The 30th Anniversary of the TV Movie Locked Up: A Mother's Rage

Vanessa Marquez and Cheryl Ladd

It was thirty years ago today, October 29 1991, that the television movie Locked Up: A Mother's Rage debuted on The CBS Tuesday Movie. The movie centred on a single mother of three children, Annie Gallagher (Cheryl Ladd), who is wrongly convicted of selling drugs and sent to prison for 15 years. Her sister Cathy was played by Jean Smart, who must take care of Annie's children while she is locked up. Locked Up: A Mother's Rage follows Annie's adjustment to life in prison and the impact it had on her children. As to why I would be writing about a thirty year old television movie, it starred my dear friend Vanessa Marquez in one of her earliest major roles. She played Yolanda, nicknamed "Yo-Yo," who was sent to prison for killing her abusive boyfriend, apparently in self defence.

Locked Up: A Mother's Rage was based on the documentary They're Doing My Time (1988), directed by Patricia Foulkrod. They're Doing My Time centred on the plight of children whose mothers have been sent to prison. They're Doing my Time  aired on PBS in July 1989.  In fact, the original title of Locked Up: A Mothers Rage was the same as the documentary, They're Doing My Time.

While Locked Up: A Mother's Rage was inspired by the documentary They're Doing My Time and even begins with the prerequisite "Based on a True Story," it is in many ways a typical of TV movies of the era. The script takes a simplistic approach to the social problems it is tackling, with some things presented in purely black and white. Indeed, such complicated topics as motherhood and incarceration are reduced to their simplest terms. And while Locked Up: A Mother's Rage is supposed to have been "based on a true story," the subplot involving Cathy's marital difficulties seem unrealistic, especially given its resolution. At times some of the characters seem to act with no reason other than it is required of the plot.

That Locked Up: A Mother's Rage is a rather typical TV movie of the Nineties is even exemplified by the performances of its two leads. Both Cheryl Ladd and Jean Smart's performances are sincere, but they are overwrought in a way that most performances in 1990s TV movies tended to be. Similarly, the performances of the actors playing Annie's children also tend to be over the top. While the film's script and the performances of its two leads might dissuade one from watching Locked Up: A Mother's Rage, the performances of its supporting players make it worth watching.  Angela Bassett did a good job of portraying Willie, an inmate who is initially unfriendly to Annie but eventually befriends her. Diana Muldaur does well as Frances "the Quaker Lady," a social worker seeking to help the inmates. One of the best performances is given by Kimberly Scott, who plays Sherisse. Sherisse is in charge of the prison library and helps Annie in her fight to be released. As to my dear Vanessa Marquez, she also gives one of the best performances in the film. Her role as Yo-Yo could not have been an easy one to play, particularly given what she's goes through in the film, but Vanessa made Yo-Yo and the subplot dedicated to her believable.

Locked Up: A Mother's Rage was repeated on July 19 1992 on The CBS Sunday Movie. For the remainder of the Nineties, like many made-for-TV movies "based on a true story," it would be rerun on the cable channel Lifetime. Locked Up: A Mother's Rage was released on DVD in the mid-Naughts, although for some strange reason it was retitled The Other Side of Love. It is under that title that today it can be found on some streaming services. Personally, I think the original title was better, particularly given The Other Side of Love has nothing to do with the film's plot.

Locked Up: A Mother's Rage is a rather typical made-for-TV movie from the 1990s, overwrought and tending to oversimplify many of the issues it addresses. That having been said, it is worth watching for the performances of the supporting cast. And while I might be biased, it is worth for Vanessa Marquez's performance as Yo-Yo, one of her earliest and best roles.