Well intentioned if agitated melodrama about a mental hospital that becomes a battlefield between a new forward thinking doctor (Robert Stack) and the iron maiden head of the nursing staff (Joan Crawford) who believes in discipline. With one exception, the mental patients represent a “greatest hits” of crazy patients clichés. Polly Bergen has the most screen time among the mentally ill and she can’t seem to resist the opportunity to chew up the scenery with her unbridled hysteria. Only Janis Paige (in the film’s best performance) as a man hating hooker is able to flesh out a human being rather than a stereotype. The B&W cinematography by Lucien Ballard was good enough to get an Oscar nomination and the score by Elmer Bernstein is a killer. The large cast includes Diane McBain, Robert Vaughn, Susan Oliver, Herbert Marshall, Constance Ford, Barbara Barrie, Sharon Hugueny, Ellen Corby and Van Williams.
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