Unchained (film)
7 /10 1 Votes
Director Hall Bartlett Music director Alex North Duration Language United States | 7/10 IMDb Genre Drama, Crime Screenplay Hall Bartlett | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Writer Hall Bartlett , Kenyon J. Scudder Release date January 19, 1955 (USA) Cast Todd Duncan , Barbara Hale , Elroy Hirsch , Chester Morris , Jerry Paris Similar movies Castle on the Hudson (1940) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The unchained goddess 1958
Unchained is a 1955 prison film based on the non-fiction book Prisoners are People by Kenyon J. Scudder. The film is most remembered for its theme song, "Unchained Melody".
Contents
The film was based on the career of Kenyon J. Scudder, former supervisor at Chino prison in California, as detailed in Scudder's book. Former football player Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch played the lead character, while other inmates were played by Chester Morris and Jerry Paris (later of The Dick Van Dyke Show), among others. Others in the cast included Peggy Knudsen and Barbara Hale, who appeared as women visiting the prisoners. Jazz musician Dexter Gordon has a small, uncredited role in the film, that of a saxophone player in the prison jazz band.
The film was shot at the correctional facility in Chino, California, where Gordon was then serving time for possession of heroin.
Plot synopsis
Steve Davitt is in a medium security prison and is struggling with two options: finishing his sentence, or seeing his wife and family by escaping the prison. After receiving what he believes to be an unjust recommendation from the Adult Authority Board, he attempts his escape but is surprised by a trustee-inmate whom he has befriended. A fist-fight ensues. Steve Davitt wins the fight, heads for the fence to escape. After he starts climbing the fence, he hesitates twice, looks back and sees his trustee-friend on the ground and decides against going over the barbed wire fence after all. The scene ends with Steve Davitt turning around and heading back to the medium security prison.
Cast
Music
The theme song "Unchained Melody" was written by Alex North and performed by Todd Duncan. This song became a #1 R&B hit in 1955 for Al Hibbler and for Roy Hamilton, with Hibbler's version also reaching #3 on the Billboard Chart. It became a #4 pop hit for the Righteous Brothers in 1965.
Oscar nomination
References
Unchained (film) WikipediaUnchained (film) IMDb Unchained (film) themoviedb.org