Caged (1950)

A naive nineteen year old widow becomes coarsened and cynical when she is sent to a woman's prison and is exposed to hardened criminals and sadistic guards.

Director:

John Cromwell

Writers:

Virginia Kellogg (screenplay), Virginia Kellogg (story),

Stars:

Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Ellen Corby

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Eleanor Parker	...	Marie Allen
Agnes Moorehead	...	Ruth Benton
Ellen Corby	...	Emma Barber
Hope Emerson	...	Evelyn Harper
Betty Garde	...	Kitty Stark
Jan Sterling	...	Jeta Kovsky aka Smoochie
Lee Patrick	...	Elvira Powell
Olive Deering	...	June Roberts - Inmate
Jane Darwell	...	Isolation Matron
Gertrude Michael	...	Georgia Harrison
Sheila MacRae	...	Helen (as Sheila Stevens)

Storyline

Frightened 19-year-old Marie Allen gets sent to an Illinois penitentiary for being an accomplice in an armed robbery. A sympathetic prison head tries to help, but her efforts are subverted by cruel matron Evelyn Harper. Marie's harsh experiences turn her from doe-eyed innocent to hard-nosed con.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | obese woman | birth in prison | cruelty | killed with a fork | 

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Taglines:

The Story of a Women's Prison Today!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Femmes en cage

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally titled The Big Cage, an early version of the script was intended as a Bette Davis/Joan Crawford vehicle.

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Goofs

When Marie Allen announces that her kitten has died, the cat opens its mouth.

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Quotes

Evelyn Harper: Line up, you tramps. This ain't no upstairs delicatessen.

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Connections

Referenced in From Manila with Love (2011)

User Reviews

awsome movie

this is one of the most under rated movies of all time.

eleanor parker really did deserve an oscar for this performance, the entire cast is excellent as well. agnes morehead shows there was very much more to her than endora on bewitched, that is for sure.

all parents should make it a point to share this film with their kids. it is on a par with the documentary "scared straight" of the 70's. it is so powerful, it will cancel many of the "cute prison" films out there.

they simply made FILMS in those days, not movies. got their point accross artisticly, not with simply emitting streams of profanity, and sex.