Unwed Mother
Cast & Crew
William A. Doniger
Norma Moore
Robert Vaughn
Diana Darrin
Billie Bird
Jeanne Cooper
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Teenager Betty Miller moves from her small town of Visalia to Los Angeles where she finds a job in a department store. Before long, Betty finds herself attracted to charming co-worker Don Bigelow, believing his claim that he is from a wealthy family and only works in order to be on his own. Unknown to Betty, Don is a poor stock-room boy who is having a clandestine affair with the department boss. Overwhelmed by Don's attentions, Betty soon allows him to borrow money from her paycheck, not realizing he is using it to continue his secret romance. When the department boss learns of Don's relationship with Betty, however, she fires them both. Betty is then stunned when Don asks her to help him commit a robbery, but when he threatens to leave her, she agrees. The hold-up attempt fails and Betty and Don are arrested. Don is found guilty and sentenced to jail while Betty is placed on probation and returns home to her widowed mother, who is soon to remarry. Soon afterward, Betty discovers that she is pregnant, but is angry when Don offers to marry her only because it will reduce his prison term. Refusing Don's proposal, Betty instead visits a doctor recommended by Gertie, a honky-tonk stripper she met while in police custody. The doctor agrees to perform an abortion, but Betty reconsiders at the last minute and runs away. Fearful of returning to Visalia, Betty enters a home for unwed mothers where she consents to give her baby up for adoption. After the child is born it is adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Paully, but when they leave with the baby, Betty grows hysterical and races after them out into the street. Betty narrowly avoids being struck by a car driven by a kindly minister, who upon hearing Betty's plea for the return of her baby, follows and catches up with the Paullys. Impressed by Betty's dedication and moved by her plight, the Paullys suggest that Betty and her baby come and live with them and a relieved Betty agrees.
Director
William A. Doniger
Cast
Norma Moore
Robert Vaughn
Diana Darrin
Billie Bird
Jeanne Cooper
Ron Hargrave
Kathleen Hughes
Sam Buffington
Claire Carleton
Collette Jackson
Ken Lynch
Dorothy Adams
Ralph Gamble
Timothy Carey
Crew
Chuck Arrico
Jack R. Berne
Anson Bond
Anson Bond
Hal Brandle
Neil Brunnenkant
Ron Hargrave
Maurice Horn
Bob Justman
Joseph Justman
Molly Kent
Joseph Kish
Pauline Lewis
David Milton
Lou Moss
Ted Mossman
Alden Nash
Emil Newman
Lee Osborne
Philip Scheer
Charles Schelling
Kay Shea
Jack Solomon
James West
Lothrop Worth
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of the film was Teen-Age Mother. A November 1957 Hollywood Reporter news item indicated that Jus Addiss would be directing the film, but Addiss' contribution to the final film, if any, has not been determined. The newspaper promotion for the film described the story as telling "the candid truth about our most shocking teen problem!" and featured statistics purportedly taken from the LA Mirror-News which claimed that in one six-month period, one health clinic had in its care 366 unwed mothers with an average age of fifteen. The Hollywood Reporter review criticized the film for inaccurately depicting a maternity home as also an adoption agency.
