The Bad Seed 1956 N/R, 129 min. Genre: Mystery / Drama / Horror / Thriller
Director: Mervyn LeRoy Cast: Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Eileen Heckart, Henry Jones, Evelyn Varden, William Hopper, Paul Fix, Jesse White, Frank Cady, Gage Clarke, Joan Croydon, Shelley Fabares, Patricia Morrow, Adele Taylor, John Truax
What happens when Christine Penmark (Nancy Kelly) fears that her adorable eight-year-old daughter, Rhoda (Patty McCormack), loves nothing more than to commit murder? Matters reach new heights when Rhoda's classmate drowns while at a class picnic, and Christine becomes convinced that Rhoda was involved. Christine fears that Rhoda's problems stem from the fact that Christine, herself, is the daughter of a convicted murderess, and she fears that Rhoda is a "bad seed." Christine gives Rhoda barbiturates to end her life and then shoots herself. Christine dies but Rhoda survives–until she is hit by a bolt of lightening. Kelly received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, and both McCormack and Eileen Heckart (for her role as a victim's mother) received Best Supporting Actress nominations.
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The Monkey's Uncle 1965 N/R, 90 min. Genre: Family
Director: Robert Stevenson Cast: Tommy Kirk, Annette Funicello, Leon Ames, Arthur O'Connell, Frank Faylen, Norman Grabowski, Leon Tyler, Alan Hewitt, Connie Gilchrist, Gage Clarke
This Disney sequel to "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones" involves student Merlin Jones' experiments with monkeys to help solve problems of his college.
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Nightmare 1956 N/R, 89 min. Genre: Mystery
Director: Maxwell Shane Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Kevin McCarthy, Connie Russell, Virginia Christine, Rhys Williams, Gage Clarke, Barry Atwater, Marian Carr, Billy May
A fine cast, good (jazz) musical score, and creative directing make this re-do of "Fear In The Night" enjoyable. A jazz musician (Kevin McCarthy) dreams he has stabbed a man in a mansion; his cuts and bruises indicate it may be real. His brother-in-law (Robinson), a police detective, tells him to forget it. But, he is determined to find the mansion, and he does. Now Robinson, after hearing that a murder has been committed there, finds out what really happened.
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| 1. The Bad Seed (1956)
2. The Monkey's Uncle (1965)
3. Nightmare (1956)
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