WILLIAMS, TENNESSEE. Baby Doll. New York New Directions 1956, 1956.

Price: US$1250.00 + shipping

Description: First Edition. Signed and inscribed by Karl Malden and Carroll Baker, the stars of this now classic film. Inscribed: ÒTo Nathaniel, I loved making this film. My best to you! Karl MaldenÓ beneath which Baker has written: ÒMe Too! Carroll BakerÓ. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Enclosed in a handsome morocco and cloth clamshell box. The resulting powerful film directed by Elia Kazan, starring Carroll Baker, Karl Malden. Baby Doll was released in December 1956. It provoked significant controversy, largely due to its implied sexual themes. An effort to ban the film was carried out by the Roman Catholic advocacy group National Legion of Decency and Cardinal Francis Spellman condemned it from his pulpit. Despite moral objections to the film, it was well received by critics, and earned numerous accolades; Kazan won the Golden Globe for Best Director and the film was nominated for four other Golden Globe awards, as well as four Academy Awards including Best Actress (Carroll Baker), Best Supporting Actress (Mildred Dunnock), Best Adapted Screenplay (Tennessee Williams), Best Black & White Cinematography (Boris Kaufman)Culturally, the film has been credited with originating the name and popularity of the babydoll nightgown, which derives from the costume worn by Baker's character. Additionally, it has been named by film scholars as one of the most notorious films of the 1950s.

Seller: James Pepper Rare Books, Inc., ABAA, Santa Barbara, CA, U.S.A.