The Bad Seed is a 1954 horror novel by American writer William March , the last of his major works published before his death.
33-473: (Redirected from Bad Seeds ) [REDACTED] Look up bad seed in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Bad Seed ( s ) or The Bad Seed ( s ) may refer to: Films, television, and stage [ edit ] The Bad Seed , a 1954 novel by William March The Bad Seed (play) , a 1954 play adaptation by Maxwell Anderson The Bad Seed (1956 film) ,
66-424: A television remake for Lifetime network. This version of The Bad Seed first ran on Lifetime on September 9, 2018, and was watched by 1.87 million viewers, placing it in the top ten most-watched cable programs on that date. However, the production received mixed reviews. A sequel, The Bad Seed Returns , was released in 2022. National Book Award for Fiction The National Book Award for Fiction
99-459: A 2009 album by Boozed "Bad Seed", a 1997 song by Metallica from ReLoad "Bad Seed", a 2015 song by Ugly Kid Joe from Uglier Than They Used ta Be See also [ edit ] Mauvaise Graine (lit. Bad Seed ), a 1934 French drama film Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Bad Seed . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
132-564: A 2019 The Food Group children's book by Jory John Bad Seed , a biography of Nick Cave , by Ian Johnston Music [ edit ] Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds , an Australian rock/post-punk band The Bad Seeds (American band) , a 1960s garage rock band Bad Seed (Jan Howard album) , 1966 "Bad Seed" (Jan Howard song) , 1966 Mutiny/The Bad Seed , a 1983 album by the Birthday Party Bad Seed ,
165-468: A Canadian film directed by Louis Bélanger Bad Seeds (2018 film) ( Mauvaises herbes ), a French film directed by Kheiron Bad Seeds (2021 film) ( Mauvaises herbes ), a Canadian short film directed by Claude Cloutier The Bad Seed (TV series) , a 2019 New Zealand crime drama "Bad Seed" ( CSI: Miami ) , a 2009 television episode "The Bad Seed" ( Supernatural ) , a 2015 television episode Literature [ edit ] The Bad Seed ,
198-460: A film adaptation of the play, directed by Mervyn LeRoy The Bad Seed (1985 film) , a television adaptation of the play The Bad Seed (2018 film) , a television adaptation, directed by and starring Rob Lowe and Mckenna Grace The Bad Seed Returns , a 2022 sequel to the 2018 film, starring Mckenna Grace who reprises her role Bad Seed , or Preston Tylk , a 2000 film by Jon Bokenkamp Bad Seeds (2016 film) ( Les Mauvaises herbes ),
231-467: Is announced on the day of the final ceremony in November. The award is $ 10,000 and a bronze sculpture; other finalists get $ 1,000, a medal, and a citation written by the panel. Authors who have won the award more than once include William Faulkner , John Updike , William Gaddis , Jesmyn Ward , and Philip Roth , each having won on two occasions along with numerous other nominations. Saul Bellow won
264-429: Is hinted to be a closeted homosexual), David Carradine as Leroy, and Chad Allen as Mark Daigle (whose character was never seen before, only referenced). Carrie Wells played the title character, whose name was changed from Rhoda to Rachel. The TV-movie version was considered inferior to both the play and original film by critics. In December 2017, Deadline Hollywood reported that Rob Lowe would direct and star in
297-503: Is implied in The Bad Seed . March incorporates the notion that a murderous genetic trait is being passed down through the generations. Within the plot of the story, Rhoda is a serial murderer just like her grandmother, having inherited the murderous gene. Rhoda had been brought up as a privileged child; she was nurtured emotionally and physically and thus a broken home life was not to blame for her actions. Tasker hints and suggests at
330-559: Is just a movie. The Bad Seed was remade as a television movie in 1985, adapted by George Eckstein and directed by Paul Wendkos and kept the novel's original ending but changed other details, including some forenames (i.e. Claude Daigle → Mark Daigle, Hortense Daigle → Rita Daigle, Claudia Fern → Alice Fern) and added a scene in which young Christine escapes into a cornfield from her own sociopathic mother, Bessie Denker. This version starred Blair Brown as Christine, Lynn Redgrave as Monica, David Ogden Stiers as Emory (whose character
363-477: Is one of five annual National Book Awards , which recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987, the awards have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation , but they are awards "by writers to writers." The panelists are five "writers who are known to be doing great work in their genre or field." General fiction was one of four categories when
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#1732765808363396-409: Is the only child of Christine and Kenneth Penmark. While she is cherished by the adults in her life for her sweet and intelligent nature, her classmates at Fern Grammar School avoid her, sensing something “isn’t quite right” about her. After her husband leaves on a business trip, Christine notices Rhoda’s callous attitude regarding the sudden death of her classmate, Claude Daigle — while the boy’s death
429-457: The Children's or Young People's categories. This list covers only the post-war awards ( pre-war awards follow) to general fiction for adult readers: one annual winner from 1950 except two undifferentiated winners 1973 to 1975, dual hardcover and paperback winners 1980 to 1983. For each award, the winner is listed first followed by the finalists. Unless otherwise noted, the year represents
462-610: The Richard Rodgers Theatre ), less than a year after the publication of the novel. On April 25, 1955, the play transferred to the Coronet Theatre (now the Eugene O'Neill Theatre ), where it completed its successful run of 334 performances on September 27, 1955. Nancy Kelly , the actress who played Christine, won the 1955 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The audience made claims that Patty McCormack ,
495-599: The "Most Distinguished Novel" (1935–1936) or "Favorite Fiction" (1937–1940). Furthermore, works of fiction were eligible for the "Bookseller Discovery" and "Most Original Book" awards; fiction winners are listed here. There was only one National Book Award for 1941, the Bookseller Discovery, which recognized the novel Hold Autumn In Your Hand by George Perry; then none until the 1950 revival in three categories including Fiction. 1935: Rachel Field , Time Out of Mind 1936: Margaret Mitchell , Gone With
528-525: The 77 previous winners in fiction categories were in print. The 77 included all eight 1980 winners but excluded the 1981 to 1983 children's fiction winners. The award recognizes one book written by a U.S. citizen and published in the U.S. from December 1 to November 30. The National Book Foundation accepts nominations from publishers until June 15, requires mailing nominated books to the panelists by August 1, and announces five finalists in October. The winner
561-430: The acts of evil and depravity that some people are capable of committing. Later in his book, Hare argues that March's novel is a "remarkably true to life" portrayal of the development of psychopathy in childhood, illustrating both Rhoda's callous use of others to serve her own ends as well as Christine's growing helplessness and desperation as she realizes the extent of her daughter's behavior. Maxwell Anderson adapted
594-560: The award in three decades (1954, 1965, 1971) and is the only author to have won the National Book Award for Fiction three times. From 1935 to 1941 , there were six annual awards for general fiction and the "Bookseller Discovery" or "Most Original Book" was sometimes a novel. From 1980 to 1985, there were six annual awards to first novels or first works of fiction . In 1980 there were five awards for mystery, western, or science fiction . There have been many awards to fiction in
627-496: The awards were re-established in 1950. For several years beginning 1980, prior to the Foundation, there were multiple fiction categories: hardcover, paperback, first novel or first work of fiction; from 1981 to 1983 hardcover and paperback children's fiction ; and only in 1980 five awards to mystery fiction , science fiction , and western fiction . When the Foundation celebrated the 60th postwar awards in 2009, all but three of
660-562: The book for the stage almost immediately after its publication. Anderson had previously won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award in 1935 and 1936 for his plays Winterset and High Tor , as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1933 for his play Both Your Houses . Reginald Denham directed the play using Anderson's script . The play opened on Broadway on December 8, 1954, at the 46th Street Theatre (now
693-426: The boy's face. Afraid he will expose her, she waits until Leroy is asleep before lightning his mattress ablaze and locking him inside his shed; a horrified Christine witnesses the murder from afar. Christine confronts Rhoda, who confesses to the murders while expressing no remorse. Not wanting her daughter to suffer the same fate as Denker, Christine secretly gives Rhoda an overdose of sleeping pills; after destroying
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#1732765808363726-399: The child actress who played Rhoda, was the most memorable character. Mervyn LeRoy was the director of the 1956 movie. In LeRoy's Hollywood career, he produced and or directed over 70 films including Little Caesar and Little Women . Nancy Kelly , Patty McCormack and most of the original cast acted in the 1956 movie. The ending of the 1956 film was changed from that of the novel and
759-465: The idea of child crimes was a new phenomenon. A controversy about nature vs nurture arose as psychiatric explanations were proposed for juvenile delinquency, with the debate being whether inborn tendencies ("nature") are more or less important than environmental factors ("nurture") in explaining deviant behavior. Supporters of the “nature” side suggested that some people are born evil or with malicious tendencies. The idea that nature prevails over nurture
792-535: The idea of nature taking effect when he quotes that "some people are just born evil", when discussing Denker with Christine. Psychologist Robert D. Hare , who argues that the evidence suggests psychopathy is an inborn trait, discusses The Bad Seed in his 1993 non-fiction book Without Conscience . A lengthy quote from the novel opens Hare's book, describing in March's words how most decent individuals are not by nature suspicious and thus unable to understand or anticipate
825-441: The idea that her daughter might be the one behind all these tragedies, Christine begins investigating and discovers she was actually adopted by her own parents: her birth mother, Bessie Denker, was a notorious serial killer who died in the electric chair . As her mental state deteriorates, Christine begins writing letters to her husband discussing Rhoda, blaming herself for passing the “bad seed” gene to their daughter. She never mails
858-488: The letters out of fear someone will read them and call the authorities. The only other adult aware of Rhoda’s true nature is Leroy Jessup, the maintenance man who works and lives at the Penmarks’ apartment complex, who relentlessly teases the girl regarding Claude’s death. She’s indifferent to his teasing until Leroy insinuates Rhoda must have used her cleated shoes to beat Claude, explaining the crescent-shaped marks left on
891-441: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bad_Seed&oldid=1194833132 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages The Bad Seed Nominated for the 1955 National Book Award for Fiction , The Bad Seed tells
924-555: The play to comply with the Hollywood Production Code . Rhoda is suddenly struck and killed by lightning when she goes back to the scene of her crime to retrieve the medal (allowing an interpretation of divine intervention ), while Christine survives her suicide attempt. During the closing credits, LeRoy added a light-hearted sequence of Nancy Kelly , Christine, holding Patty McCormack , Rhoda, over her leg and spanking her –possibly to remind audiences that this
957-409: The story of a mother's realization that her young daughter is a murderer. Its enormous critical and commercial success was largely realized after March's death only one month after publication. In 1954, the novel was adapted into a successful and long-running Broadway play by Maxwell Anderson and into an Academy Award -nominated film directed by Mervyn LeRoy in 1956. 8-year-old Rhoda Penmark
990-464: The unsent letters, Christine shoots herself in the head . The gunshot is heard by a neighbor, who breaks into the apartment and saves Rhoda. Christine dies in the hospital while a heartbroken Kenneth returns home. With all evidence of her actions destroyed, Rhoda is free to kill again. In the decade the novel was published, juvenile delinquency began to be far more common, or at least more extensively reported and documented. Compared to earlier history,
1023-455: The year the award was given for books published in the prior year. Thus, the award year 1950 is for books published in 1949. For 1980 to 1983 this list covers the paired "Fiction (hardcover)" and "Fiction (paperback)" awards in that order. Hard and paper editions were distinguished only in these four years; none of the paperback winners were original ; in their first editions all had been losing finalists in 1979 or 1981. From 1980 to 1985 there
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1056-583: Was also one award for first novel or first work of fiction and in 1980 there were five more awards for mystery, western, and science fiction. None of those are covered here. 1983 entries were published during 1982; winners in 27 categories were announced April 13 and privately celebrated April 28, 1983. 1984 entries for the "revamped" awards in three categories were published November 1983 to October 1984; eleven finalists were announced October 17. Winners were announced and celebrated November 15, 1984. The National Book Awards for 1935 to 1940 annually recognized
1089-461: Was deemed accidental, he had unexplainable crescent-shaped marks imprinted on his face. Christine learns that, before his death, Rhoda quarreled with the boy over a medal award for perfect penmanship that he won, but which Rhoda believed she deserved. Rhoda’s chilling indifference to the boy’s death causes Christine to reevaluate troubling incidents from the past, such as the mysterious deaths of her pet dog and Rhoda’s elderly babysitter. Disturbed by
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