Convicted thief and rapist "Whit" Whittier (William Campbell) waits on death row in San Quentin penitentiary cell 2455. Whit gives the Warden (Harvey Stephens) his last will and testament, then reflects on his life: Whit grows up with kind, loving parents, Serl (Allen Nourse) and Hallie (Diane DeLaire), but as he is a sickly child, the family moves from Michigan to Los Angeles, and settle in comfortably until a freak car accident leaves Whit's mother paralyzed. The Whittiers are overwhelmed by medical bills and slide into poverty, driving Whit's father to attempt suicide.
As a teenager Whit begins stealing food and lying to his parents about having a part-time job. These petty thefts and Whit's driving skill eventually lead to his involvement with a gang of hoodlums led by Skipper Adams (Wayne Taylor). After a year of larceny and car thefts, Skip is arrested and informs on the rest of the gang, who are arrested and placed in reform school. Furious at Skip's betrayal, Whit beats him up and gains a reputation as an incorrigible. During his incarceration, Whit spends several stretches doing hard labor or in solitary.
Upon his parole, Whit starts another gang, and takes up with a young blonde, Doll.
One night Whit and his gang steal a police car and shoot an officer. The gang is arrested and Whit is sentenced to twenty-six years in San Quentin. When a rehabilitation program is started in Chino, Whit signs up and, after a period of calculated good behavior, is moved to the Honor Farm. With the help of free gang members Monk and Al, Whit escapes from the low security prison to be reunited with Doll, but is recaptured quickly and sentenced to four years in the harsh Folsom prison.
Again upon parole, Whit returns to Los Angeles and pulls together the remaining members of his old gang. Whit robs mob boss Johnny Albert, then divides the sizable haul among his gang before they split up for good. Shortly afterward, a series of brutal attacks begin on couples in lovers lane, with the men being pistol-whipped and the women raped by an attacker whom the newspapers nickname the "Red Light Beast."
One night, another couple is assaulted and their car is stolen by Whit and Monk, who are chased by the police and apprehended after crashing. At police headquarters, Whit insists he is not the rapist, but his arrogance and bravado is abruptly deflated when the captain privately informs him that his mother died the night before. Whit is allowed to go to the funeral parlor, where his father admits he managed to keeping Whit's criminal activities from his mother. Whit is also taken aback to learn that Doll has fulfilled a promise she made him long ago and given the Whittiers money over the years.
Returning to jail, Whit is charged, but when his lawyer announces his withdrawal from the case, Whit decides to represent himself. Despite his diligent study of law and a court presentation he believes refutes the eyewitness testimony against him, Whit is stunned when he receives no sympathy from the jury or the judge and is found guilty. His request for a mistrial on a technicality is denied, but Whit persists and manages to get his case heard before the Supreme Court, but to no avail.
In the present, as dawn breaks on the day of his execution, Whit accepts complete responsibility for his life of crime, but still wonders what purpose his death will serve. As he despairs, the warden arrives with the news that Whit has been granted a stay of execution and one hundred more days of life.
A 1955 American film-noir crime film directed by Fred F. Sears, produced by Wallace MacDonald, screenplay by Jack DeWitt, based on Caryl Chessman's book "Cell 2455, Death Row: A Condemned Man's Own Story" (1954), cinematography by Fred Jackman Jr., starring William Campbell, R. Wright Campbell (as Robert Campbell), Marian Carr, Harvey Stephens, Vince Edwards, Allen Nourse, Diane DeLaire, Bart Braverman, Paul Dubov, Tyler MacDuff, Buck Kartalian, Eleanor Audley, Thom Carne, and Joseph Forte. Screen debut of Maureen Cassidy and first credited appearance of Kathryn Grant. Released by Columbia Pictures.
Caryl Chessman staunchly proclaimed his innocence over eleven years on death row, and obtained numerous reprieves, until finally being executed in 1960 at age 38. Religious figures like Billy Graham, politicians like Eleanor Roosevelt, actors like Marlon Brando and writers like Ray Bradbury appealed for clemency. Columbia Pictures acquired Chessman's rights, and did not intend to advocate for his innocence.
William Campbell (1923 - 2011) was a veteran American actor. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II on a minesweeper in the Pacific theater. Campbell's film career began with a small part in the John Garfield film "The Breaking Point" (1950).
A simply told, B level treatment of this unsentimental tale inspired by the book, and real-life story, of Caryl Chessman, which benefits from not really trying to make the death row inmate sympathetic.
29 сен 2024
