Georgia tann movie. With mare winningham polly holliday john anderson kate capshaw. Georgia tann nationally lauded for arranging adoptions out of her childrens home in memphis tennessee was actually a baby seller who terrorized poor often unwed mothers by stealing their children and selling them to wealthy clients like actors joan crawford and dick powell. Movie stars dick powell and june allyson were among people who adopted children from tann who was fond of saying children were going to people of the higher type professional wrester ric flair.
Storyline a 1940s tennesee welfare worker learns that georgia tann the charismatic head of a local adoption agency is actually running a black market baby ring behind the tennesee childrens home society. Named for her father a powerful judge she hoped to follow in his footsteps and practice law. Sadly barbara bisantz raymond didnt have to worry about that with the baby thief.
She used it as a front for an illegal foundling home and adoption agency that placed over 5000. 1920s to 1950 case edit. Beulah george georgia tann case.
Directed by dick lowry. Tann first tried her child stealing scam at a mississippi childrens home but she was run out of town. A young mother hands her children into what she thinks is a childcare center while she finds a new home but returns to find that they have been adopted out without her knowledge.
Tann had designs on a career in the law but her father deemed that profession too masculine for his. The untold story of georgia tann the baby seller who corrupted adoption union square press 320 pp 1295. From 1924 through 1950 georgia tann ran the tennessee childrens home society from a stately home on poplar avenue in memphis tennessee.
The story first told by barbara raymond in a magazine article that inspired a 60 minutes feature was shocking.