Chained for Life

Chained for Life
Original film poster
Directed by	Harry L. Fraser
Produced by	George Moskov
Written by	Screenplay: Ross Frisco Nat Tanchuck Additional dialogue: Albert de Pina
Starring	Violet Hilton Daisy Hilton Mario Laval Allen Jenkins Patricia Wright
Music by	Henry Vars
Cinematography	Jockey Arthur Feindel
Editing by	Joseph Gluck
Distributed by	Classic Pictures Inc.
Release date(s)	October 29, 1954[citation needed]
Running time	81 min.
Country
Language	English

Chained for Life is a 1951 exploitation film featuring the famous conjoined ("Siamese") Hilton Twins, Daisy and Violet. It features several vaudeville acts, including juggler Whitey Roberts, a man doing bicycle stunts, and a man who plays The William Tell Overture at breakneck speed on an accordion.

The movie incorporates aspects of the twins' real life, including their singing act, a futile attempt by one sister to obtain a marriage license, and a publicity-stunt marriage.

The twins' sweet but unspectacular voices are featured in three duets, including "Every Hour of Every Day" and "Love Thief".

The movie was directed by Harry L. Fraser, marking a low point in an otherwise respectable career working with such stars as John Wayne, Clara Bow, and Tex Ritter.

Plot summary

The movie opens with a judge (Norval Mitchell) begging the audience for help in resolving a terrible dilemma. The action moves to a courtroom, where Vivian Hamilton is on trial for her life for the shooting death of her sister's lover. The story unfolds in flashback as various characters are called to testify.

Conjoined twins Dorothy and Vivian Hamilton (Daisy and Violet Hilton) have a successful vaudeville singing act, but their manager Hinkley (Allen Jenkins) thinks a publicity stunt will launch their career into the stratosphere. He pays stunt shooter Andre Pariseau (Mario Laval) to fake a romance with one of the twins. Vivian, the brunette, dislikes Andre and wants nothing to do with the scheme, but Dorothy, the blonde, quips that she's too old to turn down a chance at love, and agrees to serve as Andre's love interest.

The ploy works spectacularly, with "the girls" singing for standing room only crowds. But much to Vivian's dismay, Dorothy actually falls in love with the scheming Andre, who is only stringing her along. He is secretly involved with his shooting-act partner, Renee (Patricia Wright).

Andre proposes marriage, but the couple are unable to obtain a marriage license due to allegations that the marriage would constitute bigamy. A desperate Dorothy convinces Vivian to seek separation surgery, even at the risk of their lives, so that she can pursue her dreams of love. Doctors, however, inform the women that such surgery is impossible. But, the doctors stress, there is no physical reason that Dorothy can't marry.

Somehow, due to a consultation with a blind minister, Dorothy and Andre are able to obtain their marriage license. The wedding ceremony is performed on-stage before an audience of dignitaries including the mayor.

But the very next day, Andre jilts Dorothy, claiming that he could not adjust to life as the husband of a conjoined twin. Vivian knows better, though, because she sees Andre and Renee kissing passionately. Her suspicions of Andre are confirmed. Vivian is outraged that her beloved sister was so mistreated.

During Andre's shooting performance, Vivian seizes one of Andre's guns and shoots him dead before a horrified audience.

The film returns to the judge, who can not decide how to dispose of the case. Justice for Andre requires that his murderer, Vivian, be executed. But this would cost the life of the innocent Dorothy, denying justice to her. The film ends with a plea for the viewer to resolve the dilemma.

Dream sequence

The climax of the film is a touchingly weird dream sequence, in which Dorothy fantasizes what it would be like to be separated from her sister. We see the two conjoined sisters asleep in bed, necessarily side by side. Suddenly Dorothy gets up and walks away, leaving Vivian alone and asleep. Dorothy wanders through a glade of trees, enjoying the novelty of being all by herself and unattached. She meets Andre among the trees, and they kiss.

This sequence has a strange poignancy because a stunt double was required for Daisy Hilton (actually two doubles: one of them doubling for Violet to play the sleeping Vivian) in order to depict the perfectly normal situation of a woman getting out of bed and walking by herself. When Dorothy Hamilton wanders through the forest glade, the stunt woman doubling for Daisy Hilton holds her arm across her face to avoid being recognized as a double. During the portion of the dream sequence in which Andre kisses the separated Dorothy Hamilton, Daisy Hilton plays her part while standing behind a tree ... to conceal the fact that she is still conjoined to her sister Violet.

See also

• List of films in the public domain

External links

• Chained for Life at the Internet Movie Database
• Chained for Life at Allmovie