House of Women

Erica Hayden (Shirley Knight) is starting a five year sentence in a women's prison. Policy allows the women to keep their children with them up to the age of three. Erica hopes to get parole sooner and keep her baby. Warden Frank Cole (Andrew Duggan) is working against her and she runs out of options. She has to give up her child for adoption.

This is a bit of social justice film. I've never heard of women keeping babies with them in prison. Actually, I'm not sure and that's how I feel about this movie. I'm not sure if it's realistic. Laws are different back then. It makes me feel uncertain although the actors are doing fine. It's not exploitation or camp.

As a fan of this genre, I'm predisposed to like "House of Women" anyway. But I was surprised by the amount of professionalism and thoughtfulness that went into what's clearly an early-'60s Warners B, riffing on the then-12-year-old "Caged" and adding some trendy contemporary refs, like inmates arguing over the relative merits of Troy Donahue. Shirley Knight, always wonderful, is the naive young thing who took a five-year rap for assisting her boyfriend in a robbery, and is entering the Big House with a baby on the way. She quickly allies with the brassy Barbara Nichols and the hard-as-nails Constance Ford (she's excellent), and snags a relatively comfy job in the home of warden Andrew Duggan, who goes from rat to sympathetic to rat again. (Also in his domestic employ: Virginia Capers, who won a Tony some years later for "Raisin.") There's the usual we're-taking-over-this-joint roistering and unsympathetic parole board, and a somewhat not-credible climax where the prisoners get everything they want. But it's pretty well directed, and certainly well acted.

Fragile young beauty Shirley Knight is locked up in prison, the same year she entertained in "Sweet Bird of Youth" opposite Paul Newman. Here, she's not so lucky; it's crafty, hard-hearted warden Andrew Duggan who takes an interest. A very strong cast assembled by veteran producer, Bryan Foy, in this, the 253rd of his formidable 254 credits and directed by multi-talented Crane Wilbur in the last picture of his long, fine career. Still, schmaltz is to Hollywood what Mom and apple pie are to the USA: in the same year, in the UK, another prison drama about the oppression of the working class by patronizing social overseers was made, "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner," an international hit. Happy endings are not a requirement and realism is not a sin.

Young and pregnant, innocent Shirley Knight has been sent to a women's prison for being the driver of a car in a robbery committed by her boyfriend. Giving birth to her baby in prison, Knight hopes to get parole so she can raise it in a proper atmosphere. She befriends various prisoners, including fellow mother Constance Ford whose young son is loved by all the women inmates. (It seems in this prison system, female prisoners are allowed to have their children with them until their third birthday.) Things get tough when seemingly by the books warden Andrew Duggan falls in love with her and doesn't want her to get paroled. Then, a tragic incident ensues, sending the prisoners into rebellion and bringing on major media attention.

Women's prison films have been a frequent source of subject matter ever since "Ladies of the Big House" in 1932. There have "Ladies They Talk About"; "Condemned Women", the Oscar nominated "Caged" (of which this is apparently a remake of but really doesn't much in common with other than its setting and studio) and "Women's Prison" with an overly dramatic Ida Lupino. Later entries were not nearly as well made, produced on lower budgets with a definite element of sleaze. Just watch 1969's "99 Women" (with an outrageously bad Mercedes McCambridge) and 1983's "Chained Heat" (with a horribly bad Linda Blair). They have a huge camp element, filled with butch wardens or matrons (such as Esther Dale and Hope Emerson), over-the-top dialogue (several of them actually refer to the female inmates as "fish"), and plenty of cat fights. In "House of Women", we get to see Constance Ford ("Another World's" matriarch Ada Hobson) duke it out with matron Jeanne Cooper (matriarch Kay Chancellor of "The Young and the Restless"). There are also two inmates that are obviously tough lesbian characters whom several of the others have nicknamed "Butch".

While the butch presence of a Hope Emerson type matron is missing (Cooper is too feminine to be considered butch), there is still enough sexual tension between these women to drop all sorts of innuendos. Shirley Knight, then at the height of her career (thanks to "Sweet Bird of Youth" the same year) is equally innocent and tough as she adapts to her surroundings. Andrew Duggan does a good job as the warden. Ford gets the most scenes to steal as she goes from strong-but-kind to vengeful when she faces a difficult tragedy. Those who remember her as Sandra Dee's nasty mother in "A Summer Place" and as Rachel's supportive but blunt mother on "Another World" will be riveted every time she is on screen. It is sad her film career never took her further than the types of roles Warner Brothers gave her (even on loan to United Artists, she was very typecast as mental institution nurse Joan Crawford's "right hand man".) Ford is very worthy of the types of roles given at the time to Angela Lansbury. (Look for Ford as a flirtatious millionaire's wife opposite Warren Beatty in "All Fall Down"; Her one scene is unforgettable!)

In summary, "House of Women" is an enjoyable over-the-top drama which allows several actors to really chew up the scenery. While the references to it being a remake of "Caged" are somewhat exaggerated (they only really share an innocent heroine put behind bars in addition to my other comparisons above), it stands on its own as an entertaining camp drama. The script comes off as a bit trite and some of the dialog does not at all seem real, but overall, the film truly is entertaining and a cut above many lesser films of the same theme.

HOUSE OF WOMEN is an ultra-rarity in its own sub-genre, the Women's Prison Picture. It's not on the high artistic level of CAGED (1950), nor does it have the dramatic conviction of WOMEN'S PRISON (1955). Yet this film is more than worth seeing for its dynamic cast and several scenes of high, over-the-top melodrama. The great Shirley Knight was near the start of her career and she is sympathetic enough to involve viewers with her story. The rest of the cast features several nearly forgotten, but very talented actresses: Virginia Gregg, Jeanne Cooper, Barbara Nichols and another great, Constance Ford. Ford resists most opportunities to chew scenery, but she delivers a strongly entertaining performance. Also look for the still-acting-today Jacqueline Scott in a small role. On the male side, Andrew Duggan and Jason Evers do as well as could be expected in this female-dominated environment. Is HOUSE OF WOMEN camp? Well, maybe a tiny bit. But it's a must-see for fans of this sub-genre.