hamradio Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I watched the nutty Karl Malden movie "Baby Doll" (1956) and lol what a piece of work - that household. Upon release it was called notorious, salacious, revolting, dirty, steamy, lewd. They left out insane and crazy! :^0 Really enjoyed it but there was one important element left out of the movie..... A wrecking ball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GavinB Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 It's hard to believe that the god awful Baby Doll is an Tennessee Williams play. The over-the-top performances by Karl Malden, Eli Wallach and Caroll Baker turn the movie into an unintentional parody of the Southern gothic literary genre. How did the great director Elia Kazan end up with such a bizarre mess of movie? The writting, acting and direction are so uniformly dreadful, Baby Doll deserves cult status as a serious drama that is so bad, it's only entertainment value is as a satircal comedy. The long unedited scene between Wallach and Baker at the water pump and in the abandonned car is crammed with laugh-out-loud Freudian imagery in the dialogue. It's such an odd and striking contrast to Kazan's successful use of method acting techinques in his directoral tour de force of another Tennessee Williams play, A Streetcar Named Desire." Equally strange is the fact that Baby Doll was a huge box office success and made a major star out of Caroll Baker, who was at best, a mediocre actress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 The only "enjoyable" part of this celluliod shambles is the part where the words "The End" show up! Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geminigirl Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 And I thought I was the only person who didn't like this movie! I bought a boxed set of films based on Tennesee Williams' plays and *Baby Doll *was included in the set. It was so bad that I gave it away to a Carroll Baker fan (one actually exists); I knew I would never watch it again......................:_| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Folks, this is a hilarious comedy, with everything exaggerated. It's sort of a modern "Tobacco Road" (1941). Sort of like a "Li'l Abner" but with no music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Bogle Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 I remember reading about what a notorious movie this was before I ever saw this turkey. Then I did see it. What a piece of dreck. It doesn't even stand up as a piece of camp, or a so bad it's good movie. It's just so bad period. 1856 is right. When you watch it, it seems like it has been going on that long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValentineXavier Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Great print for 1856 though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Bogle Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Yes, you've really got to hand it to those antebellum cinematographers. Great work considering the materials they had to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova_Heston Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 My impression, leans to darkblue's line of thought. I loved the atmoshpere of antebellum decay, and god help me.. I felt a little breathless.. at the interplay between Wallach and Baker on the rickety two seat swingy thingy, as he worked her tiny miniscule brain into a frenzy.. Fun twisted little movie. The cherry on top: a fly lands on Maldens nose, as if on cue.. during one Epic meltdown in the kitchen. Karl never breaks character, not even a flutter of an eyelash.. I respect that.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I'm watching it again right now. Wonderful movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Old house in "Baby Doll" now restored because of its fame in the movie. Benoit, Mississippi http://plantationtrail.com/2011/05/17/the-jc-burrus-house-benoit-mississippi/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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