Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore (TV 1992)

In 1947 a small-town lawyer sues the state of Maryland over a young woman in a mental institution.

Director:

Delbert Mann

Writers:

Michael Norell, James Norell

Stars:

Walter Matthau, Harry Morgan, Susan Blakely

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Walter Matthau	...	Harmon Cobb
Harry Morgan	...	Judge Stoddard Bell
Susan Blakely	...	Billie
Ariana Richards	...	Nancy
Brian Kerwin	...	Jack Adkins
Barton Heyman	...	Donald
Norman Rose	...	Judge Gold
Larry Keith	...	Dr. Obenland
Michael Mantell	...	Dr. Friedman
David Leary	...	District Attorney Yates
Bridgit Ryan	...	Marika
Susan Chapek	...	Melina Vovakis
Don Brockett	...	Judge Mulligan
Bingo O'Malley	...	Judge Stoneburner
John Hall	...	Young Lawyer

Storyline

In 1947 a small-town lawyer sues the state of Maryland over a young woman in a mental institution.

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Plot Keywords:

mental illness | sequel | electroconvulsive therapy | baltimore maryland | place name in title

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cobb's Law

Filming Locations:

Carnegie Mellon University - 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Procter & Gamble Productions (PGP), RHI Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Follows The Incident (1990)

User Reviews

As Outstanding As they Get: Incident in Baltimore ****

A phenomenal movie with superb performances by Walter Matthau and Harry Morgan. Both would reprise their types of roles 2 years later in "An Incident in A Small Town."

While the latter film was also quite good, this one is even better because it exposes conditions in a mental institution in 1947's Baltimore. At the beginning, some of the harrowing scenes reminded me of Olivia De Havilland's memorable performance in 1948's "The Snake Pit."

Matthau, as a widowed attorney who has moved to Baltimore with his widowed daughter-in-law and granddaughter, takes on the case of a woman who committed herself to an asylum for depression and then was held there totally against her will. You will see plenty of corruption, abuse and other things that we unfortunately read in the papers about such institutions. You'll also see how this was a profitable business and the definite need for state intervention.

As if the picture isn't good enough, the sidebar story is where Susan Blakely, the daughter-in-law finds happiness with the 4-F math teacher in the town. This angers Matthau and he insults her in a memorable scene. The picture depicts the adjustment of finding a new life for the war widowed after World War 11.

The film is truly remarkable from beginning to end.