Caged is a 1950 American film noir directed by John Cromwell and starring Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Betty Garde, Hope Emerson, and Ellen Corby. It was adapted by Virginia Kellogg from the story "Women Without Men" by Kellogg and Bernard C. Schoenfeld.

The film portrays the story of a young newlywed sent to prison for armed robbery. Her brutal experiences while incarcerated, along with the killing of her husband, transform her from a meek, naive woman into a hardened convict. The film's subplot includes massive prison corruption.

Caged was nominated for three Academy Awards. Davis reportedly rejected the film due to its implied lesbian content, referring to it as a "dyke movie".

Reception

thumb|upright|Theatrical advertisement from 1950

In 1950, Variety gave a mixed but predominantly positive review of Caged, characterizing it as a "grim, unrelieved study of cause and effect" that "still adds up to very drab entertainment". Nevertheless, Variety was very complimentary of nearly all aspects of the film's production, including its direction, editing, set designs, music, and cast performances, especially those of Parker and Emerson:

Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide in 2014 favorably awarded Caged three out of four stars, describing the film overall as “stark” with "remarkable" performances.

Accolades

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

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! Award

! Category

! Nominee(s)

! Result

|-

| rowspan="3"| Academy Awards

| Best Actress

| Eleanor Parker

|

|-

| Best Supporting Actress

| Hope Emerson

|

|-

| Best Story and Screenplay

| Virginia Kellogg and Bernard C. Schoenfeld

|

|-

| rowspan="2"| Venice International Film Festival

| Golden Lion

| John Cromwell

|

|-

| Best Actress

| Eleanor Parker

|

|}

Caged is satirized in a 1977 SCTV comedy sketch as "Broads Behind Bars" with the character of Marie renamed "Cheryl" (and portrayed by comedian Catherine O'Hara). Cheryl is depicted as a teenager in the mid-to-late 1950s, who after smoking "pot" ends up in prison after being framed for armed robbery and also learns later that she is pregnant. The character of Kitty is played by Andrea Martin, while John Candy, in drag, plays the role of matron Harper (called "Schultzy"). A knife fight between Kitty and Harper occurs in the skit, instead of a fork as in the film, although both Kitty and Schultzy die. Kitty is fatally stabbed by Schultzy, and Schultzy is later killed by Cheryl. For her action, Cheryl is then told she can be released from prison, however, she responds by only laughing and declining the offer, echoing Kitty's remark in the original film, “No dice!” The skit, in the end, presents itself not only as a parody of “women-in-prison” movies like Caged but also as a spoof of the anti-marijuana films that were presented to students in many American high schools during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

References

Bibliography

Streaming audio

  • Eleanor Parker also stars in the radio version of Caged, which was originally broadcast eight months after the film's release. It was presented by NBC Radio on August 2, 1951, as episode #112 of the network's anthology series Screen Directors Playhouse. That adaptation is free for download at the Internet Archive.