This movie has a scene that happens today – December 19. I hope you
will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.
BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ
Bob Stroud is to be moved from
Alcatraz and Tom Gaddis, who wrote a book about Stroud waits for him at the
pier and tells Stroud’s story. Convicted murderer Stroud is moved to
Leavenworth prison. Stroud is a rebellious prisoner and arouses the ire of
Harvey Shoemaker, the warden. When his mother can’t visit him since it’s
Saturday this upsets Stroud and he grabs a guard’s collar. When the guard
insists on reporting this meaning Stroud will not get to see his mother at a re-scheduled
visit the next week, Stroud kills the guard.
He is tried three times. The first time is a mistrial; the second time
he gets life, the third time he is sentenced to death. His mother meets the
First Lady, Mrs. Wilson who uses her influence to get the sentence commuted to
solitary confinement. One day a storm blows a branch with a bird nest into the
exercise yard. Stroud saves the baby bird and nurses it back to health. When
Leavenworth gets a new warden, other prisoners give Stroud their pet canaries.
He starts breeding them, but they develop a fatal disease, septic fever. Stroud
works for years by trial and error, and develops a cure. Stroud is allowed to
publish articles in bird magazines about this. He meets Stella Johnson, a bird
lover, who proposes selling his remedies for various bird diseases. With a new
warden come new rules from the Federal Bureau of Prisons that no prisoners can
have pets or run a business. Stroud marries Stella. Stella and his mother start
a petition to change the rule. When
Shoemaker, who now heads the Bureau, proposes that he can keep his business if
he donates the proceeds to the prison welfare fund, Stroud refuses. Eventually
he gets everything he wanted, including a larger cell and lab equipment.
However, the cost is that his mother becomes jealous of Stella and cuts off
communication with him. Stroud writes a successful book about bird diseases.
Then he is transferred to Alcatraz, arriving on December 19, 1942 [1:48:03 to
1:56:23] and finds Shoemaker is the warden. Stroud loses all his privileges and
can’t have any birds. An attempt is made by other prisoners to escape with two
guns they’ve captured, but they end up trapped in the cellblock. After the two
instigators are killed, Stroud throws out the guns, ending the riot. 13 years
later he is transferred off Alcatraz.
An interesting movie. Stroud was
a much rougher character than the way he is portrayed in the film. His role in
ending the riot is greatly exaggerated.
Birdman by Jolene Babyak
(Ariel Vamp Press, Berkeley, Ca., 1994) at page 301 gives the date he arrived
Producers - Harold Hecht, Stuart
Millar and Guy Trosper
Director - John Frankenheimer
Awards – The movie was nominated
for the Best Black-and-White Cinematography, Best Actor (Lancaster), Best Supporting
Actor (Savalas) and Best Supporting Actress (Ritter) at the 35th
Academy Awards.
Screenplay - Guy Trosper
Runtime – 2 hours 23 minutes
Released - July 3, 1962
Starring -
Burt Lancaster as Robert Stroud
Karl Malden as Harvey Shoemaker
Thelma Ritter as Elizabeth Stroud
Betty Field as Stella Johnson
Telly Savalas as Feto Gomez
Neville Brand as Bull Ransom
Edmond O'Brien as Thomas E.
Gaddis
Whit Bissell as Dr. Ellis
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