''Unwed Mother'' is a 1958 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Walter A. Doniger and starring Norma Moore,

Robert Vaughn Robert Francis Vaughn (November 22, 1932 – November 11, 2016) was an American actor noted for his stage, film and television work. His television roles include the spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s series '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''; th ...

Billie Bird Billie Bird Sellen (February 28, 1908 – November 27, 2002), better known professionally as Billie Bird, was an American actress and comedian. She played Margie in '' Dear John'' (1988–1992). Early life Born in Pocatello, Idaho, Bird was ...

, Diana Darrin and

Jeanne Cooper Wilma Jeanne Cooper (October 25, 1928 – May 8, 2013) was an American actress, best known for her role as Katherine Chancellor on the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' (1973–2013). At the time of her death, she was eighth on the ...

Plot

The plot concerns Betty Miller (Norma Moore), a country girl who moves from a farming community to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. She falls in love with a smooth-talking

grifter A grifter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Grifters (band), a 1990s American indie rock band * ''The Grifters'' (novel), a 1963 American novel by Jim Thompson * ''The Grifters'' (film), a 1990 American adaptation of the novel * Grifter (ch ...

, Don Bigelow (Robert Vaughn), who gets her pregnant, then abandons her. After visiting a drunken abortionist (Timothy Carey), Betty decides to give the baby up for adoption. But eventually she comes to regret that decision and pursues the

foster parents Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family ...

who adopted her child.

Cast

* Norma Moore as Betty Miller *

as Don Bigelow * Diana Darrin as Mousie *

as Gertie *

as Mrs. Horton * Ron Hargrave as Ben * Kathleen Hughes as Linda *

Sam Buffington Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictio ...

as Mr. Paully * Claire Carleton as Mrs. Miller * Colette Jackson as Louella *

Timothy Carey Timothy Agoglia Carey (March 11, 1929 – May 11, 1994) was an American film and television character actor. Carey was best known for portraying manic or violent characters who are driven to extremes. Career He made his screen debut with a ...

as Doctor *

Ken Lynch Kenneth E. Lynch (July 15, 1910 – February 13, 1990) was an American radio, film, and television actor with more than 180 credits to his name. He was generally known for portraying law enforcement officers and detectives. He may have been bes ...

as Ray Curtis *

Dorothy Adams Dorothy Adams (January 8, 1900 – March 16, 1988) was an American character actress of stage, film, and television. Early years Adams was born in Hannah, North Dakota. She later moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, and was educated there. ...

as Mrs. Paully * Joan Lora as Mary Ellen * Ralph Gamble as Minister

References

Sources

* *

External links

* * *
Lobby card for ''Unwed Mother''
at The Timothy Carey Experience 1958 films 1958 drama films Allied Artists films American black-and-white films American drama films Films directed by Walter Doniger Films scored by Emil Newman Films set in Los Angeles Teenage pregnancy in film 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-drama-film-stub