Baby Doll (1956)

A steamy tale of two Southern rivals and a sensuous nineteen-year-old virgin.

Director:

Elia Kazan

Writer:

Tennessee Williams (screenplay)

Stars:

Karl Malden, Carroll Baker, Eli Wallach

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Karl Malden	...	Archie Lee Meighan
Carroll Baker	...	Baby Doll Meighan
Eli Wallach	...	Silva Vacarro
Mildred Dunnock	...	Aunt Rose Comfort
Lonny Chapman	...	Rock
Eades Hogue	...	Town Marshal
Noah Williamson	...	Deputy

Storyline

Living in Tiger Tail County, Mississippi, middle aged Archie Lee Meighan and nineteen year old "Baby Doll" Meighan née McCargo have been married for close to two years. Their marriage is not based on love, but each getting what they want from the other. Their marriage agreement has them consummating their marriage on her twentieth birthday, which is in three days, the act to which Baby Doll is not really looking forward. But she does taunt him and other men with her overt "baby doll" sexuality, the baby doll aspect which she fosters by sleeping in their house's nursery in a crib. Baby Doll's now deceased father allowed the marriage on the stipulation that Archie Lee provide Baby Doll financial security as displayed by the most resplendent house in the south. They currently live in a dilapidated mansion with her Aunt Rose Comfort, and although Archie Lee is making some renovations on it, he no longer has the financial means to make it what Baby Doll wants as his cotton ginning ...

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Plot Keywords:

southern gothic | erotica | dilapidated house | sicilian american | cotton | 

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Taglines:

She's nineteen. She makes her husband keep away -- she won't let the stranger go.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

29 December 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Twenty-Seven Wagon Loads of Cotton

Filming Locations:

Benoit, Mississippi, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,300,000, 31 December 1956

Company Credits

Production Co:

Newtown Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System) Stereo

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Legion of Decency, an organization of the Roman Catholic Church in the US, condemned the film as immoral, and despite the efforts of director Elia Kazan, was able to get it withdrawn from release.

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Goofs

When Aunt Rose Comfort serves greens, some jump out, and then back into, the tureen.

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Quotes

Archie Lee Meighan: I am servin' you notice. If that ole woman breaks down and dies on my place, I ain't gonna get stuck with her funeral expenses. I'll have her burned up! Cremated is what they call it. And I'll pack her ashes in an ole Coca-Cola bottle and I'll pitch that bottle in the Tiger Tail bayou!

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood Uncensored (1987)

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Soundtracks

Shame, Shame, Shame
Written by Ken Hopkins and Ruby Fisher
Sung by Smiley Lewis

User Reviews

Fuzzy and Buzzy

The conventional wisdom on "Baby Doll" seems to be, "Oh, this movie may have been steamy in its time, but it's totally tame now." Oh, really? If the scene of Eli Wallach and Carroll Baker on the garden swing doesn't leave you feeling "fuzzy and buzzy," I suggest you get your pulse checked.