''Born Innocent'' is a 1974 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

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which was first aired under the ''

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

World Premiere Movie'' umbrella on September 10, 1974. Highly publicized and controversial, ''Born Innocent'' was the highest-rated television movie to air in the United States in 1974. The movie deals with the physical, psychological and sexual abuse of a teenage girl, and included graphic content never before seen on

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Plot

Christine "Chris" Parker (

Linda Blair Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. She played Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. The fil ...

) is a 14-year-old runaway who, after getting arrested many times, is sentenced to spend time in a girls'

juvenile detention center In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile de ...

. It is revealed that Chris comes from an abusive home. Her father (

Richard Jaeckel Richard Hanley Jaeckel (October 10, 1926 – June 14, 1997) was an American actor of film and television. Jaeckel became a well-known character actor in his career, which spanned six decades. He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominatio ...

) would beat her on a regular basis, which led to her repeated flights from home. Her mother ( Kim Hunter) is unfeeling, sitting in her recliner, watching television and smoking cigarettes all day, and in complete denial as to what her husband is doing. Chris' older brother Tom (

Mitch Vogel Mitchel L Vogel (born January 17, 1956) is an American former child actor, musician and director. As of 2021, he is one of two surviving main cast members from ''Bonanza'', next to Tim Matheson. Having begun his professional acting career at a ...

) is aware of the abuse, but he is unable to help Chris, as he is absorbed with the care of his own family. Chris' social worker Emma Lasko (

Allyn Ann McLerie Allyn Ann McLerie (December 1, 1926 – May 21, 2018) was a Canadian-born American actress, singer and dancer who worked with many of Golden Age musical theatre's major choreographers, including George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, and Jerome Robb ...

) never realizes that her dysfunctional parents are the cause of her troubles, and the juvenile justice system places the blame for her troubles on Chris herself. With the exception of one dedicated counselor named Barbara Clark (

Joanna Miles Joanna Miles (born March 6, 1940) is an American actress. She received two Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Laura Wingfield in the 1973 film production of Tennessee Williams' ''The Glass Menagerie''. Early life and education Miles was born in Ni ...

), the reform school personnel are mostly apathetic and allow an unhealthy, destructive culture to fester. Despite Barbara's attempts to help Christine talk about her problems, Chris refuses to open up to her or anyone else about her abuse. After Chris is attacked in the shower and sexually assaulted by her fellow inmates, as well as witnessing a pregnant resident whom Chris befriends suffer a miscarriage while in isolation, and the pervasive indifference of the staff, Chris – feeling abandoned by the system in addition to her family – becomes angry, cold and bitter. When an argument between Chris and Ms. Lasko turns physical, a riot ensues. Chris is investigated for causing the riot. She calmly maintains that she had nothing to do with it. In the final shot, Barbara looks on helplessly as she sees Chris, an innocent, intelligent, decent girl, transformed into a violent, pathological, manipulative, vengeful and cold person, devoid of guilt or remorse for her actions, who is destined to become a criminal adult when released upon reaching legal age.

Cast

as Chris Parker *

as Counselor Barbara Clark *

as Emma Lasko * Mary Murphy as Miss Murphy * Janit Baldwin as Denny * Nora Heflin as Moco * Tina Andrews as Josie * Sandra Ego as Janet *

as Tom Parker *

as Mr. Parker * Kim Hunter as Mrs. Parker * Adrienne White as Ria * Janice Lorraine Garcia as Child at funeral

Controversial rape scene

The original cut of ''Born Innocent'' contained a scene where several girls, led by Moco (Nora Heflin) and Denny (Janit Baldwin), use a

plunger A plunger, force cup, plumber's friend or plumber's helper is a tool used to clear blockages in drains and pipes. It consists of a rubber suction cup attached to a stick (''shaft'') usually made of wood or plastic. A different bellows-like des ...

handle to rape Chris in the communal showers. ''Born Innocent'' is credited with being one of the catalysts for the National Association of Broadcasters creating a family viewing policy.

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscon ...

educator Elena Levine pointed out that the film was advertised in ''

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'' alongside the television show ''

Born Free ''Born Free'' is a 1966 British drama film starring the real-life couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, another real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her in ...

'', which she theorized may have encouraged viewers to believe the film to be family friendly. The film made several negative references to lesbianism. One version of the script implied that the character Moco's lesbianism was a result of her surroundings and prompted her abuse of Chris and others. The film was criticized by the

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, the New York Rape Coalition, and numerous gay and lesbian rights organizations for its depiction of female-on-female sexual abuse; the

Lesbian Feminist Liberation Lesbian Feminist Liberation was a lesbian rights advocacy organization in New York City formed in 1972. Formation Lesbian Feminist Liberation was originally the Lesbian Liberation Committee and a part of the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA). In 197 ...

dismissed the film, stating: "Men rape, women don't," and regarded the film as "propaganda against lesbians." The shower scene was eventually cut from the film due to multiple complaints.

Lawsuit over copycat crime

The film was blamed for the rape of a nine-year-old child on Baker Beach,

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, by some of her peers using a glass soda pop bottle. Valeria Niemi, the victim's mother, sued NBC and asked for damages up to $11 million. Her lawsuit cited the facts that one of the perpetrators, Sharon Smith (the only one jailed for the attack, having been sentenced to three years in a federal prison), evoked the movie when she was arrested, and that William Thomas, 14, the boy who provided the bottle, asked if it will be "like it was done in the picture". Two other girls, 10 and 15, and the boy who served as lookout saw charges dropped. In 1981, the

California Supreme Court The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sac ...

ruled the film was not obscene, and that the NBC network was not liable for the actions of the persons who committed the crime.

Effect on rape awareness

Blair cited what she felt was one positive outcome of the film, saying that she thought it made it easier for rape survivors to come forward.

Subsequent airing

In a response to the incident, re-airings in the late 1970s and 1980s did not air any of the rape sequence. The California rape influenced the establishment of the Family Viewing Hour which became briefly mandatory for the networks in the late 1970s, as the movie was aired at 8 to 9pm

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, when some children may not have been in bed.

Home media

After the edited re-airings in the 1980s, the uncut version appeared on VHS in numerous budget-priced editions. In 2004,

VCI Entertainment VCI may refer to: Organisations * Vaccination Credential Initiative, Digital Vaccine Record coalition * Veterinary Council of India * Video Collection International, a UK company * Volatile corrosion inhibitor * Volunteer Centres Ireland School ...

released ''Born Innocent'' on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

with the rape scene included.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0071240 American LGBT-related television films 1974 television films Films directed by Donald Wrye Women in prison films 1970s thriller drama films American thriller drama films 1974 LGBT-related films Films shot in New Mexico 1974 films Works subject to a lawsuit Films about rape NBC network original films Films scored by Fred Karlin Films about runaways 1974 drama films American drama television films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films