''Runaway Daughters'' is a 1956 film drama. It was loosely
remade in 1994. The film was released by
American International Pictures
American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...
as a
double feature
The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown.
Opera use
Opera ho ...
with ''
Shake, Rattle and Rock''.
Plot
Audrey Barton is the teen daughter of rich, irresponsible parents. When school classmate Tommy brings her home from a date, they spy on Ruth Barton, her mother, passionately kissing a neighbor.
Audrey's girlfriends have troubled home lives, too. Mary Rubach has a strict father who doesn't approve of her boyfriend Bob being 20. Angie Forrest's mother is off honeymooning with a third husband. Angie is glad when her brother Tony pays a visit, bringing along his girl, Dixie Jackson.
Tommy tattles at school about what he saw Audrey's mother do. Taunted by another girl at school, Audrey gets into a fight and is expelled, putting her graduation at risk. Ruth shows no concern whatsoever with her daughter's dilemma, telling her that finding a man is more important than getting an education anyway. George Barton displays little interest in his daughter's situation, either.
Bob joins the Army and urges Mary to elope, but her dad beats him up. Angie's brother leaves for Los Angeles, leaving her depressed. When a birthday party for Audrey is spoiled by the grown-ups, spiking the punch with gin, Audrey's had enough. She takes her gift from her parents, a new convertible, picks up Mary and Angie and the three girls head for L.A., running away from home.
Knowing the police will be looking for them, the girls ditch Audrey's car and steal one. They look up Tony and Dixie, who find the girls jobs in a seedy dance hall. A remorseful Ruth hires a private detective to find her daughter. The cops come looking, too, investigating the stolen car, which Angie speeds off in, right over a cliff, resulting in her death.
Mary's dad relents, letting her join Bob at his army base. Audrey returns home, her mother promising that things there will be better.
Cast
*
Marla English
Marleine Gaile English (January 4, 1935 – December 10, 2012) was an American film actress during the 1950s.
Early years
She was born Marleine Gaile English in San Diego, California. As a teenager, she worked as a model and performed locally.
...
as Audrey
*
Anna Sten
Anna Sten ( ua, А́нна Стен; born Anna Petrivna Fesak, December 3, 1908November 12, 1993) was a Ukrainian-born American actress. She began her career in stage plays and films in the Soviet Union before traveling to Germany, where she st ...
as Ruth
*
Lance Fuller
Lance Fuller (December 6, 1928 – December 22, 2001) was an American actor.
Biography
Born in Somerset, Kentucky, he worked as a contract actor for most of the 1950s with Universal-International.
With many uncredited roles for the firs ...
as Tony
*
Adele Jergens
Adele Jergens (November 26, 1917 – November 22, 2002) was an American actress.
Early life and career
Born in Brooklyn, New York, as Adele Louisa Jurgens (some sources say Jurgenson), she rose to prominence in the late 1930s when she was named ...
as Dixie
*
Gloria Castillo
Gloria Castillo (March 3, 1933 – October 24, 1978) was an American stage and motion picture actress of the 1950s and a businesswoman.
Early years
Castillo was born in Belen, New Mexico. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R.C. Castillo, and ...
as Angie
*
John Litel
John Beach Litel (December 30, 1892 – February 3, 1972) was an American film and television actor.
Early life
Litel was born in Albany, Wisconsin. During World War I, he enlisted in the French Army and was twice decorated for bravery. Ba ...
as Mr. Barton
*
Steve Terrell
Steven Terrell (born December 6, 1929) is an American actor who worked extensively on American films and television series in the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for his association with American International Pictures for whom he made ''Invasi ...
as Bob
*
Mary Ellen Kay
Mary Ellen Ruffalo ( Keaggy, August 29, 1929 – 2017), better known as Mary Ellen Kay, was an American television and film actress.
Biography
Kay was born in Boardman, Ohio, on August 29, 1929. She was one of ten siblings and the sister of virt ...
as Mary
*
Frank Gorshin
Frank John Gorshin Jr. (April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005) was an American actor, comedian and impressionist. He made many guest appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' and ''Tonight Starring Steve Allen''.
As an actor, he played the Riddler on the ...
as Tommy
Production
The script was allegedly based on an incident that writer Lou Rusoff came across when he worked as a social worker.
Anna Sten
Anna Sten ( ua, А́нна Стен; born Anna Petrivna Fesak, December 3, 1908November 12, 1993) was a Ukrainian-born American actress. She began her career in stage plays and films in the Soviet Union before traveling to Germany, where she st ...
came out of retirement to make the movie.
Tom Conway
Tom Conway (born Thomas Charles Sanders, 15 September 1904 – 22 April 1967) was a British film, television, and radio actor remembered for playing private detectives (including The Falcon, Sherlock Holmes, Bulldog Drummond, and The Saint) ...
had a stroke during filming and was replaced by
John Litel
John Beach Litel (December 30, 1892 – February 3, 1972) was an American film and television actor.
Early life
Litel was born in Albany, Wisconsin. During World War I, he enlisted in the French Army and was twice decorated for bravery. Ba ...
.
The film was shot in nine days, only running two and a half hours into overtime.
[Mark McGee, ''Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures'', McFarland, 1996 p65-68], author=Male lead Steve Terrell was signed to a long-term contract by Arkoff for 15 films.
See also
*
List of American films of 1956
A list of American films released in 1956
''Around the World in 80 Days'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
A-B
C-D
E-I
J-M
N-R
S-Z
See also
* 1956 in the United States
Sources Footnotes
References
*
*
External links
19 ...
References
External links
*
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{{Edward L. Cahn
Films directed by Edward L. Cahn
1956 crime drama films
1956 films
American International Pictures films
Films scored by Ronald Stein
American crime drama films
American black-and-white films
1950s English-language films
1950s American films