University of Virginia Library

'Baby Doll'

The Late, Late Show

By Carl Erickson
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

While I sat in the Paramount
Theatre viewing "Baby Doll," a
film produced in 1956 by Ela
Kazan, I had the feeling that I was
back home, sitting in an easy chair
watching a typical late, late show.
The only difference was the absence
of commercials. In fact, the
flashing of a Schaeffer Beer advertisement
upon the screen would
have been very appropriate.

"Baby Doll" is simply a very
uninteresting film characterized by
"who cares?" direction and uneven
acting. The sound is frequently
inaudible (just like those late, late
show movies) and the photography
is as dull as the film. In short, it is a
very forgettable movie.

Carroll Baker (in her pre"Paranoia"
days) portrays the
childlike Baby Doll who slowly
matures into a woman. Surprisingly
enough, she plays the part pretty
well. She tends to over-emphasize
the bitchiness of the immature
young girl. However, she appears to
be comfortable in the role of the
alternately caressed and tormented
woman who emerges later on in the
film.

Karl Malden spasmodically enacts
the role of Baby Doll's
frustrated husband (she refuses to
allow him to make love with her
until she is twenty-one). Malden
evokes the comical qualities of his
character well. Unfortunately many
of his serious dramatic lines only
succeed in provoking more
laughter. He seems to be unsure of
exactly how he should act.

Eli Wallach, whom Malden persists
in calling either a Dago, a Wop,
or an "Eye-talian" is the character
who causes Miss Baker's maturation
and Malden's final degradation.
Wallach succeeds in making the
seduction of Baby Doll humorous
and at the same time, sinister.
Unfortunately the length of time
which the seduction takes detracts
from the charm of the character
involved. What emerges is a climax
which can only be greeted with
yawns and quick glimpses at the
wristwatch. In the final analysis
even Eli Wallach's acting becomes
unsatisfying. His character turns
out to be simply too cute. The best
example of this fact is found in the
final segment of the movie. Wallach
is casually sitting up in a tree
smiling while Malden is scurrying
about below firing his shotgun at
anything that moves in an attempt
to destroy the third corner of the
sham "menage a trois."

"Baby Doll" is a very nervous
movie. The characters are constantly
chasing each other and are
subjected to sporadic outbursts of
emotion. The direction, however, is
very staid or perhaps stale would be
the better word. Mr. Kazan has
failed to sense the mood of the
characters' ac. When close-ups
appear to be in order, Kazan uses
medium distance shots and vice
versa. What happens is we see
characters wading through molasses
towards a climax which does not
erupt but only squeaks. The sarcastic
applause which followed the
end of the movie was fully
justifiable.

When and if "Baby Doll" hits
the television screen on the Late
Late Show, don't miss it. The
slow-paced action should match
your own physical and mental
fatigue at the time. It will surely
not tax your concentration any.
And if you fall asleep? Well, that's
okay too.