Marian Rose White

This was based on a true story and was to deal with mental patients who were fixed to never have offspring. I read an article about Ms. White and what occurred to her. She said she regretted never repairing the damage with her mother, who had institutionalized her. What I recall of it was Marion Rose White, as portrayed by Nancy Cartwright. She had killer lines throughout the entire film. When the man in charge of the hospital is trying to lure Marion out of a locked room where she has gone with a pair of scissors, he promises her "a special treat". Marion finally emerges when kind nurse Katherine Ross is threatened with being fired. Marion sees a straight-jacket held by an orderly and replies "Is this your special treat?" the supervisor asks Marion would she want to have children like this as he points at mongoloids around her. She answers what if she did? That wasn't his decision to make.

Another standout moment is when Marion is thrown in the padded cell with Black Out, the mean nurse's form of punishment. Black Out is an obviously deranged black woman prone to uncontrollable violence. Marion breaks out into song. "But we'll travel along, singing a song, side by side," sparing herself what could have been a severe beating, much to mean nurse's surprise later on.

Valerie Perrine brings Marion a doll after Marion's surgery to sterilize her. Marion looks at the doll and says "You take away my babies, and bring me this?" She then throws the doll and orders her mother out of the room.

Marion is doped up to make her fail her evaluation (She is shown an illustration of an umbrella and asked what it is for. She replies to catch the rain in.) I will never forget Katherine Ross kicking that mop bucket later on.