A 1962 release, to me this is a weird entry in the "women in prison" genre. I never spent a lot of time thinking of that aspect of the genre - "what happens to kids born in prison?"
Shirley Knight stars as "Erica", wrongly accused of armed robbery and sentenced to 5 years in a women's prison. When she's posted to this prison, she's pregnant. She'll deliver her child behind bars.
The usual stereotypes are present, save one. You've the ultra-feminine ladies, the rough-and-tumble chicks, the mousy ladies with virtually no self-esteem, and the ladies who eagerly await parole to get back to the men in their lives. All that's missing is the butch prison matron who rules with an iron fist and a big stick. High cheekbones are everywhere, and many prisoners are in pumps (pumps, while wearing prison smocks?).
One of the prison rules is that once a prisoner's child reaches its' third birthday, that child is turned over to the state for adoption. Soon, Erica's daughter is coming up on that fateful birthday. Erica hopes enough leniency comes her way to get paroled & subsequently get back her daughter. She also sees similar hopes dashed all around her, fellow prisoners disillusioned by the parole process. Nonetheless, she keeps her hopes up.
It's a melodrama, so you can guess the result. Erica surveys the environment and decides her best bet to get out soonest is to play it low-key. If she can get a visible job, and maybe gets on the warden's good side, maybe he will support her in her desire for parole.
Warden Frank Cole (Andrew Duggan) is a harsh martinet who believes 1) all criminals are just that, no more & no less; and 2) children shouldn't be in a prison environment, even with the pain that is caused when moms and kids are separated. Cole has select trustees who cook & clean in his residence, adjacent to the prison building. Erica gets hired by the warden, and soon gets on his good side.
The warden is a lonely, bitter man. He was previously warden of a men's prison, where he helped effect the release of a particular prisoner. That parolee was having an affair with the warden's wife, who left her husband for the parolee. Since then, the warden has held a deep hatred for all prisoners, regardless of gender. However, he shows his tender side to Erica. It's a melodrama, so you know how that turns out.
Soon, Erica has made a good enough impression that parole is all but assured. Her hope grows, and she looks forward to getting back her daughter.
Constance Ford is "Sophie" another mom in prison. She has tragedy cross her path, which causes her to snap. No women-in-prison movie is complete without a hostage crisis, and one shows up here. How will the story resolve itself?
Familiar faces abound in this picture. Jeanne Cooper ("Katherine Chancellor" from the soap opera "Young and the Restless"), Jason Evers ("Captain Coleman" in "The Green Berets") and Virginia Gregg (TV shows like "Cannon", "Adam-12", "Ironside" and "Emergency!"). You'll spend a moment or two thinking, "I've seen that face somewhere before". Duggan is another familiar face, playing authority figures in lots of TV detective shows and cowboy movies.
This film was a movie that made its points. I kinda liked it, but I won't go out of my way to watch it. If' it's on, and I'm housebound due to weather or sickness, I might watch it again.
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