The Bad Seed (1956)

A housewife suspects that her seemingly perfect 8-year-old daughter is a heartless killer.

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

John Lee Mahin (screenplay), Maxwell Anderson (play),

Stars:

Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Henry Jones

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Nancy Kelly	...	Christine Penmark
Patty McCormack	...	Rhoda Penmark
Henry Jones	...	Leroy Jessup
Eileen Heckart	...	Hortense Daigle
Evelyn Varden	...	Monica Breedlove
William Hopper	...	Col. Kenneth Penmark
Paul Fix	...	Richard Bravo
Jesse White	...	Emory Wages
Gage Clarke	...	Reginald 'Reggie' Tasker
Joan Croydon	...	Claudia Fern (as Joan Croyden)
Frank Cady	...	Henry Daigle

Storyline

Christine Penmark seems to have it all: a lovely home, a loving husband and the most "perfect" daughter in the world. But since childhood, Christine has suffered from the most terrible recurring nightmare. And her "perfect" daughter's accomplishments include lying, theft and possibly much, much worse. Only Christine knows the truth about her daughter and only Christine's father knows the truth about her nightmare.

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Plot Keywords:

dream | colonel | medal | truth | lying | 

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Taglines:

A WOMAN'S SHAME...Out in the Open!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

La mala semilla

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The book Rhoda claims to have won in Sunday School, Elsie Dinsmore , was a story with religious themes about a pious eight-year-old who, in sharp contrast to Rhoda, was obedient to her elders to an alarming point, even enduring verbal abuse from a nasty parent. It was written by Martha Finley in 1867.

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Goofs

During the scene between Mrs. Penmark and Mr. Tasker shortly before Richard Bravo arrives for the first time, Mrs. Penmark fixes Tasker a gin and tonic. Tasker takes the drink with his right hand, but when the shot changes slightly, he's suddenly holding the drink with his left hand and leaning on the cart with his right.

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Quotes

Hortense Daigle: Children can be nasty, don't you think?

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Crazy Credits

After the finale, a narrator tells the audience "One moment please. And now our wonderful cast." Then, the principal cast members are introduced one by one, like they would be at the end of a play. After that's done with, there's a brief scene in which Nancy Kelly spanks Patty McCormack.

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Connections

Featured in Deadly Friend (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Au clair de la lune"
(uncredited)
Attributed to Jean-Baptiste Lully
Played on the piano by Patty McCormack and whistled by Henry Jones
Played often in the score

User Reviews

Very good

I thought this movie was made very well. Despite what another had commented about this movie, I do feel that her facial expressions were very much eerie and the girl did a very good job as "the bad seed". The way she would look and smile whenever she lied made me think about how bad of a person she was and the look in her eyes also would show how she knew that she could manipulate anyone who got in her way. feel that for it's time it was a very good movie. It had to do something right, since it was nominated for an Oscar. So in all despite the comment prior to this one, I do feel that it was a very good movie. I thought that the ending was good too, since it gave people a sense of reality to the people who played the characters(some can't see past a character that a person plays).