This film is a about a guy named Whit Whittier, (William Campbell) who is really playing the role of Caryl Chessman who wrote this book and is a person who has a long wrap sheet full of crime and eventually winds up on Death Row in San Quentin Prison, California. Whit grew up in a nice family in California and had a good home and a great mom and dad who loved him very much. However, Whit had his own ideas and decided to steal and got caught in almost everything he did and spent a great deal of time behind bars. As soon as Whit was released from prison he would join up with another bunch of crooks and face another jail sentence. He had a blonde sweetheart named Doll, (Marion Carr) who loved him and was faithful to him whenever he needed her help and love. There was a crime being committed by a man who was called the Lovers Lane Vandit who would creep up and attack young women who were with their boyfriends on a date and rape them. After awhile people began to suspect Whit Whittier as the man committing these crimes and he was then arrested and sent to prison. This is a true to life story about a man called Caryl Chessman who was killed on death row in 1960.
18 Reviews
A Date with Death
sol-kay22 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILERS** Based on the book with the same name "Cell 2455 Death Row" has to do with career criminal and self-thought lawyer Caryl Chessman known in the movie as Whit Whittier played by a Tony Curtis looking William Campbell.
It's July 30, 1954 and Whittier has less then 24 hours to live as he's scheduled to be strapped into San Quentin's infamous gas chamber at exactly 9:30 AM the next morning. It's then that Whittier reflects back on his life and especially the notorious "Red Light Bandit" crimes that put him on death row. We get to see the story of a young man growing up in the Great Depression who turned to crime because he felt that was the only thing that he excels in.
As it turned out Whittier's career in crime was anything but spectacular in him ending up behind bars for longer periods of time then he was a free man. It was in early 1948 while Whittier was out on parole that he was arrested for a series of robberies in L.A that shocked not only the state of California but the entire nation: The Red Light Bandit Crimes. Whittier was not only accused of robbing couples who were smooching in local L.A lovers lanes but also abducting the young women and then raping and sodomizing them! If Whittier was just tried for what the law demanded for the crimes he committed he would have been long forgotten about. What made the case so unusual was that the D.A who indited Whittier used the obscure technicality of the Little Lindbergh Law, a person being injured during a kidnapping, to have him given the death sentence if he were convicted!
Not trusting any attorney to defend him Whittier choose to defend himself which, with his brash and arrogant attitude, very probably lead to his conviction. It was while on death row that Whittier educated himself in the law and thus used the law to his advantage! In fact better then any of the top and highest paid criminal lawyers in the United States! As Whittier fought off execution date after execution date behind bars he became a Cause Caleb against the death penalty not only in the United States but the entire Western Industrialized World!
The film "Cell 2455 Death Row" concentrated mostly on Whittier life before he was sent to death row which were a number of petty robberies and, which I feel were put into the movie just to spice it up, shootouts with the police. We also see that Whittier was a very smooth operator when it came to the fairer sex in having girlfriends who were more then willing to put up with him despite his abusive attitude and actions towards them. The film ends with a big question mark in Whittier getting another one of his many stays of execution just moments before he was supposed to be executed by the State of California.
In real life Whittier or Caryl Chessman whom he actually was in the film held on for six more years on death row until his luck finally ran out on the morning of May 2, 1960 when he was finally, after eight failed attempts by the courts, executed in San Quentin's gas chamber. Even then Chessman, at the last moment, was granted another stay of execution by the courts but it came in just has the cyanide pills were being dropped making it impossible for him to be saved without a number of those witnessing his execution from being gassed along with him.
P.S Even though the makers of "Cell 2455 Death Row" substituted the name Whittier for Chassman in the film his name was seen in the opening credits as the author of the book-Cell 2455 Death Row-that the film was based on. It's also interesting to note that Whittier was actually Caryl Chessman's middle name! Something that the makers of the movie obviously knew while most of those watching it didn't!
It's July 30, 1954 and Whittier has less then 24 hours to live as he's scheduled to be strapped into San Quentin's infamous gas chamber at exactly 9:30 AM the next morning. It's then that Whittier reflects back on his life and especially the notorious "Red Light Bandit" crimes that put him on death row. We get to see the story of a young man growing up in the Great Depression who turned to crime because he felt that was the only thing that he excels in.
As it turned out Whittier's career in crime was anything but spectacular in him ending up behind bars for longer periods of time then he was a free man. It was in early 1948 while Whittier was out on parole that he was arrested for a series of robberies in L.A that shocked not only the state of California but the entire nation: The Red Light Bandit Crimes. Whittier was not only accused of robbing couples who were smooching in local L.A lovers lanes but also abducting the young women and then raping and sodomizing them! If Whittier was just tried for what the law demanded for the crimes he committed he would have been long forgotten about. What made the case so unusual was that the D.A who indited Whittier used the obscure technicality of the Little Lindbergh Law, a person being injured during a kidnapping, to have him given the death sentence if he were convicted!
Not trusting any attorney to defend him Whittier choose to defend himself which, with his brash and arrogant attitude, very probably lead to his conviction. It was while on death row that Whittier educated himself in the law and thus used the law to his advantage! In fact better then any of the top and highest paid criminal lawyers in the United States! As Whittier fought off execution date after execution date behind bars he became a Cause Caleb against the death penalty not only in the United States but the entire Western Industrialized World!
The film "Cell 2455 Death Row" concentrated mostly on Whittier life before he was sent to death row which were a number of petty robberies and, which I feel were put into the movie just to spice it up, shootouts with the police. We also see that Whittier was a very smooth operator when it came to the fairer sex in having girlfriends who were more then willing to put up with him despite his abusive attitude and actions towards them. The film ends with a big question mark in Whittier getting another one of his many stays of execution just moments before he was supposed to be executed by the State of California.
In real life Whittier or Caryl Chessman whom he actually was in the film held on for six more years on death row until his luck finally ran out on the morning of May 2, 1960 when he was finally, after eight failed attempts by the courts, executed in San Quentin's gas chamber. Even then Chessman, at the last moment, was granted another stay of execution by the courts but it came in just has the cyanide pills were being dropped making it impossible for him to be saved without a number of those witnessing his execution from being gassed along with him.
P.S Even though the makers of "Cell 2455 Death Row" substituted the name Whittier for Chassman in the film his name was seen in the opening credits as the author of the book-Cell 2455 Death Row-that the film was based on. It's also interesting to note that Whittier was actually Caryl Chessman's middle name! Something that the makers of the movie obviously knew while most of those watching it didn't!
"What stage does a wayward boy turn into a delinquent?"
Hey_Sweden23 July 2017
Simply told, unsentimental tale inspired by the book, and real-life story, of Caryl Chessman. Having seen his father unable to cope with poverty, he grows up into a sneering punk, defiant of all authority. The incorrigible boy soon becomes a career criminal, spending time in and out of prison. Then he is accused of a series of "red light" sex crimes, and earns the death penalty for two of them. He then spends his time on death row reading up on the law, and trying to put off the inevitable with his various appeals.
This is a good B level treatment of this story which benefits from not really trying to make Whit Whittier (as he is named in the movie) sympathetic. Rather, it doesn't shy away from the utter ruthlessness and brazenness of his crimes. The point of the story is, did he in fact commit these sex crimes of which he was accused? And did he not have a right to exhaust every legal avenue available to him?
Actor William Campbell, a veteran of both A and B features, does well in this starring vehicle, displaying some charisma and screen presence. His real life younger brother R. Wright Campbell (who, in the subsequent years, embarked upon a successful career as a screenwriter) plays Whit as a younger man. The cast is quite good, overall: Marian Carr, the luscious Kathryn Grant, Harvey Stephens, Vince Edwards, Bart Braverman, Paul Dubov, Buck Kartalian, and others.
The short running time (77 minutes) gives evidence to storytelling (screenplay by Jack DeWitt, direction by Fred F. Sears) that is efficient and to the point. There are some good action scenes, and the atmosphere is potent.
Chessmans' tale was ongoing at the time of the movies' release, although his luck would finally run out several years later. Alan Alda later played the character in a 1977 TV movie, 'Kill Me if You Can'.
Seven out of 10.
This is a good B level treatment of this story which benefits from not really trying to make Whit Whittier (as he is named in the movie) sympathetic. Rather, it doesn't shy away from the utter ruthlessness and brazenness of his crimes. The point of the story is, did he in fact commit these sex crimes of which he was accused? And did he not have a right to exhaust every legal avenue available to him?
Actor William Campbell, a veteran of both A and B features, does well in this starring vehicle, displaying some charisma and screen presence. His real life younger brother R. Wright Campbell (who, in the subsequent years, embarked upon a successful career as a screenwriter) plays Whit as a younger man. The cast is quite good, overall: Marian Carr, the luscious Kathryn Grant, Harvey Stephens, Vince Edwards, Bart Braverman, Paul Dubov, Buck Kartalian, and others.
The short running time (77 minutes) gives evidence to storytelling (screenplay by Jack DeWitt, direction by Fred F. Sears) that is efficient and to the point. There are some good action scenes, and the atmosphere is potent.
Chessmans' tale was ongoing at the time of the movies' release, although his luck would finally run out several years later. Alan Alda later played the character in a 1977 TV movie, 'Kill Me if You Can'.
Seven out of 10.
another incredible crazy-paced wonder
alicepaul9 December 2004
I am always amazed at how well hidden small jewels like Cell 2455 Death Row are. This is an important film, not only because it was based on the prison autobiography of Caryl Chessman, the notorious Red-Light Bandit who briefly haunted lovers lanes in post-war L.A but because he became the cause-celebre of the anti-death penalty movement. It's also a high-octane film that attempts to fairly portray the prison system of the day. William Campbell brings a measure of intelligence to the role of the condemned killer. We bear witness to his evolution as crook and (if you believe the crimes that led to the death sentence were his) sex fiend. All in all a snappy little effort.
Can't root for this self-educated man
ripplinbuckethead2 September 2019
True story of Caryl Chessman, here under the name "Whit" Whittier (Whittier being Chessman's real middle name), played by William Campbell, a juvenile delinquent who got worse and worse and worse... He eventually ends up in death row, where we are introduced to him, and his life up to that point is recounted.
Campbell does a nice job here, if not a little hammy at times. (but that's just the way he is naturally, it seems) There are other familiar faces and everyone does well, but this is really Campbell's time to shine. Knowing the events were real, the movie being based on Chessman's book of the same name, it was interesting to follow, especially knowing his became his own lawyer and basically added years to his life by studying law books.
Interestingly, this movie came out while he was on death row and is based on the first of four books he'd write, so things were still very much up in the air in the end! His wiki article is worth a look if you want to know how things turned out for him. Overall, this was pretty good. Definitely engaging. Certainly not one of those movies where you kinda secretly cheer for the fictional bad guy inside (know what I mean?), though, as he was a real, really bad guy.
Campbell does a nice job here, if not a little hammy at times. (but that's just the way he is naturally, it seems) There are other familiar faces and everyone does well, but this is really Campbell's time to shine. Knowing the events were real, the movie being based on Chessman's book of the same name, it was interesting to follow, especially knowing his became his own lawyer and basically added years to his life by studying law books.
Interestingly, this movie came out while he was on death row and is based on the first of four books he'd write, so things were still very much up in the air in the end! His wiki article is worth a look if you want to know how things turned out for him. Overall, this was pretty good. Definitely engaging. Certainly not one of those movies where you kinda secretly cheer for the fictional bad guy inside (know what I mean?), though, as he was a real, really bad guy.
Loathsome little punk
bkoganbing8 September 2012
Warning: Spoilers
There is a great tendency to both review the subject as well as the film when doing a biographical film. In the case of Caryl Chessman we're dealing with a loathsome little punk known as Whit Whittier in the film so they could take some liberties with the facts and not get sued. I have no doubt that Chessman was guilty as sin for most of what he did. But the law in which he was convicted where it was never actually proved that death resulted by his hands or cooperation with those who might have done the death deed was specious and eventually declared unconstitutional.
Caryl Chessman who participated in all kinds of crimes eventually graduated to sex offender as the 'Red Light Bandit' known for shining a red flashlight into cars, pretending to be law enforcement, and then having his way with women passengers. He varied his modus operandi somewhat from case to case, he may have been charged with some things he actually didn't do. He did the colossally stupid thing of representing himself in court and paid for it.
His struggle with the criminal justice system went on for almost a decade before he died in California's gas chamber after the action of this film concluded. He needed a constitutional lawyer and didn't get one.
As is seen in the film Chessman's notoriety and loathsomeness did him in. William Campbell who played a lot of punk types in his salad days excels here. But the story would be better told and under his real name by Alan Alda a generation later.
Caryl Chessman who participated in all kinds of crimes eventually graduated to sex offender as the 'Red Light Bandit' known for shining a red flashlight into cars, pretending to be law enforcement, and then having his way with women passengers. He varied his modus operandi somewhat from case to case, he may have been charged with some things he actually didn't do. He did the colossally stupid thing of representing himself in court and paid for it.
His struggle with the criminal justice system went on for almost a decade before he died in California's gas chamber after the action of this film concluded. He needed a constitutional lawyer and didn't get one.
As is seen in the film Chessman's notoriety and loathsomeness did him in. William Campbell who played a lot of punk types in his salad days excels here. But the story would be better told and under his real name by Alan Alda a generation later.
"Warden, why do they have to kill me?"
classicsoncall25 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The picture goes on to answer the question posed by Whit Whittier (William Campbell) in my summary line above. Whittier is the name assigned to the principal character in the film, a stand in for real life criminal Caryl Chessman who's autobiography formed the basis for this movie. The picture briefly traces Whittier's impoverished youth with an eye toward trying to answer his unspoken thoughts on how he landed on Death Row. It's almost a standard narrative on how a young punk starts out by taking up with similar minded thugs, gradually moving up to the gangster life via exposure to harsher forms of incarceration - "The tougher it gets, the better I like it" he proclaims at one point.
A lot of the dialog in the early part of the picture is rather atrocious, though actor William Campbell exudes the kind of punk malice one would expect in a film of this sort. James Dean might have been well suited for the Whittier role however he died the same year this movie was released. A modern remake of the story might be well suited for somebody like Charlie Sheen who Campbell appeared to resemble in a handful of scenes, though Sheen is probably too old now for a role like this. But he's got the bad boy part pretty well down pat.
By the time the picture's over it's not too much of a mystery why Whittier's on Death Row, even if he couldn't figure it out himself. Considering how resourceful he turned out to be in prison by learning the law and using it to his advantage, one wonders why he couldn't have used the opportunity earlier in life to make something more of himself. It's one of those imponderable questions life sometimes presents that has no defining answer.
A lot of the dialog in the early part of the picture is rather atrocious, though actor William Campbell exudes the kind of punk malice one would expect in a film of this sort. James Dean might have been well suited for the Whittier role however he died the same year this movie was released. A modern remake of the story might be well suited for somebody like Charlie Sheen who Campbell appeared to resemble in a handful of scenes, though Sheen is probably too old now for a role like this. But he's got the bad boy part pretty well down pat.
By the time the picture's over it's not too much of a mystery why Whittier's on Death Row, even if he couldn't figure it out himself. Considering how resourceful he turned out to be in prison by learning the law and using it to his advantage, one wonders why he couldn't have used the opportunity earlier in life to make something more of himself. It's one of those imponderable questions life sometimes presents that has no defining answer.
"Cell 2455 Death Row" was controversial low-budget film
chuck-reilly26 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
In today's system of justice, Caryl Chessman would've been given 5-10 years maximum for his crimes. Unfortunately for him, back in the 1950s in California, rape was a capital offense and Governor Pat Brown (Jerry's father) turned down Chessman's appeals and sent him to the gas chamber. "Cell 2455 Death Row" is based on Chessman's best-selling book and first hand account of his life behind bars leading up to his execution. In this film, William Campbell plays him as "Whit Whittier." Campbell was a very capable actor in his day who ended up playing mostly heavies mainly because he possessed one of the best "sneers" in Hollywood. The film is fast-paced, like the real Chessman's typing skills, and has a distinct aura of sensationalism and exploitation attached to it. But that's not a bad thing. It was merely the standard style of director Fred F. Sears who specialized in low-budget westerns and film noir. He put his directorial abilities to good use in this film and made a lasting impression for many viewers.
In the end, Caryl Chessman became the poster boy for the anti-Death Penalty movement, but his status of infamy didn't last long. As others followed him, the public soon put his story on the back-burner and returned to the more pressing issues of the day. As for Campbell, he's still around and does some occasional acting. He's even played a few "good guys" during the latter stages of his career. The Boston-born Sears suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 44 and died much too young. The late Vince Edwards ("Ben Casey") can be seen in a small role if one takes the time to notice. "Cell 2455 Death Row" was a minor hit in its day, but it didn't catapult William Campbell to stardom despite his very good performance.
In the end, Caryl Chessman became the poster boy for the anti-Death Penalty movement, but his status of infamy didn't last long. As others followed him, the public soon put his story on the back-burner and returned to the more pressing issues of the day. As for Campbell, he's still around and does some occasional acting. He's even played a few "good guys" during the latter stages of his career. The Boston-born Sears suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 44 and died much too young. The late Vince Edwards ("Ben Casey") can be seen in a small role if one takes the time to notice. "Cell 2455 Death Row" was a minor hit in its day, but it didn't catapult William Campbell to stardom despite his very good performance.
Fast paced noir with ample car chases.
Fella_shibby31 March 2022
Disappointing Take on Caryl Chessman's Story
Handlinghandel22 January 2008
William Campbell plays and narrates this movie with a sneer. He isn't a bad actor. He looks like Elvis Presley -- and I note he played his brother in an early Elvis vehicle. I don't think he looks much like Caryl Chessman. But that's Irrelevant: What disappointed me is that Chessan's story is sold short by the screenwriter and by director Sears.
Fred F. Sears had no equal in grinding out down and dirty little films noir in the fifties. I think the problem is that the topic required more than that: Chessman was a lightning rod. Everyone knew his story. I'm not saying a "Birdman of Alcatraz" approach would have been better. And probably there was trouble with the rights to the actual story.
Still, this doesn't convey the importance of Chessman's role in criminal law. It's not a boring movie. But it falls far short of what it could have been.
Fred F. Sears had no equal in grinding out down and dirty little films noir in the fifties. I think the problem is that the topic required more than that: Chessman was a lightning rod. Everyone knew his story. I'm not saying a "Birdman of Alcatraz" approach would have been better. And probably there was trouble with the rights to the actual story.
Still, this doesn't convey the importance of Chessman's role in criminal law. It's not a boring movie. But it falls far short of what it could have been.
Tough, direct, and totally unsympathetic...
moonspinner5513 January 2008
Fred F. Sears directed this adaptation of Death Row inmate Caryl Chessman's memoirs of being the first criminal ever to be sentenced to death without actually murdering anyone (he fell under the Little Lindbergh Law, kidnapping with bodily harm to the victim). For unexplained reasons, screenwriter Jack DeWitt has changed Chessman's name here to Whit Whittier (!), but the film pulls no punches in detailing his crimes, from boyhood to hard-bitten adult. These episodes, in and out of the slammer, are like a textbook for pulpy B-movies, yet Sears never gets glossy (this is no film-noir). Still, the hammering we get is exhausting (even at 75 minutes, the picture feels lengthy). Crime-buffs will be impressed; others not enamored of the genre might get restless. Vince Edwards has a small part as one of Whittier's later cohorts, six years before his TV fame as "Ben Casey" (and he never gets a close-up!). ** from ****
Brilliant, Overlooked Film
wdixon29 September 2003
Brutal, fast moving crime thriller from deeply underrated director Fred F. Sears, who cranked out numerous westerns, crime thrillers, science fiction, comedy, horror, and musical features for producer Sam Katzman in the 1950s. This film isn't available on DVD or VHS, and more's the pity; it's easily better than most of the Don Siegel, Andre de Toth, or Budd Boetticher crime films of that era. Why Sears has never gotten the respect he deserves is easy to understand; he also directed junk, like THE GIANT CLAW. But his best known films, including ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK and EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS with superb effects by Ray Harryhausen are remarkable accomplishments, and Sears is long overdue for a career retro.
Sympathy ends with his family issues.
mark.waltz24 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
A very well written account of a death row inmate you're not supposed to root for (an emotion that rarely works well in movies) but understand for the psychology of their personality flaws and sociopathic behavior. William Campbell plays the fictional Whit Whittier who is loosely based on the actual criminal Caryl Chessman, writing his own story on death row and becoming a best selling author before being gassed.
If you take this as his last confession and attempt to atone, then it works as a character study, but only as the analogy of the metaphorical rotten egg that has no value in being consumed. Whittier is pretty rotten, progressively getting worse as he goes to prison, gets released, commits another crime, goes to another pen, gets his chance on a work farm, escapes, and becomes an even more ruthless criminal.
His crimes easily could have gotten him killed by the mob (as evidenced when he robs an illegal gambling joint run by the unforgettable Eleanor Audley, and later a gambling racketeer in their office), but he survives to see another day, becoming more bold and cocky with each crime. He becomes even more arrogant in court, defending himself and proving that he has an idiot for a client, a complete liar.
Campbell is excellent in showing no regret for his actions, and in court blinks constantly as if suffering from some sort of nervous tic possibly through brain damage. If this serves any purpose, it's to show an order in legal process in regards to death row cases before they became a rare sentence. The desire to see a stay of execution for the audience becomes frustrating because it leaves the story open, only to require research to discover how the real Chessman's story came to an end. Had they waited until then, this could have been a classic.
If you take this as his last confession and attempt to atone, then it works as a character study, but only as the analogy of the metaphorical rotten egg that has no value in being consumed. Whittier is pretty rotten, progressively getting worse as he goes to prison, gets released, commits another crime, goes to another pen, gets his chance on a work farm, escapes, and becomes an even more ruthless criminal.
His crimes easily could have gotten him killed by the mob (as evidenced when he robs an illegal gambling joint run by the unforgettable Eleanor Audley, and later a gambling racketeer in their office), but he survives to see another day, becoming more bold and cocky with each crime. He becomes even more arrogant in court, defending himself and proving that he has an idiot for a client, a complete liar.
Campbell is excellent in showing no regret for his actions, and in court blinks constantly as if suffering from some sort of nervous tic possibly through brain damage. If this serves any purpose, it's to show an order in legal process in regards to death row cases before they became a rare sentence. The desire to see a stay of execution for the audience becomes frustrating because it leaves the story open, only to require research to discover how the real Chessman's story came to an end. Had they waited until then, this could have been a classic.
Better Than Expected
billcr1217 September 2021
I finished the book today and the movie is an extremely accurate adaptation of it. Caryl Chessman was a career criminal caught up in a world of hatred. He admitted to many crimes, even those he was never charged with. Witness id's are notoriously inaccurate and the initial description of the suspect was 5-5 to 5-9 and 150-170 pounds and Chessman was six feet and 195 pounds. The rapist was also said to have a foreign accent and have a scar on his face. He very well may have been executed as the wrong man. The film noir style is typical of a 1955 release. At under 90 minutes, it moves quickly with no wasted moments. The lead actor looks nothing like Chessman but he is believable as the self assured inmate and writer. I recommend reading the riveting book before watching the movie. It is a film worth seeing.
A big surprise to me
petelush11 September 2012
Warning: Spoilers
****MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***** I just finished watching Cell 2455; it was shown on TCM the other night (September 2012). Wow--not what I was expecting, not cheesy, not cliché ridden, but well acted, exciting, and amazingly of all, the protagonist's voice-over is far from boring. I well remember Chessman's case; Governor Brown (father of incumbent CA governor) finally permitted the execution, in 1960, I think it was. The movie was made before then so the "hero's" fate is left hanging. There are some very interesting legal aspects briefly touched upon in the film. For one thing, they executed a non-murderer (my coinage!). Under CA's "LIttle Lindbergh Law" (little because there was a federal similar statute), injury to a kidnap victim can warrant the death penalty. As the criminal complains, what kind of "kidnaping" involves moving the victim (the women he raped, at least one into insanity) only a few steps? Note: New York's highest court ruled, in the 50s or 60s, their kidnap statute did NOT cover moving a victim a short distance in aid of another motivating crime such as robbery (victim was driven around a bit in a car and robbed).
Another strange aspect was that the trial court reporter died before transcribing his shorthand notes. At a hearing the head of a national association of certified shorthand court reporters testified the notes were unreadable by anybody but their original (now deceased) writer. Chessman lost the hearing nonetheless, and had to appeal on a transcript made by a substitute reporter.
Chessman published three or four memoirs before execution. The first one -- the eponymous title -- got him huge publicity. In my long experience with crime and Liberals, let me just say a favorite "victim" of anti-capital punishment people is the brutal criminal who can write decent books. (Recall Jack Henry Abbott, a two-time killer championed by Normal Mailer for his prison writing. Mailer's influence helped him get parole; within a year or so he killed a harmless waiter in an alley fight. So there's no mistaking my beliefs, I do not blame Mailer for Abbott's release: that was the responsibility of the New York Parole Board. Mailer eventually expressed contrition for his role.)
Chessman dragged out his execution for about twelve years from sentence to asphyxiation in the gas chamber. This was a remarkable feat, because in those days-- 1948-1960--there were nowhere near as many tricks and tips, dodges and feints, to drag out executions as there are now. Chessman was mainly responsible for fighting and winning his own legal battles along the way. I think I read his IQ was 140 or thereabouts.
One last oddity: the introducer of the film on TCM said they changed the name of the character from Chessman to avoid legal entanglements (with his family? victims?). That seemed plausible until the opening credits, which featured a big blow-up of the dust jacket of Chessman's book, obviously identifying him as the subject of the film. Prior to that, a credit said it was based on his book. Yet there was, in tiny type, the usual "no persons living or dead, etc.". You can't beat these Hollywood studio lawyers.
Another strange aspect was that the trial court reporter died before transcribing his shorthand notes. At a hearing the head of a national association of certified shorthand court reporters testified the notes were unreadable by anybody but their original (now deceased) writer. Chessman lost the hearing nonetheless, and had to appeal on a transcript made by a substitute reporter.
Chessman published three or four memoirs before execution. The first one -- the eponymous title -- got him huge publicity. In my long experience with crime and Liberals, let me just say a favorite "victim" of anti-capital punishment people is the brutal criminal who can write decent books. (Recall Jack Henry Abbott, a two-time killer championed by Normal Mailer for his prison writing. Mailer's influence helped him get parole; within a year or so he killed a harmless waiter in an alley fight. So there's no mistaking my beliefs, I do not blame Mailer for Abbott's release: that was the responsibility of the New York Parole Board. Mailer eventually expressed contrition for his role.)
Chessman dragged out his execution for about twelve years from sentence to asphyxiation in the gas chamber. This was a remarkable feat, because in those days-- 1948-1960--there were nowhere near as many tricks and tips, dodges and feints, to drag out executions as there are now. Chessman was mainly responsible for fighting and winning his own legal battles along the way. I think I read his IQ was 140 or thereabouts.
One last oddity: the introducer of the film on TCM said they changed the name of the character from Chessman to avoid legal entanglements (with his family? victims?). That seemed plausible until the opening credits, which featured a big blow-up of the dust jacket of Chessman's book, obviously identifying him as the subject of the film. Prior to that, a credit said it was based on his book. Yet there was, in tiny type, the usual "no persons living or dead, etc.". You can't beat these Hollywood studio lawyers.
Kathryn Grant steals the car and the show
TheFearmakers18 April 2021
William Campbell plays it snarky, sneaky, cocky and blocky enough to be a young James Cagney in a homage of those 1930's gangster biopics...
And Campbell, as real life death row inmate/author Caryl Chessman changed to fictional Whit Whittier, has the perfect casting in his younger reckless youth in actual little brother Robert Campbell in some of the best scenes, setting up a life of adult crime with teenage car theft in that there's full-lipped hot rod moll Kathryn Grant with short yet important screen time, eventually switching dame-gears to Marian Carr, waiting for her grown-up career criminal Whittier to come home.
The action packed bravado flows nicely from one set of scores to the next, and eventually includes future star Vince Edwards as one of the many partners-in-crime (also including Joe Turkel, Jonathan Haze and Paul Dubov)...
Sometimes b-movie director Fred F. Sears rushes through what should be more fleshed-out, like a stint at Folsom using stock footage, but what the future death rower does on the outside (narrated as he speaks to the warden) is what matters...
Too bad the 11th hour enigmatically-shot sequences of a Lover's Lane Killer, who may or may not be our likeable yet completely no-good lowlife, only adds to the now oblivious agenda to get the real guy (who'd die five years later in 1960) from the gas chamber...
Basically, CELL 2455, DEATH ROW was a better action-packed Film Noir than biopic melodrama.
And Campbell, as real life death row inmate/author Caryl Chessman changed to fictional Whit Whittier, has the perfect casting in his younger reckless youth in actual little brother Robert Campbell in some of the best scenes, setting up a life of adult crime with teenage car theft in that there's full-lipped hot rod moll Kathryn Grant with short yet important screen time, eventually switching dame-gears to Marian Carr, waiting for her grown-up career criminal Whittier to come home.
The action packed bravado flows nicely from one set of scores to the next, and eventually includes future star Vince Edwards as one of the many partners-in-crime (also including Joe Turkel, Jonathan Haze and Paul Dubov)...
Sometimes b-movie director Fred F. Sears rushes through what should be more fleshed-out, like a stint at Folsom using stock footage, but what the future death rower does on the outside (narrated as he speaks to the warden) is what matters...
Too bad the 11th hour enigmatically-shot sequences of a Lover's Lane Killer, who may or may not be our likeable yet completely no-good lowlife, only adds to the now oblivious agenda to get the real guy (who'd die five years later in 1960) from the gas chamber...
Basically, CELL 2455, DEATH ROW was a better action-packed Film Noir than biopic melodrama.
Just Plain Grim
dougdoepke10 November 2012
Lurid account of Caryl Chessman's criminal career at a time when his book was big on newstands. One thing for sure—there's no attempt in the film to glamorize or soft-peddle what appears to be a thoroughly nasty personality. Rarely, in fact, has any movie of the period made its leading man so dislikable. Campbell is quite good as the cocky young punk who goes from thievery to penny-ante stick-ups to ripping off organized crime to lover's lane rapist.
The movie itself is so uncompromisingly grim as to be off-putting. There's no effort at relieving the cheap criminality with character development or snatches of humor. The screenplay does have more fast car chases and shenanigans than a NASCAR rally, while some are darn near hair-raising. Look early on for a young Kathryn Grant and before she started up the Hollywood ladder. All in all, the movie's little more than a cheap exploitation flick with few redeeming features outside of being fast-paced.
(In passing-- Chessman's appeals luck finally ran out in May, 1960, but not before attracting support from a number of celebrities ,e.g. Steve Allen, impressed by Chessman's literary talents. Then too as incorrigible as he was, he hadn't killed anyone. Nonetheless, I don't recall much public concern when he finally got a whiff of San Quentin's lethal fumes.)
The movie itself is so uncompromisingly grim as to be off-putting. There's no effort at relieving the cheap criminality with character development or snatches of humor. The screenplay does have more fast car chases and shenanigans than a NASCAR rally, while some are darn near hair-raising. Look early on for a young Kathryn Grant and before she started up the Hollywood ladder. All in all, the movie's little more than a cheap exploitation flick with few redeeming features outside of being fast-paced.
(In passing-- Chessman's appeals luck finally ran out in May, 1960, but not before attracting support from a number of celebrities ,e.g. Steve Allen, impressed by Chessman's literary talents. Then too as incorrigible as he was, he hadn't killed anyone. Nonetheless, I don't recall much public concern when he finally got a whiff of San Quentin's lethal fumes.)
Kid goes bad and stays bad
jarrodmcdonald-113 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Some low-budget crime flicks are forgettable but this production from Columbia Pictures' B-film unit is one that should be remembered. It features a strong central performance by William Campbell as real-life crook Caryl Chessman. William's younger brother Robert Campbell plays the character in flashbacks that first depict this guy as a teen, when his troubles with the law began.
In some ways it's a routine examination of what happens when a kid goes bad and stays bad. One thing that makes this picture standout, however, is the studio and director Fred Sears don't pour on the sympathy. At several points we are told how Chessman, using his middle name Whittier in the film, brought his own problems upon himself. The age-old argument about heredity or environment as a root cause of deviant behavior is disregarded. When he's busted for his crimes and eventually sent to a maximum security prison in Folsom, we are to believe he deserves the consequences.
Of course the real question is whether he deserves the death penalty. Typically, capital punishment was reserved for murderers. But in this case, Chessman/Whittier never killed anyone. He was convicted of kidnapping, which due to an obscure law that was later struck down, was considered an offense in which the guilty party could be executed.
Part of the reason Columbia made this picture is because Chessman had published a bestseller about his life while on death row in California. He managed to get several stays of execution between 1949 and 1960, before he was finally put to death in a gas chamber. During this period of time, his story became a huge talking point, especially among liberals seeking to abolish the death penalty. When CELL 2455 DEATH ROW was made, Chessman was in San Quentin, obviously still alive, and the outcome of his appeals was not yet known.
Since we are not allowed to pity him, we become voyeurs watching this tragedy unfold. We are watching the life of a career criminal unravel. Most of the characterization focuses on how smart Chessman was, since he fell in with a gang that successfully encroached upon a mobster's territory. And after Chessman was facing the gas chamber, he mounted a somewhat successful defense by studying the law and becoming his own attorney.
One thing I do laud the filmmakers for is that there is no clear depiction of whether or not Chessman/Whittier committed the rapes and kidnapping that would lead to his execution. He maintained that he was not the notorious lovers' lane red light bandit. So when we have those sequences starting at the 51-minute mark, the top half of the assailant is obscured on screen, and we only see the victims.
I suppose if he had confessed to those crimes before being put to death, a remake could have been made that showed why he "graduated" from robbery to rape. But in this film, there is no real concrete connection between some of the crimes, and we are kept in the dark about key events. That level of ambiguity increases the dramatic tension.
I do wonder if Chessman was allowed to see the film while he was behind bars, and if he did see it (or was told about it), what he thought. He went on to write three more books. That's a level of achievement most people out in the free world haven't matched.
In some ways it's a routine examination of what happens when a kid goes bad and stays bad. One thing that makes this picture standout, however, is the studio and director Fred Sears don't pour on the sympathy. At several points we are told how Chessman, using his middle name Whittier in the film, brought his own problems upon himself. The age-old argument about heredity or environment as a root cause of deviant behavior is disregarded. When he's busted for his crimes and eventually sent to a maximum security prison in Folsom, we are to believe he deserves the consequences.
Of course the real question is whether he deserves the death penalty. Typically, capital punishment was reserved for murderers. But in this case, Chessman/Whittier never killed anyone. He was convicted of kidnapping, which due to an obscure law that was later struck down, was considered an offense in which the guilty party could be executed.
Part of the reason Columbia made this picture is because Chessman had published a bestseller about his life while on death row in California. He managed to get several stays of execution between 1949 and 1960, before he was finally put to death in a gas chamber. During this period of time, his story became a huge talking point, especially among liberals seeking to abolish the death penalty. When CELL 2455 DEATH ROW was made, Chessman was in San Quentin, obviously still alive, and the outcome of his appeals was not yet known.
Since we are not allowed to pity him, we become voyeurs watching this tragedy unfold. We are watching the life of a career criminal unravel. Most of the characterization focuses on how smart Chessman was, since he fell in with a gang that successfully encroached upon a mobster's territory. And after Chessman was facing the gas chamber, he mounted a somewhat successful defense by studying the law and becoming his own attorney.
One thing I do laud the filmmakers for is that there is no clear depiction of whether or not Chessman/Whittier committed the rapes and kidnapping that would lead to his execution. He maintained that he was not the notorious lovers' lane red light bandit. So when we have those sequences starting at the 51-minute mark, the top half of the assailant is obscured on screen, and we only see the victims.
I suppose if he had confessed to those crimes before being put to death, a remake could have been made that showed why he "graduated" from robbery to rape. But in this film, there is no real concrete connection between some of the crimes, and we are kept in the dark about key events. That level of ambiguity increases the dramatic tension.
I do wonder if Chessman was allowed to see the film while he was behind bars, and if he did see it (or was told about it), what he thought. He went on to write three more books. That's a level of achievement most people out in the free world haven't matched.
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