A Cry from the Streets

Last updated

A Cry from the Streets
ACryFromTheStreets1958Cover.jpg
DVD Cover
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Written by Vernon Harris
Novel:
The Friend in Need
by Elizabeth Coxhead
Produced by Ian Dalrymple
Starring Max Bygraves
Barbara Murray
CinematographyHarry Gillam
Edited by Peter Hunt
Music by Larry Adler
Distributed by Eros Films (UK)
Tudor Pictures (USA)
Release date
  • 12 August 1958 (1958-08-12)(UK)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£50,000 [1]

A Cry from the Streets is a 1958 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Max Bygraves and Barbara Murray. [2]

Contents

Plot

When a man is hanged for murdering his wife, their three small children go into social care. Bill is an electrician with the local care home, and is introduced to the children and their social worker, Ann. Growing ever fonder of the kids, he and Ann take them out on trips and picnics, to try to bring some happiness back into their lives. However, events spiral out of control when a child gets hold of a loaded gun.

Cast

Production

Lewis Gilbert said he went to Eros asking to make a film with Max Bygraves for £60,000. They agreed if it could be made for £50,000, without reading the script, because they knew they would be able to see a Bygraves film profitably at that price. [1]

Reception

Box Office

Kinematograph Weekly listed it as being "in the money" at the British box office in 1958. [3] It was one of the twelve most popular films of the year. [4]

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote "this inquiry into the lives of some of the orphaned and homeless youngsters in a municipal children's shelter is realistic, bittersweet drama played with compassion and insight. Although it sometimes waxes melodramatic, it gently tugs at the heartstrings and, now and again, tickles the funnybone only as guileless kids can." [5]

Leslie Halliwell wrote: "Mildly pleasing but unconvincing semi-documentary, with children competing with the star at scene-stealing" [6]

Accolades

The film was entered into the 1st Moscow International Film Festival, and Vernon Harris's screenplay received a BAFTA nomination. [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Bygraves</span> British entertainer (1922–2012)

Walter William "Max" Bygraves was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, sometimes performing comedy sketches between songs. He made twenty Royal Variety Performance appearances and presented numerous programmes, including Family Fortunes between 1983 and 1985. His catchphrase "I wanna tell you a story" became an integral part of his act, although it had originated with comedian Mike Yarwood impersonating Bygraves.

<i>The One That Got Away</i> (1957 film) 1957 British film by Roy Ward Baker

The One That Got Away is a 1957 British biographical war film starring Hardy Krüger and featuring Michael Goodliffe, Jack Gwillim and Alec McCowen. The film was directed by Roy Ward Baker with a screenplay written by Howard Clewes, based on the 1956 book of the same name by Kendal Burt and James Leasor.

<i>Indiscreet</i> (1958 film) 1958 British film by Stanley Donen

Indiscreet is a 1958 British romantic comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Donen, and starring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant.

Cast a Dark Shadow is a 1955 British suspense film noir directed by Lewis Gilbert and written by John Cresswell, based on the 1952 play Murder Mistaken by Janet Green. It stars Dirk Bogarde, Margaret Lockwood, Kay Walsh, Kathleen Harrison and Robert Flemyng. The film released on 20 September 1955, distributed by Eros Films Ltd. in the United Kingdom and Distributors Corporation of America in the United States. The story concerns a husband who murders his wife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Murray</span> British screen actress (1929-2014)

Barbara Ann Murray was an English actress.

<i>Woman in a Dressing Gown</i> 1957 British film by J. Lee Thompson

Woman in a Dressing Gown is a 1957 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Yvonne Mitchell, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms, and Carole Lesley.

<i>Its Great to Be Young</i> (1956 film) 1956 British film by Cyril Frankel

It's Great to Be Young is a 1956 British Technicolor musical comedy film about a school music teacher, starring Cecil Parker and John Mills.

<i>Only Two Can Play</i> 1962 film by Sidney Gilliat

Only Two Can Play is a 1962 British comedy film directed by Sidney Gilliat starring Peter Sellers, Mai Zetterling and Virginia Maskell. The screenplay was by Bryan Forbes, based on the 1955 novel That Uncertain Feeling by Kingsley Amis.

<i>Emergency Call</i> (1952 film) 1952 film by Lewis Gilbert

Emergency Call, released in the US as The Hundred Hour Hunt, is a 1952 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Jack Warner, Anthony Steel, Joy Shelton and Sid James. It was distributed by Butcher's Film Service. The film was a noted success compared to its small budget and helped establish Gilbert as a director. It was remade in 1962 as Emergency.

<i>Ladies Who Do</i> 1964 British film

Ladies Who Do is a 1963 British comedy film directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards and starring Peggy Mount, Robert Morley and Harry H. Corbett.

<i>Once a Sinner</i> (1950 film) 1950 British film by Lewis Gilbert

Once a Sinner is a 1950 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Pat Kirkwood, Jack Watling and Joy Shelton.

<i>Tom Browns Schooldays</i> (1951 film) 1951 British film by Gordon Parry

Tom Brown's Schooldays is a 1951 British drama film, directed by Gordon Parry, produced by Brian Desmond Hurst, and starring John Howard Davies, Robert Newton and James Hayter. It is based on the 1857 novel of the same name by Thomas Hughes.

<i>Doctor at Large</i> (film) 1957 British film by Ralph Thomas

Doctor at Large is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas starring Dirk Bogarde, Muriel Pavlow, Donald Sinden, James Robertson Justice and Shirley Eaton. It is the third of the seven films in the Doctor series, and is based on the 1955 novel of the same title by Richard Gordon.

<i>Sally in Our Alley</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

Sally in Our Alley is a 1931 British romantic comedy drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Gracie Fields, Ian Hunter, and Florence Desmond. It is based on the 1923 West End play The Likes of Her by Charles McEvoy.

<i>Your Witness</i> (film) 1950 British film

Your Witness is a 1950 British drama film directed by and starring Robert Montgomery, Leslie Banks, Felix Aylmer and Andrew Cruickshank. It was released in the U.S. as Eye Witness.

<i>No Trees in the Street</i> 1959 British film by J. Lee Thompson

No Trees in the Street is a 1959 British crime thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Sylvia Syms, Herbert Lom and Melvyn Hayes. It was written by Ted Willis, from his 1948 stage play of the same name.

<i>Bobbikins</i> 1959 British film by Robert Day

Bobbikins is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Robert Day and starring Shirley Jones and Max Bygraves. It was made in CinemaScope and released by 20th Century Fox. It was produced by the British subsidiary of 20th Century Fox and shot at Elstree Studios.

<i>Just My Luck</i> (1957 film) 1957 British film

Just My Luck is a 1957 British sports comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom, Margaret Rutherford, Jill Dixon and Leslie Phillips.

<i>Tread Softly Stranger</i> 1958 British film

Tread Softly Stranger is a 1958 British crime drama directed by Gordon Parry and starring Diana Dors, George Baker and Terence Morgan. The film was shot in black-and-white in film noir style, and its setting in an industrial town in northern England mirrors the kitchen sink realism movement coming into vogue in English drama and film at the time. The screenplay was adapted from the stage play Blind Alley (1953) by Jack Popplewell.

<i>No Time for Tears</i> (film) 1957 British film by Directed by Cyril Frankel

No Time for Tears is a 1957 British drama film directed by Cyril Frankel in CinemaScope and Eastman Color and starring Anna Neagle, George Baker, Sylvia Syms and Anthony Quayle. The staff at a children's hospital struggle with their workload.

References

  1. 1 2 Fowler, Roy (1996). "Lewis Gilbert Side 6". British Entertainment History Project.
  2. "A Cry from the Streets". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  3. Billings, Josh (18 December 1958). "Others in the Money". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 7.
  4. "Britain's Money Pacers 1958". Variety. 15 April 1959. p. 60.
  5. Weiler, A. H. (24 February 1959). "Screen: Children in London's Slums; ' Cry From the Streets' Opens at the Guild" via NYTimes.com.
  6. Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 236. ISBN   0-586-08894-6.
  7. "1st Moscow International Film Festival (1959)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  8. "Film in 1959 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.