The Bad Seed

US (1956): Drama/Thriller

"A basket full of kisses for a basket full of hugs." Those are chilling words, at least when uttered by that ice princess, Patty McCormack. As Rhoda Penmark, she is as pretty as a porcelain doll but drips venom with each curtsey and polite response. Little Rhoda's mother, Christine Penmark (Nancy Kelly), is terrified she has passed on her own mother's corruption. Oops, turns out she's right. This passes the test of time, as it still gets under your skin. The character development is tight and the story very involving. Not even Freddy Krueger had the ability to scare like tiny McCormack, looking just like a little adult while she literally beats out the competition for a penmanship award. Cast also features Henry Jones, Eileen Heckart, Evelyn Varden, William Hopper, Paul Fix and Jesse White. However, director Mervyn LeRoy's hands were tied over the ending, which was changed from the source material -- Maxwell Anderson's hit Broadway play. A supposedly more appropriate, and moral, ending was demanded by the Warner Bros. The film was remade (badly) for television in 1985 with Blair Brown, Lynn Redgrave and Carrie Wells. Rochelle O'Gorman, Amazon.com) ***SPOILER FOLLOWS!*** The original ending had Rhoda surviving, and her mother dying. The Motion Picture Production Code in effect at the time, however, required that "Crime shall never be presented in such a way as to throw sympathy with the crime as against law and order." The usual interpretation of this was that criminals weren't allowed to "get away with it." Because of this, the ending was changed: Rhoda's mother survives being shot in the head, and Rhoda herself is killed by a bolt of lighting by a lake. (IMDb)

· Actress 1956: Nancy Kelly
· Supporting Actress 1956: Patty McCormack
· Supporting Actress 1956: Eileen Heckart
· Cinematography (Black and White) 1956: Hal Rosson

4 nominations