Strait-Jacket (1964)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

William Castle

Writer:

Robert Bloch (writer)

Release Date:

19 January 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

HER HUSBAND...HER ROOM... ......AND ANOTHER WOMAN

Plot:

After a 20 year stay at an asylum for a double murder, a mother returns to her estranged daughter where suspicions arise about her behavior.

Plot Keywords:

Asylum | Murder | Axe Murder | Mother Versus Daughter | Product Placement

Cast

Joan Crawford	...	Lucy Harbin
Diane Baker	...	Carol Harbin
Leif Erickson	...	Bill Cutler
Howard St. John	...	Raymond Fields
John Anthony Hayes	...	Michael Fields
Rochelle Hudson	...	Emily Cutler
George Kennedy	...	Leo Krause
Edith Atwater	...	Mrs. Fields
Mitchell Cox	...	Dr. Anderson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vicki Cos	...	Carol Harbin: age 3 (uncredited)
Patricia Crest	...	Stella Fulton (uncredited)
Laura Hess	...	Second little girl (uncredited)
Howard Hoffman	...	(uncredited)
Patty Lee	...	First little girl (uncredited)
Lyn Lundgren	...	Beautician (uncredited)
Lee Majors	...	Frank Harbin (uncredited)
Robert Ward	...	Shoe Clerk (uncredited)

Directed by
William Castle

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert Bloch		writer

Produced by
William Castle	....	producer
Dona Holloway	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Van Alexander

Cinematography by
Arthur E. Arling		(as Arthur Arling)

Film Editing by
Edwin H. Bryant		(as Edwin Bryant)

Production Design by
Boris Leven

Set Decoration by
Frank Tuttle

Makeup Department
Virginia Jones	....	hair stylist
Ben Lane	....	makeup artist
Peggy Shannon	....	hair stylist: Miss Crawford
Monty Westmore	....	makeup artist: Miss Crawford

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herbert S. Greene	....	assistant director (as Herbert Greene)

Sound Department
Lambert E. Day	....	sound (as Lambert Day)
Charles J. Rice	....	sound supervisor

Special Effects by
Richard Albain	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Bettcher	....	first assistant camera

Music Department
Paul Tanner	....	musician: electro-theremin (uncredited)

Production Companies

• William Castle Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (video)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:18 | Portugal:M/16 | USA:Approved | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | UK:X (theatrical release) (cut) | Finland:(Banned) (1964)

Company:

William Castle Productions

Trivia:

The sound effect for the heads being chopped off was the prop man wielding an ax and cutting a watermelon in half.

Goofs:

Continuity: Opening sequence includes close-up of front page newspaper story announcing that Lucy has been declared insane. But photo used to illustrate story shows character wearing earrings that weren't purchased until years later, after her release.

Quotes:

Lucy Harbin: [to Michael] You sit down here with Carrol because I wouldn't want her to think I was taking her father away from her.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Nightmare Theatre's Late Night Chill-o-Rama Horror Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V)

Soundtrack:

There Goes That Song

Diane Baker Ruined The Film

Because she was a mega-star, Joan Crawford gets a lot of "press" even in this movie, but I wasn't her who decided whether I liked this film or not. She was okay, but better in another 1960s film, the one with her arch-rival Bette Davis. The actress who affected me in this movie the most was Diane Baker and she just about ruined the film, as far as I was concerned.

This film gets a little too melodramatic at times but Baker's character really gets carried away and is downright annoying as hell. She plays "Carol Harbin." Her hysterics were so overdone it was ridiculous to watch.

As a suspense film, it's okay, but after viewing the surprise ending, I wouldn't watch the movie again. A lot of people thought there was very little in the way of surprise in figuring out the murderer, but I don't think it was as obvious as stated by some. Nonetheless, the whole thing is so-so at best. It wasn't a memorable film, good or bad.