Baby Doll (1956)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Elia Kazan

Writer:

Tennessee Williams (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 December 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Her role is raw electricity! Her portrayal is a sensation! CARROLL BAKER

Plot:

Steamy tale of two Southern rivals and a sensuous 19-year-old virgin.

Plot Keywords:

Cotton Gin | Cotton | Sicilian | Marriage | Child Bride

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 8 nominations

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
R.G. Armstrong	...	Townsman Sid (voice) (uncredited)
Madeleine Sherwood	...	Nurse in Doctor's Office (uncredited)
Rip Torn	...	The Dentist (uncredited)

Directed by
Elia Kazan

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Tennessee Williams		screenplay

Produced by
Elia Kazan	....	producer
Tennessee Williams	....	producer

Original Music by
Kenyon Hopkins

Cinematography by
Boris Kaufman

Film Editing by
Gene Milford

Art Direction by
Richard Sylbert

Costume Design by
Anna Hill Johnstone

Makeup Department
Willis Hanchett	....	hair stylist
Robert Jiras	....	makeup artist (as Robert E. Jiras)

Production Management
Forrest E. Johnston	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Garfein	....	assistant director
Charles H. Maguire	....	assistant director
Arthur Steckler	....	assistant director: second unit (uncredited)

Art Department
Paul Sylbert	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Edward J. Johnstone	....	sound

Stunts
Lucky Kargo	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Arthur Steckler	....	photographer: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Flo Transfield	....	wardrober (as Florence Transfield)

Other crew
Nicholas Demetroules	....	presenter
Jerry Gross	....	presenter
Roberta Hodes	....	continuity
Roberta Hodes	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Newtown Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinemation Industries (1970) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)

Runtime:

114 min | Argentina:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System) | Stereo

Certification:

USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:Unrated (video rating) | USA:R (re-rating 1969) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | UK:X (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Benoit, Mississippi, USA

Company:

Newtown Productions

Trivia:

Tennessee Williams's first choice for the title role of Baby Doll was Marilyn Monroe, (who was straining to improve herself as an actress at the time and wanted the role badly), although Elia Kazan preferred newcomer Carroll Baker, whose work he was familiar with from the Actors' Studio in New York.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Silva bursts through the door in the attic, Baby Doll is shown running from him with her blanket wrapped around her. The instant before she falls on to the attic beam, she removes the blanket, and holds it in her left hand. In the very next shot, after she has fallen, the blanket is wrapped around her body once again.

Quotes:

Baby Doll: [Silva caresses her neck] Don't touch me please, I don't like to be touched.
Silva Vacarro: Then why do you smile?
Baby Doll: Because you make me feel kind of hysterical Mr. Vacarro.
Silva Vacarro: [knowing smile] I do?
Baby Doll: [starts to get up] I think I'll go make us some lemonade.
[he holds her back]
Baby Doll: What did you do that for?
Silva Vacarro: I don't want to be deprived of the pleasure of your company. Not yet.
Baby Doll: Mr. Vacarro you certainly are getting familiar.
Silva Vacarro: Don't you have any fun loving spirit about you?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Shame, Shame, Shame

An early example of suggestive cinema

Warner Brothers initially took a huge gamble with this 1956 release. Some elements of its storyline were considered way too suggestive for films at the time (there was still no rating system yet) but the studio went ahead and released it anyway. What resulted was a huge box office hit and a star maker for Carroll Baker who has the title role of the child bride of a sometimes dense cotton gin operator (Karl Malden). Malden is a rival to another cotton gin operator (Eli Wallach) and his torching of Wallach's cotton gin inspires Wallach to get back at Malden by having a steamy love affair with Baker. Rip Torn made his film debut here with a small part. Film reunites director Elia Kazan and screenwriter/playwright Tennessee Williams who had previously collaborated on the box office smash "A Streetcar Named Desire." This film is also an interesting early example of what may have eventually inspired Hollywood's film rating system.