Plot & Details
Tennessee Williams' 27 Wagons Full of Cotton was the basis for this steamy sex seriocomedy. Karl Malden stars as the doltish owner of a Southern cotton gin. He is married to luscious teenager Carroll Baker, who steadfastly refuses to sleep with her husband until she reaches the age of 20. Her nickname is "Baby Doll", a cognomen she does her best to live up to by lying in a crib-like bed and sucking her thumb. Enter crafty Sicilian Eli Wallach (who, like supporting actor Rip Torn, makes his film debut herein), who covets both Malden's wife and business. Malden's jealously sets fire to Wallach's business, compelling Wallach to try to claim Baby Doll as "compensation." Heavily admonished for its supposed filthiness in 1956 (it was condemned by the Legion of Decency, which did more harm to the Legion than to the film), Baby Doll seems a model of decorum today--so much so that it is regularly shown on the straight-laced American Movie Classics cable service.
- Genre(s): Comedy,Drama
- Run Time: 115min.
- DVD Release Date: 05/02/2006
- Director(s): Elia Kazan
- Starring: Karl Malden , Carroll Baker , Eli Wallach , Mildred Dunnock , Lonny Chapman
- Themes: Self-Destructive Romance,Age Disparity Romance,Southern Gothic
- Tone: Cynical,Deliberate,Quirky,Satirical,Sexual
- Keywords: cotton,desire,husband-and-wife,hypocrisy,repression,teenagers
- Language: English
Awards
Academy Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Actress | Carroll Baker | Nominated |
| 1956 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Black and White Cinematography | Boris Kaufman | Nominated |
| 1956 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Supporting Actress | Mildred Dunnock | Nominated |
| 1956 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Adapted Screenplay | Tennessee Williams | Nominated |
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | British Academy of Film and Television Arts | Most Promising Newcomer | Eli Wallach | Won |
| 1956 | British Academy of Film and Television Arts | Best British Film | Elia Kazan | Nominated |
Golden Globes
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture | Eli Wallach | Nominated |
| 1956 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Director | Elia Kazan | Won |
| 1956 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama | Carroll Baker | Nominated |
| 1956 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama | Karl Malden | Nominated |
| 1956 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture | Mildred Dunnock | Nominated |
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