Women's Prison (1955)

Director:

Lewis Seiler

Writers:

Crane Wilbur (screenplay), Jack DeWitt (screenplay),

Stars:

Ida Lupino, Jan Sterling, Cleo Moore

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ida Lupino	...	Amelia van Zandt
Jan Sterling	...	Brenda Martin
Cleo Moore	...	Mae
Audrey Totter	...	Joan Burton
Phyllis Thaxter	...	Helene Jensen
Howard Duff	...	Dr. Crane
Warren Stevens	...	Glen Burton
Barry Kelley	...	Warden Brock
Gertrude Michael	...	Chief Matron Sturgess
Vivian Marshall	...	Dottie LaRose
Mae Clarke	...	Matron Saunders
Ross Elliott	...	Don Jensen
Adelle August	...	Grace
Don C. Harvey	...	Chief Guard Tierney
Juanita Moore	...	Polyclinic 'Polly' Jones

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

strait jacket | pregnant woman beaten | expectant father | expectant mother | miscarriage | 

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Taglines:

Inside the BIG HOUSE for women! (US insert)

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

February 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Femmes en prison

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During a sequence showing concurrent events at a co-ed prison (men on one side of wall, women on the other), the women are seen in the yard in sunny weather with short-sleeved uniforms, while the men's side is rainy, with prisoners in heavy coats.

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Quotes

Dr. Crane: She's suffering from a guilt complex that's close to madness.

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Connections

Referenced in Fright Night Part 2 (1988)

User Reviews

Powerhouse Cast -- Lame Movie

What possibilities!—two brassy blondes both behind bars. It's Jan Sterling and Cleo Moore who've spread on more cheap perfume and more hair dye in more cheap movies than I can count. I figure it should add up to a best two-out-of-three-falls grudge match, at least. But no! Not only don't they strip down, but they're even best friends against mean old warden Ida Lupino in this babes behind bars flick.

Actually, the sex angle isn't played up at all. In fact, the prison dresses are shapeless and darn near reach the floor, so I'm about to hit the off button. But truth be told, with that powerhouse line-up of really good actresses—Lupino, Thaxter, Sterling, and Totter—I hang in there expecting maybe a good heavy drama like Caged (1950), even if the girls do keep their clothes on.

But no, the writers have penciled in about every old tired gimmick in the "screws versus cons" book. And what genius thought up Lupino's wacko final scene. Plus the sets look like they cost about ten bucks, tops. I don't know how the producers got such top-notch acting talent for such a lame production, but they did. Anyway, I'm giving a jailhouse Oscar to the great Phyllis Thaxter for coming up with an A-grade sweaty performance in a Z-grade project. Meanwhile, I've sworn no more babes behind bars flicks unless I see at least one bra-strap in the first ten minutes.