Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPride MonthAmerican Black Film FestivalSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Empty Cradle

  • TV Movie
  • 1993
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
406
YOUR RATING
Empty Cradle (1993)
Drama

Jane Morgan gives birth to her baby at the hospital. When she wakes up the next morning, the hospital tells her that her son died at birth. However from ultrasound reading she had before, sh... Read allJane Morgan gives birth to her baby at the hospital. When she wakes up the next morning, the hospital tells her that her son died at birth. However from ultrasound reading she had before, she knew she was having a girl. Now the hospital is stone-walling her, saying she is just in... Read allJane Morgan gives birth to her baby at the hospital. When she wakes up the next morning, the hospital tells her that her son died at birth. However from ultrasound reading she had before, she knew she was having a girl. Now the hospital is stone-walling her, saying she is just in denial, due to her loss. Now she is trying to fight the system, to find evidence of the a... Read all

  • Director
    • Paul Schneider
  • Writer
    • Rebecca Soladay
  • Stars
    • Kate Jackson
    • Lori Loughlin
    • Eriq La Salle
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    406
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Paul Schneider
    • Writer
      • Rebecca Soladay
    • Stars
      • Kate Jackson
      • Lori Loughlin
      • Eriq La Salle
    • 12User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos2

    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top cast36

    Edit
    Kate Jackson
    Kate Jackson
    • Rita Donohue
    Lori Loughlin
    Lori Loughlin
    • Jane Morgan
    Eriq La Salle
    Eriq La Salle
    • Detective Knoll
    • (as Eriq LaSalle)
    David Lansbury
    David Lansbury
    • Bob Morgan
    Jonah Blechman
    Jonah Blechman
    • Patrick
    Karmin Murcelo
    • Nurse Ramsey
    Peter Crook
    Penny Johnson Jerald
    Penny Johnson Jerald
    • Gail Huddle
    • (as Penny Johnson)
    Michelle Joyner
    Michelle Joyner
    • Sharon
    Ricardo Gutiérrez
      Walter Addison
      Walter Addison
      • Dr. Furness
      Skye Bassett
      • Nancy
      Camilla Belle
      Camilla Belle
      • Sally
      Wendy Bowers
      • Donna
      Zachary Browne
      • Sam
      Tom Dahlgren
      Tom Dahlgren
      • Mr. Mills
      Elizabeth Daily
      Elizabeth Daily
      • Theresa Richland
      • (as E.G. Daily)
      John Doman
      John Doman
      • Mr. Lee
      • Director
        • Paul Schneider
      • Writer
        • Rebecca Soladay
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews12

      6.4406
      1
      2
      3
      4
      5
      6
      7
      8
      9
      10

      Featured reviews

      travsgirl

      Amazing!Held me attention the entire time

      I thought the people acting in this movie were great. I just can't understand how someone would want a child so badly that they would do what this woman did! And the fact that she drug her son into it making him a part of the crimes.
      7tnp91-1

      A very good and entertaining movie.

      I was really intrigued by this movie, it made me really realized that I should be grateful that now hospitals are now more strict with their rules when it comes to new mothers and their newborn baby. Kate Jackson played a real conniving nurse who would do anything to hold on to a man even though he was already married, it is sort of like the other Lifetime movie "Small Sacrifices", in which a woman did the impossible just to hold onto a man, which includes murder. "Empty Cradle" is a movie that makes you think about who to trust and who not to trust. It also makes great entertainment for women who love to sit around and watch good entertaining and suspenseful movies.
      5blanche-2

      portrait of a flaming lunatic

      Kate Jackson plays a nurse from hell who, determined to hold onto her detestable boyfriend Frank, and after months faking pregnancy with a pillow, steals another woman's baby.

      Since Frank (who's married, by the way, and lives with his wife) wanted a boy, and the stolen baby is a girl, she sets her sights on another mother.

      This leads to a gruesome murder. That part of the story foreshadows a real-life incident that took place just recently, when a woman was murdered and her fetus torn from her body.

      The main focus of the story, though, is on the bereft mother of the girl baby, played by Lori Loughlin, who knows darn well her baby wasn't stillborn and also knows that the assertion of the hospital (thanks to a little computer touch-up by Jackson) that she was on drugs isn't true either. Loughlin risks her marriage and takes a lot of criticism in an attempt to find out what happened to her baby.

      This isn't an unusual story - in TV movies, women have been stealing other women's babies for years. This is still an interesting film where one truly empathizes with Loughlin, wants to see her vindicated, and can't get over how completely nuts Jackson is.

      Kate Jackson has always been a good actress, and she won't disappoint you in this. Loughlin is poignant as the determined mother. Look for Eriq LaSalle before ER as a police detective.
      Celine-4

      Disturbing Movie But Holds Your Interest All The Way Thru

      This is a very disturbing movie but it's very good. I've seen this movie several times and I have a copy of it. It stars Kate Jackson as Rita, a woman who is in love with her married boyfriend and wants to have his baby. However, she can no longer have children.

      The movie moves at a steady pace and Kate Jackson gives a very believable and quite disturbing performance as the unstable Rita. And Lori Loughin gives a heartwrenching performance as the determined Jane. The movie keeps you guessing as to how far Rita will go to get what she wants. And the things she does will literally surprise and shock you.

      Kate Jackson took quite a risk playing a character totally the opposite from her usual characters, but she manages to handle it flawlessly. Eric LaSalle (ER) is good as the cop determined to prove Rita isn't as caring and wonderful as everyone believes. As I've pointed out, the movie is quite disturbing for a TV movie and children should not be allowed to see this movie.
      9domino1003

      True To Life Story

      Not your typical TV movie of the week: A young woman (Lori Loughlin) gives birth in a hospital, then is told that her baby is dead. She is convinced that her baby is alive. Turns out that she's right: Her nurse Rita (A chilling Kate Jackson) stole her little baby girl, just so she can hold on to her married lover. You have 2 stories going on throughout the film: A woman determined to find her child and faces obstacles from her husband and the hospital administration, and a woman that would go through ANY lengths to hold on to her man.

      What's startling about the film is the scene in which a pregnant woman is killed by Rita and her baby stolen. Unfortunately, there have been many cases like this one. Like Rita, people will do ANYTHING to possess a child. Jackson's performance was (and still is) incredibly creepy.

      Eriq La Salle plays a detective that gets involved with the goings on in the story. You really don't see too much of him until the later part of the movie.

      It's a very intriguing film and worth a look.

      More like this

      Sins of the Mother
      6.4
      Sins of the Mother
      Baby Snatcher
      5.7
      Baby Snatcher
      Death of a Cheerleader
      6.1
      Death of a Cheerleader
      Quiet Killer
      5.6
      Quiet Killer
      Abandoned and Deceived
      6.2
      Abandoned and Deceived
      Tell Me No Secrets
      5.7
      Tell Me No Secrets
      A Stranger in the Mirror
      4.6
      A Stranger in the Mirror
      One of Her Own
      6.1
      One of Her Own
      A Mother's Revenge
      6.1
      A Mother's Revenge
      The Stranger Within
      5.8
      The Stranger Within
      Condition: Critical
      5.9
      Condition: Critical
      Beauty's Revenge
      5.8
      Beauty's Revenge

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Camilla Belle's debut.

      Top picks

      Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
      Sign in

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • October 3, 1993 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • United States
      • Language
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Madre a cualquier precio
      • Production companies
        • Bein-Mills Productions
        • Papazian-Hirsch Entertainment International
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Tech specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 36 minutes
      • Color
        • Color
      • Sound mix
        • Stereo
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.33 : 1

      Contribute to this page

      Suggest an edit or add missing content
      Empty Cradle (1993)
      Top Gap
      What is the English language plot outline for Empty Cradle (1993)?
      Answer
      • See more gaps
      • Learn more about contributing
      Edit page

      More to explore

      Recently viewed

      Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
      Get the IMDb App
      Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
      Follow IMDb on social
      Get the IMDb App
      For Android and iOS
      Get the IMDb App
      • Help
      • Site Index
      • IMDbPro
      • Box Office Mojo
      • License IMDb Data
      • Press Room
      • Advertising
      • Jobs
      • Conditions of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Your Ads Privacy Choices
      IMDb, an Amazon company

      © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.