Young and Innocent (1937)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Josephine Tey (novel)
Charles Bennett (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 February 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

A romantic murder-mystery drama!

Plot:

Man on the run from a murder charge enlists a beautiful stranger who must put herself at risk for his cause.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Escape | Murder | Beach | Actress

Cast

Nova Pilbeam	...	Erica Burgoyne
Derrick De Marney	...	Robert Tisdall (as Derrick de Marney)
Percy Marmont	...	Col. Burgoyne
Edward Rigby	...	Old Will
Mary Clare	...	Erica's Aunt
John Longden	...	Det. Insp. Kent
George Curzon	...	Guy
Basil Radford	...	Erica's Uncle
Pamela Carme	...	Christine
George Merritt	...	Det. Sgt. Miller
J.H. Roberts	...	Henry Briggs - Solicitor
Jerry Verno	...	Lorry Driver
H.F. Maltby	...	Police Sergeant
John Miller	...	Police Constable

Also Known As:

The Girl Was Young (USA)

Runtime:

80 min | USA:83 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (2006) | Iceland:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Germany:6 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (1986) | USA:Unrated | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Lime Grove Studios, Lime Grove, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company:

Gaumont British Picture Corporation

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Alfred Hitchcock]outside the courthouse holding a camera as Derrick De Marney escapes.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: During the performance of the first song heard and seen at the Grand Hotel, the drummer's visible playing (tapping on the drum head) does not nearly match the percussion sounds (cymbal strikes, drum rolls, rim shots, etc.) on the soundtrack.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Husband: Christine!
Christine: Don't shout, I tell you! Don't shout!

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

No One Can Like the Drummer Man

Wonderful Hitchcock Fare

A truly charming film from the Master of Suspense. Being a rather huge Hitch fan, I recently sought out some lesser known films from his early period. Of those I viewed ("Number 17," & "Murder!" among others) this one was my favorite--among the best of his Pre-Hollywood films. There is the usual mixture of humor and suspense, some nice camera work (including a wonderful precursor to the "key-in-hand" shot of "Notorious"), and most importantly, Nova Pilbeam. I'm not sure how this actress managed to play her scenes SO appealingly, and yet managed to have fallen SO completely off the acting radar. How many people today have her name rattling about their cerebral attic? Virtually none, I'd hazard, and yet she is terrific here--worth the effort of finding the video for her performance alone.

This film certainly is not in the same league as Hitch's best, but still is vastly superior to the average suspense film coming out of Hollywood today--or any other day, for that matter.