befriend a suspected robbery ringleader and then helps him break out to gain his confidence.
- DirectorRobert FloreyStarsPreston FosterVictor McLaglenLois AndrewsIn 1931, Captain Steven Warren, the chief investigator for the Chicago District Attorney's office, tries to arrest the henchmen of notorious gangster and bootlegger Roger Touhy for a series of crimes, but the frightened witnesses refuse to cooperate. Warren releases Touhy's cohorts--Herman "Owl" Banghart, Bernard "Troubles" O'Connor, Icebox Hamilton, Maxie Sharkey and Thomas J. "Smoke" Reardon--from custody but vows to pursue them. In Dec 1933, after Prohibition is repealed, Touhy decides to go "straight" because he is tired of pressure from Warren and the police. Needing money to buy a brewery, Touhy asks businessman Joseph P. Sutton to repay the $200,000 that he owes him. Although Sutton has the money, he claims that he does not, and his partner, Edward Latham, advises him to stall Touhy. Fed up with waiting, Touhy and his men kidnap Sutton and eventually collect $70,000 ransom from Latham. After Sutton is released, Warren pressures him to identify Touhy's gang as the kidnappers, and the reluctant businessman finally does so, although he does not reveal his prior connections to Touhy. While Touhy and his men are leaving the area, they are involved in a minor automobile accident that leads to their arrest. During their trial, Smoke testifies against Touhy and the others, who are found guilty and sent to serve ninety-nine-year sentences in the Stateville Peniteniary at Joliet, Illinois. Touhy is infuriated by Smoke's betrayal, and as the next eight years pass, continually tries to obtain a new trial. Smoke, who has been in hiding, is caught by some of Touhy's followers on the outside and framed for a crime he did not commit. Smoke is then sent to the penitentiary, and after being terrorized by Touhy, agrees to recant his testimony and help to free the gang. Smoke is killed by another prisoner before he can talk, however, and a desperate Touhy plans to escape from the prison. With the help of a prison guard, Touhy and his cellmate, George Carroll, escape along with Owl, Troubles, Icebox, Maxie and Rowden, another prisoner. Because the United States is now involved in the war, Touhy knows that the men will be arrested if they are caught without draft cards, and so orders Carroll and Rowden to rob unsuspecting citizens of their cards. The Federal Bureau of Investigation then takes over the case, as Touhy and his men have violated the Selective Service Act, first by not notifying the draft board of their "change of address," and then through their theft of the draft cards. Maxie's drunken carelessness causes Touhy to beat him viciously, and after Maxie and Icebox leave the gang, Icebox is arrested and informs the police of Touhy's whereabouts. Soon after, Rowden and Carroll are killed when F.B.I. agents attempt to apprehend them. Working with Warren, the F.B.I. then surrounds the apartment where Touhy, Troubles and Owl are living, and Owl convinces Touhy to surrender quietly, telling him that it is now time to pay for being on top for so long. Touhy and his men are then returned to Joliet.
- DirectorLew LandersStarsSally EilersLouis HaywardAnne ShirleyShoplifter Linda Wilson doesn't care much for life inside or outside jail until she starts a relationship with prison psychiatrist Philip Duncan. When the Warden asks her to break off the affair rather than jeopodise Duncan's career as husband of a felon she reacts by joining a jail-break that turns into a riot.
- DirectorLouis KingStarsDonald WoodsKay LinakerCarlyle Moore Jr.Jim Larrabie and Bob Gordon, two reporters, are sent to prison on bogus charges after exposing the corrupt practices of J.W. Moett and Dudley. The two suffer extreme cruelty due to the sadistic behavior of the warden and guards.
- DirectorRalph InceStarsRalph IncePat FitzpatrickBasil GillWhen a convict discovers that his son is about to be kidnapped by his former gang members, he breaks out of jail to try to save him.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsJ. Anthony HughesEleanor StewartDick CurtisA crooked deputy warden at San Quentin Penitentiary tries to frame a sergeant of the guards, Jack Holden, for the killing of a guard and a prisoner during a jailbreak.
- DirectorGeorge MarshallOtto PremingerStarsVictor McLaglenWalter ConnollyPeter LorreAfter being in jail for seventeen years a crook is met by the girl he kidnapped as a baby. She now thinks he's her father. When he returns her to her real father there's a job and a reward, but an old prisonmate gets in the way.
- DirectorJames CruzeStarsHenry WilcoxonMarian MarshBernadene HayesA state prison is threatened by approaching floods, an epidemic of typhoid fever breaks out among the inmates, the prison's only doctor falls sick, there are only three nurses to administer vaccines and take care of stricken patients--and a group of prisoners is planning to use the chaos as a cover for a mass escape.
- DirectorWesley RugglesStarsRonald ColmanAnn HardingLouis WolheimSuave thief Colman is sent to Devil's Island, where he becomes romantically involved with the wife of sadistic warden Digges.
- DirectorSeth HoltBasil DeardenStarsGeorge NaderMaggie SmithBernard LeeIn London, a Canadian serving prison time for grand theft escapes prison and attempts to retrieve his loot, kept in a bank safety deposit box, but his accomplice takes the security key while he only has the pass code.
- DirectorRoger CormanStarsMarie WindsorCarole MathewsBeverly GarlandAn undercover policewoman helps three female convicts escape from prison so that they can lead her to a stash of stolen diamonds hidden in a swamp.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsOnslow StevensDorothy TreeJack La RueAssistant District Attorney Jeffery Powell has just sent an innocent man to prison for the murder of a gambler. Powell is in love with, Marion Courtney, but he's unaware that Marion is the sister of the innocent man he sent to prison. Marion gets herself committed to a women's prison to get proof from inmate, Evelyn 'Duchess' Thane, that her brother is innocent. Powell learns of Marion's plight and believes she's in love with the man he sent to prison...
- DirectorGeorge B. SeitzStarsJean ParkerRobert YoungTed HealyThree ex-cons help save a mother and daughter's shrimp business from wicked slavers.
- DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsTod AndrewsJulie BishopRegis ToomeyA newspaperman out to get the goods on a crooked politician winds up in jail, framed for a killing he didn't commit. He and another prisoner attempt an escape, but although the newspaperman gets away, his colleague is caught and returned to jail. Years later, the convict gets out of prison and winds up in the same town where his former cellmate is now a respected citizen and attempts to blackmail him.
- DirectorSeymour FriedmanStarsWarner BaxterAnna LeeHarlan WardeVictor Burnell (Warner Baxter) is a public health official who is appointed warden, by the state governor (Charles Evans), of a state prison badly in need of reforms. In the process of implementing his program, he learns that is wife is having an affair with convict Albert Gardner (Harlan Warde), a convicted forger who is also his wife's good-time-earned chauffeur.
- DirectorTerry O. MorseStarsRonald ReaganMargot StevensonEddie Foy Jr.T-Man Brass Bancroft goes undercover in a prison which has a secret counterfeit operation set up in the print shop.
- DirectorH. Bruce HumberstoneStarsThomas MitchellMary AndersonEdward RyanMichael Howland, a stern hanging judge, is assigned to take over a chaotic prison. There, Michael imposes a strict regime of discipline on the inmates. He is similarly rigid and harsh with his own two children Tommie and Anne. However, his son eventually ends up incarcerated in his father's prison.
- DirectorAlbert S. RogellStarsVictor JoryFlorence RiceNorman FosterJohanna Harrington waits eagerly at her cottage on the edge of the jungle that flanks the Devil's Island penal colony for the arrival of her father Steve Garrington, her sweetheart Dario, and Andre Dion, an innocent convict. The three had made good their escape several day before. Andre arrives first with news that her father had been killed. He falls in love with Johanna and is in her arms several days later when Dario arrives. Furious, Dario turns Andre back into the jungle only to learn that it is he that Johanna really loves.
- DirectorStuart E. McGowanEdward MontagneStarsTim ConwayChuck McCannJoe DorseySmall-town deputy is ordered by the governer to go undercover, posing as a criminal, in a maximum security prison. Shortly after his mission begins, the governor dies, leaving him and his partner stranded in jail.
- DirectorCharles MartinStarsDana WynterRaymond St. JacquesKevin McCarthyAn escaped convict goes to a small town to clear his name; to pull off his plan, he becomes part of a murder plot.
- DirectorGeorge ArchainbaudStarsLynne RobertsVirginia ChristineMarion MartinA college professor's well-bred daughter assumes the name of Jeanne Crail to date Earl Williams, a slick con artist who frames her for robbery. Rather than have her father find out about her plight, Jeanne confesses to the crime. Believing she is covering for a known criminal, the district attorney has Jeanne sent to a tough women's prison, where she comes to know fellow inmates Bernice, who pines for Smiley, her boyfriend on the outside; and Alma Vlasek, who awaits her execution for mistakenly killing a detective while lying in wait for her husband and his girlfriend. Jeanne tries to mail a letter to her father through the prison doctor, Gale Warren, but Warren refuses to go against regulations. Desperate, Jeanne breaks out of jail to be present at her father's induction ceremony as college president. Jeanne spends two days with her father and her attorney boyfriend Barton Sturgis before secretly returning to prison. Before she goes back, however, she manages to arrange to have letters sent to her father at regular intervals from a post office outside the prison. Upon her return to prison, Jeanne is punished for her escape, rousing the sympathy of Bernice, who finds out Bart's name and sends him a letter asking him to help Jeanne. Bart, who has been suspicious of Jeanne's abrupt disappearance, is confused by the letter, as he does not know who "Jeanne" is. Nevertheless he investigates and comes to the prison. In the meantime, when Smiley visits the prison and pays unwanted attention to Jeanne, Bernice is overcome with jealousy. She attacks Jeanne with a knife, which is later hidden from the matron, and Jeanne is accused of starting the altercation. Placed in solitary confinement, Jeanne is grilled about the whereabouts of the knife, while Bart meets with Dr. Warren to plead for help. Alma then discovers that Bernice is her husband's girl friend and kills her with the knife. Alma clears Jeanne of any involvement in the earlier knife fight, and with Bart's help, Jeanne is ultimately vindicated and freed.
- DirectorReginald Le BorgStarsJoe Kirkwood Jr.James GleasonLois HallJoe is witness to a mob killing. Two of the killers are after him. He is drugged before the big fight which is watched on TV by his manager Knobby and the thugs who are holding Knobby hostage.
- DirectorGeorge BlairStarsRobert RockwellBarbra FullerRaymond BurrRoger Lewis, publisher of a vicious scandal sheet, is in the habit of tricking wealthy, gullible women into investing in his ventures. His latest conquest is a shapely ex-showgirl, Doris King, the wife of Harry Jackson, once a top-flight producer. Jackson has lost all his money, but Doris still has her jewels, and she wants to divorce her husband and marry Lewis, who has no intentions of marrying her once he gets his hands on her (money) jewels. Jackson, concerned about Doris' happiness and wanting to prevent her from ruining her life, takes the jewels. Then he becomes involved in a fight with Lewis, who takes his revenge by killing Doris and pinning suspicion on Jackson. Jackson goes into hiding and falls prey to a small-time crook, "Biggie" Wolfe, who is secretly in the pay of Lewis. Wolfe wants to sell the jewelry and keep the proceeds for himself, telling Jackson the money will serve to get him the services of a good lawyer, but Lewis wants Jackson found with the jewels on him, and he orders "Biggie" to return them. MEABWHILE, Jackson's daughter, Linda, instigates a police search for her father and Detective Lt. Jim Webster and his assistant Newcombe bring so much pressure on Jackson that he commits suicide. This lets "Biggie" off the hook reference returning the jewels and he looks up gangster Johnny Rocco, who does business at the place of an old Long Island sea-dog, "Pop" Swenson, and Rocco offers to buy the jewels IF "Biggie" will arrange a border-crossing for his brother Mort, who is set to break out of the state penitentiary. Lewis wrings this information out of "Biggie" and takes it to District Attorney George Richards, who warns the prison officials and Mort is killed in the attempted jail break. Rocco learns the source of the leak, is somewhat miffed at "Big-Mouth Biggie", takes him for a ride, comes back alone and hatches a plot to get Lewis.
- DirectorLance ComfortStarsTony BrittonWilliam LucasEddie ByrneA dangerous prisoner, Jacko Thomas, overpowers his police guard and jumps from a speeding train in the Dartmoor countryside. In the ensuing fight Jacko kills the guard and makes his way to a secluded hotel on the moors where Tredgar is being paid to arrange a safe transit for Jacko and his sister Jean. But Jean as no idea of Jacko's murderous character, and when an ex-policeman and a famous novelist book into the isolated hotel, the scene is set for a series of murders and a shocking climax.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsLouise PlattDonald WoodsWynne GibsonA young woman is sentenced to prison for a murder she didn't commit. Her stepmother's gangster friends break her out, but it turns out that her problems are only beginning.
- DirectorWalter DonigerStarsPaul KellyMaureen O'SullivanWalter SlezakWarden Clinton T. Duffy of San Quentin penitentiary introduces three short stories about prison life: Prisoner Billy Brenner, a gourmet, is dismayed to discover that Louis, the prison's head chef, is about to be paroled and offers him two hundred dollars a week to stay. However, Louis leaves and obtains a position as chef at a high-class restaurant where his girl friend Marie also works. One evening, a very particular customer visits the restaurant and Louis suggests a special dinner. When the customer is not totally pleased with the first course, Louis, who has a problem controlling his temper, manages to remain calm. After another course is rejected, Louis presents his coq-au-vin specialty whereupon the customer brings out a bottle of ketchup and slathers it over the dish. This enrages Louis, who then smashes a plate over the customer's head, thereby breaking not only the plate, but also the conditions of his parole. After Louis is returned to the prison, his assistant Solly tells him that a week before the incident in the restaurant occurred, he had heard that Louis would be coming back. Louis realizes that he has been framed by Brenner and his pals and deliberately prepares inedible meals for them. Meanwhile, Mrs. Duffy discovers that the restaurant customer was an ex-con and confidence man named Gilbert Lee, alias "Phil the Hook," and tells her husband. Fed up with the poor food, a number of the convicts tell Louis that Brenner planned the whole thing. Louis then threatens Brenner with a meat cleaver and forces him to eat rice pudding covered with ketchup. Later, after Duffy informs Louis that his parole has been reinstated, he hands his chef's hat to Solly and leaves to meet Marie, as Lee joins the prisoners' ranks. Warden Duffy's second story concerns an attempted prison break from an isolation area: One night, prisoner Chet Harmon feigns illness and Frank, a male orderly and prisoner, is summoned. Frank's brother Al, who is in an adjacent cell, tells Frank that he and Chet are planning a breakout and that he has to help. Frank is reluctant to assist as he just wants to serve his time and leave, but after a new prisoner sows doubts in Frank's mind about his girl friend's faithfulness, he decides to help. Later, while the prison doctor is examining Chet, Frank removes a gun from the doctor's medical bag and slips it into an unoccupied cell. When Frank is on his way out, he attacks a guard named Pete and is put in the cell where he placed the gun. With Al's help, Frank passes the gun to Chet. Another prisoner, Square, is also in on the escape. Three days later, when two members of the prison board, Garvey and Ferness, visit the cells on a routine inspection, Chet uses the gun to take Garvey and Pete prisoner and locks them in a cell. Chet then releases Al, Square and Frank and, using Ferness as a hostage, phones Duffy to demand that a car be delivered to the gate and that they be given a two-hour head start. When Duffy refuses to cooperate, Chet tells the warden that in ten minutes' time he will begin to kill the hostages. Frank wants nothing to do with killing, but while he and Al discuss this, Chet kills Pete and sends his body to Duffy. After Duffy reports to his chief, Square arranges that Duffy come, under a truce, to negotiate. Duffy tells Chet that his chief will be coming within two hours to make a deal. However, Chet then attempts to add Duffy to the hostages, prompting Square, who had given Duffy his word regarding the truce, to tackle Chet. Frank helps but is shot and seriously wounded by Chet, who then kills Square. Duffy says that Frank will die, but refuses to summon the doctor until they abandon the break. When Al, desperate to help his brother, goes to the phone to call the doctor, Chet threatens to shoot him, but Al draws a knife. Chet shoots him, but Al sinks the knife into Chet and they both die. Duffy's final story is about a prisoner's need to find a purpose in life: When Duffy shows new prison chaplain Father Harvey around the chapel, the priest is saddened to see that a mural of "The Last Supper" has been damaged by rusty water pipes. After Shorty, a convict who is to assist Harvey, tells him that a prisoner named Steinberg, who is serving a life sentence for murdering his wife and her lover, is a very fine artist, Harvey persuades Steinberg to repair the mural. Access to the chapel is important to Shorty and his pal Mike as they plan to make bootleg liquor in an attic they can reach only from the chapel. Steinberg agrees to assist their project in return for a cut of the sales. Steinberg, who is an atheist and resents the priest's artistic supervision of his work, begins the restoration work with the face of Simon Peter. When Harvey discovers that the face Steinberg has given Simon Peter is that of a prisoner who was executed on the eve of Harvey's arrival, the priest accuses Steinberg of mocking religion and demands that he be disciplined and lose certain privileges for a week. Later, Steinberg discovers that Shorty and Mike are really planning a breakout via the attic and may take Harvey as a hostage. Steinberg resumes his work and finishes the face of Matthew. Meanwhile, Harvey is concerned about how he will deal with an imminent execution, and when he goes to Charlie Rivers' cell to hear his final confession, he realizes that Steinberg has given Matthew the condemned man's face. After Rivers tells Harvey that he is innocent and begs him to intervene, the priest talks with Duffy, who regrets that he is powerless and states that the horrible thing about capital punishment is that you never can be sure about guilt and innocence. This increases Harvey's anguish and, although he agrees to accompany Rivers to the execution chamber, he collapses on the way. Rivers then tells the priest that he is really guilty and seeks his help on his final journey. That night, Harvey tells Steinberg how Rivers helped him and admits that he has been prejudicial. Later, Shorty, who has become the model for the mural's Judas, Mike and Steinberg take Harvey hostage at gunpoint and attempt to break out. After Mike is killed by guards, Shorty has Harvey phone Duffy to arrange their release, but Duffy tells him that the guards have orders to shoot, regardless of who the hostage may be. Steinberg then tackles Shorty, refusing to permit the possible killing of the priest. Although Shorty mortally wounds him, they continue to struggle until Shorty falls on top of Steinberg and the gun goes off, killing Shorty. Father Harvey prays over Steinberg's body. Later, Harvey engages another artist to finish the mural, with the face of Christ to be Steinberg's.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsBernice ClaireConrad NagelRaymond HackettMary Dane and falsely imprisoned Bud Leonard love each other, but Lou Rinaldo, who framed Bud to get Mary, and escape-minded King Callahan, set events in motion to prove that love and justice will prevail.