Details

Release year: 1958

Storyline

A prostitute sentenced to death for murder pleads her innocence.

Top credits

Directors

Robert Wise

Writers

Cast

Susan Hayward — Barbara Graham
Simon Oakland — Edward S. 'Ed' Montgomery
Virginia Vincent — Peg
Theodore Bikel — Carl G.G. Palmberg

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Awards

1 win & 5 nominations

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Did you know

• Barbara Graham's response to the guard advising her to "take a deep breath, it's easier" was supposedly "how _ the hell _ would you know". Apparently, it had to be cleaned up for the 1958 audience, which is ironic given the rather graphic nature of the scene.

• Inveterate researcher that he was, Robert Wise was determined to capture every grisly element of an execution for the climax of his movie. He visited San Quentin prison and asked for permission to see the gas chamber and witness a real execution. After he'd seen it and had his art director photograph it and take measurements for set replication purposes, he was still uncertain about how he would structure the last act. He went back to the prison and made one final request for a detailed account of the entire execution procedure. This is what is painstakingly documented in the movie's climax.

• The close-up of the fake label on the sulfuric acid bottle identifies Gidding Chemical as the manufacturer. Nelson Gidding was the screenwriter.