Cute little eight-year old Rhoda Penmark (Patty McCormack), with the long blonde pigtails and big blue eyes, seems like any typical child her age. She always wears dresses, is polite, and even curtsies. Rhoda can even roller skate. But anyone that crosses her the wrong way is in danger, danger for his life. Rhoda is not beyond lying, cheating, or murdering. The scratchy-voiced, strained and suspicious mother Christine (Nancy Kelly) suspects that she herself was adopted into the nice Bravo family from a family of criminals. Is it possible that she has passed on her evil genes to Rhoda? After all, the amoral child has no conscience: she can readily read a child's book right after causing a drowning or she can play a musical piece on the piano after causing someone to burn to death.
The Bad Seed may have been a bit talky and theatrical as it was adopted from a Broadway play with many of the original actors. For instance, ten-year old Patty McCormack reprised her role. Nevertheless it can be a bit unnerving for any parent of a young child who wonders how she will turn out. The subject matter is so difficult and the tension so obvious that the film director had the cast take bows after the movie's end. Both Patty McCormack and Eileen Heckart deservedly received Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
By the way, what does the Nordic-looking Patty McCormack have in common with Cathy Carr, Dodie Stevens, Little Peggy March, Penny Marshall, and Bernadette Peters? The answer is that they are all Italian-Americans. Patty McCormack was born Patricia Ellen Russo in Brooklyn, New York.
The Bad Seed may have been a bit talky and theatrical as it was adopted from a Broadway play with many of the original actors. For instance, ten-year old Patty McCormack reprised her role. Nevertheless it can be a bit unnerving for any parent of a young child who wonders how she will turn out. The subject matter is so difficult and the tension so obvious that the film director had the cast take bows after the movie's end. Both Patty McCormack and Eileen Heckart deservedly received Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
By the way, what does the Nordic-looking Patty McCormack have in common with Cathy Carr, Dodie Stevens, Little Peggy March, Penny Marshall, and Bernadette Peters? The answer is that they are all Italian-Americans. Patty McCormack was born Patricia Ellen Russo in Brooklyn, New York.