Caged is a 1950 American film noir[2] directed by John Cromwell and starring Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Betty Garde, Hope Emerson, and Ellen Corby.

She plans to grant temporary custody to her mother with the intent of taking the child after she is released, but Marie's stepfather will not allow the baby in his house.

In 1950, Variety gave a mixed but predominantly positive review of Caged, characterizing it as a "grim, unrelieved study of cause and effect" that "still adds up to very drab entertainment".

There are other strong performances...all running true to the types depicted, and the most colorful is the sadistic prison matron socked over by Hope Emerson.

...The direction by John Cromwell and Jerry Wald's production draw a rather clear picture of the dreariness of prison life and the hopelessness it instills in all but the very strong inmate.

[7] The publication contended that the film's "stark, gripping" social commentary would be even more powerful if the "dismal atmosphere" of its storyline had at least a few contrasting lighter moments.

In a much later review, critic Emanuel Levy in 2007 generally praised the film too:...master of melodrama, John Cromwell directs in a taut style, coaxing excellent performances from his female-dominated cast..."Caged" walks a fine line between a socially conscious drama (and wake-up call) and exploitative, borderline campy fare.

[8]Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide in 2014 favorably awarded Caged three out of four stars, describing the film overall as “stark” with "remarkable" performances.

[9] Caged is satirized in a 1977 SCTV comedy sketch as "Broads Behind Bars" with the character of Marie renamed "Cheryl" (and portrayed by comedian Catherine O'Hara).

Cheryl is depicted as a teenager in the mid-to-late 1950s, who after smoking "pot" ends up in prison after being framed for armed robbery and also learns later that she is pregnant.

For her action, Cheryl is then told she can be released from prison, however, she responds by only laughing and declining the offer, echoing Kitty's remark in the original film, “No dice!” The skit, in the end, presents itself not only as a parody of “women-in-prison” movies like Caged but also as a spoof of the anti-marijuana films that were presented to students in many American high schools during the late 1950s and early 1960s.