''Babies for Sale'' is a 1940 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film directed by Charles Barton and starring

Rochelle Hudson Rochelle Hudson (born Rachael Elizabeth Hudson; March 6, 1916 – January 17, 1972) was an American film actress from the 1930s through the 1960s.Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as ...

and

Miles Mander Miles Mander (born Lionel Henry Mander; 14 May 1888 – 8 February 1946), was an English character actor of the early Hollywood cinema, also a film director and producer, and a playwright and novelist. He was sometimes credited as Luther Mile ...

Plot

A newsman exposes a doctor running an adoption ring from a home for expectant mothers.

Cast

as Steve Burton / Oscar Hanson *

as Dr. Wallace Rankin * Joe De Stefani as Dr. John Gaines (as Joseph Stefani) *

Isabel Jewell Isabel Jewell (July 19, 1907 – April 5, 1972) was an American actress who rose to prominence in the 1930s and early 1940s. Some of her more famous films were '' Ceiling Zero'', ''Marked Woman'', ''A Tale of Two Cities'', and ''Gone with t ...

as Edith Drake * Georgia Caine as Iris Talbot * Eva Hyde as Gerda Honaker *

Selmer Jackson Selmer Adolf Jackson (May 7, 1888 – March 30, 1971) was an American stage film and television actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1921 and 1963. His name was sometimes spelled Selmar Jackson. Jackson was born in Lake Mills, Iowa an ...

as Arthur Kingsley * Mary Currier as Mrs. Thelma Kingsley *

Edwin Stanley Edwin Stanley (November 22, 1880 – December 25, 1944), was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1916 and 1946. He was born in Chicago, Illinois and died in Hollywood, California. On Broadway, Stanley appear ...

as Mr. Edwards * Douglas Wood as Dr. Ateshire *

John Qualen John Qualen (born Johan Mandt Kvalen, December 8, 1899 – September 12, 1987) was an American character actor of Norwegian heritage who specialized in Scandinavian roles. Early years Qualen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, the son ...

as Howard Anderson * Helen Brown as Mrs. Howard Anderson

Production notes

In April 1940 ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reported that

Evelyn Young Evelyn Ebersis Young (November 17, 1915February 14, 1983) was an American film actress. At the height of her career in 1940, she appeared in 9 feature films. She was the leading female actress in ''The Wildcat of Tucson'' and '' Prairie Schoon ...

was to receive the female lead in ''Babies for Sale''. Young would soon receive other lead roles in Columbia films but that of ''Babies for Sale'' went to

Rochelle Hudson Rochelle Hudson (born Rachael Elizabeth Hudson; March 6, 1916 – January 17, 1972) was an American film actress from the 1930s through the 1960s.List of American films of 1940 A list of American films released in 1940. American film production was concentrated in Hollywood and was dominated by the eight Major film studios MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, RKO, Columbia, Universal and United Artists. Othe ...

References

* ''The Westerners: Interviews with Actors, Directors, Writers and Producers'', by C. Courtney Joyner

External links

* * 1940 drama films 1940s English-language films 1940 films Films directed by Charles Barton Columbia Pictures films American drama films American black-and-white films 1940s American films {{1940s-drama-film-stub