Chained for Life

A 1951 classic about Siamese twins (Dorothy and Vivan Hamilton) who are working the vaudeville circuit when one of them is accused of murder.

The Hilton Sisters were real Siamese twins that were pushed into show business by their abusive mother and her boyfriend when they were just little children. The Hilton's performed in many a vaudeville show across the country. Late in their career they decided to cash in on their own by making "Chained For Life".

In this movie, a vaudeville theater is about to close do to lack of business. The Hilton's agent comes up with the idea of staging a wedding between one of the sisters (Dorothy) to a handsome actor (Andre). Andre decides to take advantage of the girls and fools Daisy into thinking he really loves her and then claims he really wants to marry her. The couple or should I say the three of them hire a lawyer to help them get a marriage license. Most states will not approve of the marriage. Finally, a license is granted and the wedding can happen. Not long after the marriage, he states that he cannot continue the relationship and calls off the relationship.

Dorothy's sister Vivian becomes distraught over what Andre did to her sister and takes it out on Andre by shooting him during his performance in a vaudeville show. The two sisters are taken to jail and put on trial. The penalty for murder is death. The judge has to decide if he can put two girls to death when one of them is innocent.

The movie is 81 minutes long but the story could have been told in about 30 min. Much of the movie has way too much filler. Vaudville acts are shown in their entirety. Few of the performances have anything to do with the story and take away from the movie instead of adding to it. I enjoyed the story all the way up to the very end. Then I felt let down. Still a fun movie and is available at Half Price Books and also on the 20 movie pack "Cult Classics"

This movie became the sisters undoing. The movie floped and the girls went brooke trying to promote the movie. One evening at a drive in, their manager left them stranded and never came back for them. They stayed in town and went to work as clerks in a store. They died shortly afterward of the flu.