8:00 p.m. (ET)/5:00 p.m. (PT) THE BAD SEED (1956) Is evil inherited? That's the premise behind The Bad Seed (1956), a controversial film in its day due to its depiction of an angelic-looking child who just happens to be a sociopathic liar, thief and murderess. It was first a successful Broadway play by Maxwell Anderson who had adapted it from a novel by Southern writer William March. With the exception of a few minor roles, the original Broadway cast returned to play their parts on screen. Patty McCormack, who is perfectly cast as the malevolent brat, Rhoda Penmark, was so effective in the title role that she found herself typecast for years as a troubled adolescent (Kathy O', 1958) or young hellion (The Mini-Skirt Mob, 1968). Obviously, she must have a sense of humor about it since she recently played a homicidal mother in Mommy (1995) and its sequel, Mommy II: Mommy's Day (1997). As expected, The Bad Seed encountered some resistance in its original form from the Johnston Office, the official Hollywood censorship board headed by Eric Johnston, a successor to Will Hays. Their main objection was the ending in which the child murderess goes unpunished for her crimes. So, director Mervyn LeRoy was forced to add a finale in which justice prevails. In addition, he filmed a closing curtain call in which Nancy Kelly (as Rhoda's mother) gives Patty a much-deserved spanking. While some critics feel this contrived appeasement for the censorship board blunted the film's dramatic impact, most moviegoers found it reassuring. After all, homicidal children were a rarity on movie screens then and a disturbing concept for most audiences to grasp. Yet, despite the changes enforced on The Bad Seed, it managed to win Oscar nominations for Nancy Kelly (Best Actress), Eileen Heckart (Best Supporting Actress), Patty McCormack (Best Supporting Actress), and Harold Rosson (Best Cinematography). While none of them won Academy Awards, The Bad Seed remains a seminal film in the genre of evil children and even inspired a television remake in 1985 starring Christa Denton in the role of Rhoda with Blair Brown as her mother. Director: Mervyn LeRoy Producer: Mervyn LeRoy Screenplay: Maxwell Anderson (play), John Lee Mahin, based on the novel by William March Cinematography: Harold Rosson Editor: Warren Low Art Direction: John Beckman Music: Alex North Cast: Nancy Kelly (Christine Penmark), Patricia McCormack (Rhoda Penmark), Henry Jones (LeRoy), Eileen Heckart (Hortense Daigle), Evelyn Varden (Monica Breedlove),William Hopper (Col. Kenneth Penmark). BW-127m. By Jeff Stafford