79 - CARROLL BAKER AND KARL MALDEN

CARROLL BAKER AND KARL MALDEN Scene from Elia Kazan’s film *Baby Doll* (based on the play and screenplay by Tennessee Williams), 1956. Photograph, vintage silver print, credits below the image, stamped and annotated on the back. 20.2 x 25.7 cm including edges. Note: Carroll Baker plays Baby Doll Meighan, a nineteen-year-old woman married to Archie Lee, a bankrupt owner of a cotton gin played by Karl Malden. In accordance with a promise made to the young woman’s father, their marriage is not to be consummated until her twentieth birthday, which is now imminent. The arrival of Silva Vacarro, Archie’s rival played by Eli Wallach, exacerbates the frustrations, jealousy, and power dynamics within the couple. Written by Tennessee Williams based on his one-act play *27 Wagons Full of Cotton*, this social drama with hints of Southern Gothic caused a resounding scandal: despite receiving a "Visa" rating, it was condemned by the American Legion of Decency.