After a 20-year asylum stay for a double ax murder, suspicion arises about Lucy Harbin's behavior as she returns to her daughter Carol, who is engaged to marry Michael Fields. Soon, heads be... Read allAfter a 20-year asylum stay for a double ax murder, suspicion arises about Lucy Harbin's behavior as she returns to her daughter Carol, who is engaged to marry Michael Fields. Soon, heads begin to roll again. Is Lucy repeating her past?After a 20-year asylum stay for a double ax murder, suspicion arises about Lucy Harbin's behavior as she returns to her daughter Carol, who is engaged to marry Michael Fields. Soon, heads begin to roll again. Is Lucy repeating her past?
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Carol Harbin - Age 3
- (uncredited)
- Stella Fulton
- (uncredited)
- Second Little Girl
- (uncredited)
- First Little Girl
- (uncredited)
- Beautician
- (uncredited)
- Frank Harbin
- (uncredited)
- Shoe Clerk
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFeature-film debut of Lee Majors, who plays the small role of Lucy Harbin's (Joan Crawford's) husband in the flashback scene. He got the part when his good friend Rock Hudson asked William Castle to please find a job for the 23-year-old actor.
- GoofsThe steering wheel of the car in which Joan Crawford and Diane Baker are riding is a dark color. When they get out of the car, a white steering wheel can be seen through the windshield.
- Quotes
Carol Harbin: I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! No I didn't mean that, I love you. I hate you!
- Crazy creditsThe Columbia Pictures logo at the end of the film has the Torch Lady's head chopped off and placed at her feet, and her torch light extinguished.
- ConnectionsEdited into Battle-Axe: The Making of 'Strait-Jacket' (2002)
- SoundtracksThere Goes That Song Again
(Written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn)
Written for the film Carolina Blues (1944) (1944) and performed by Harry Babbitt and Kay Kyser's orchestra.
But they didn't call her a star for nothing: not only does Crawford manage to carry it off with complete conviction, she actually manages to endow the character with considerable pathos along the way. And I have absolutely no doubt that THIS was the film Faye Dunaway studied the most when preparing to play Crawford in the infamous MOMMIE DEAREST; watch both back-to-back and you'll know exactly what I mean.
The rest of the cast is pretty interesting as well, featuring Diane Baker as daughter Carol, Leif Erickson as Crawford's brother, George Kennedy as an unsavory farmhand, and a very young Lee Majors as the ill-fated husband--not to mention Mitchell Cox, a Pepsi V.P. Joan was favoring at the time. There are cheap special effects (amazing, how she can neatly lop off a head or two with a single blow), Pepsi-Cola product placements, and even some dialogue that would do Ed Woods proud. It's all campy and bizarre and hilariously weird and ramped up to the nth degree by Crawford's full-force performance.
With a somewhat better script and production values, STRAIT-JACKET could easily have matched Bette Davis' more sophisticated HUSH, HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE; as it stands, however, it is a cult movie in all caps. The DVD release is very nicely done, with the film itself in excellent condition. A collection of Crawford's costume tests gives a surprising insight to actress' personality, and a particularly nice little making-of documentary includes comments from Diane Baker. (Note: don't watch the documentary, called "Battle-Ax," until after you've seen the film: it's a spoiler.) Strongly recommended to Castle, Cult, and Crawford fans! Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Straightjacket
- Filming locations
- 4600 Crestmore Road, Riverside, California, USA(Fields' house)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $550,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $124
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1