The Bad Seed (film)

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The Bad Seed
Image:51879.jpg
Movie poster for The Bad Seed (1956)
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Produced by Mervyn LeRoy
Written by William March (novel)
Maxwell Anderson (play)
John Lee Mahin (screenplay)
Starring Nancy Kelly
Patty McCormack
Henry Jones
Eileen Heckart
Evelyn Varden
Music by Alex North
Cinematography Harold Rosson
Editing by Warren Low
Distributed by Warner Brothers
Release date(s) 12 September 1956
Running time 129 min
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Bad Seed is a 1956 Academy Award nominated Thriller film.

Contents

Christine Penmark begins to suspect that her picture-perfect daughter, Rhoda, may be a sociopathic killer.

This film is based upon a play (of the same name) by Maxwell Anderson, which in turn is based upon William March's 1954 novel The Bad Seed. The play was adapted by John Lee Mahin for the screenplay of a 1956 film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Henry Jones, Eileen Heckart, Evelyn Varden, William Hopper, Paul Fix, Joan Croydon and Jesse White. The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Nancy Kelly), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Eileen Heckart and Patty McCormack, separately) and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White.

Although the novel and play had the mother dying and the evil child surviving, the Hays Code did not allow for "crime to pay." The ending of the film thus has it the other way around, with Christine's life being saved by the local hospital and Rhoda being struck down by lightning while trying to retrieve the penmanship medal from a lake.

After the "curtain call" credits, Nancy Kelly pulls Patty McCormack over her lap and gives her a sound spanking for her misdeeds. [1]

The Bad Seed was remade for television in 1985, adapted by George Eckstein and directed by Paul Wendkos. It starred Blair Brown, Lynn Redgrave, David Carradine, Carrie Wells, Richard Kiley, Chad Allen and Christa Denton. This version used the original ending as in the March novel.

Plans for a second remake were announced with Eli Roth slated to direct. (Source: IMDB)

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