Tears for Simon (1956)
"Lost" (original title)

An 18 month old baby dissapears in London. Detective Inspector Craig tries to find the child but there aren't many clues.

Director:

Guy Green

Writer:

Janet Green (original screenplay)

Stars:

David Farrar, David Knight, Julia Arnall

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Farrar	...	Det. Insp. Craig
David Knight	...	Lee Cochrane
Julia Arnall	...	Sue Cochrane
Anthony Oliver	...	Sgt. Lyel
Thora Hird	...	Kelly's landlady
Eleanor Summerfield	...	Sgt. Cook
Anne Paige	...	Nanny
Marjorie Rhodes	...	Mrs. Jeffries
Anna Turner	...	Mrs. Robey
Everley Gregg	...	Viscountess
Meredith Edwards	...	Sgt. Davies
Irene Prador	...	Mitzi
Anita Sharp-Bolster	...	Miss Gill (as Anita Bolster)
Beverley Brooks	...	Pam
Brenda Hogan	...	Sue's secretary

Storyline

An 18 month old baby dissapears in London. Detective Inspector Craig tries to find the child but there aren't many clues.

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Taglines:

Snatched from a Mother's arms, Lost in a dark world of terror

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tears for Simon

Filming Locations:

Beachy Head, East Sussex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sydney Box Associates, Rank Organisation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

User Reviews

Tears For Simon

When a baby is snatched from outside a high street pharmacy, the police begin a painstaking search for clues and information whilst also trying to deal with the child's distraught parents.

Green's film is very much of its time, and there's nothing wrong with that – in 1956 Britain we thought nothing of leaving a baby in its pram outside a store. Small shops ran library services, small grocers and bakeries thrived, large supermarkets were a thing of the future and London's parks were awash with uniformed armies of perambulating nannies…

In the lead, Farrar is a little dull but this is perhaps more the fault of the script, which leaves little space for character development. As the baby's parents, Knight and Arnall both struggle with the challenges their parts bring, although certainly the script serves them better than Farrar, exploring the different emotional impacts a lost child can bring with both characters reacting differently. Green is better served by a delightful array of supporting character actors, each of whom savours the few lines they are given. This was a hallmark of British cinema in the 40s, 50s and 60s, where so often the supporting and bit players were much more believable and entertaining than the leads – witness Joan Hickson's amusingly patronising tone with her teenage customers (one of whom is Barbara Windsor!) in the chemist shop, or ice cream seller Joan Sims' hilarious gossiping about keeping her hairdo intact in an open top car. Thora Hird is hysterical as a caustic landlady, disapproving of plain-clothes policewomen, whilst Everley Gregg offers a sublime turn as a 'no nonsense' Viscountess in oily overalls.

All in all an enjoyably episodic story, coloured with fascinating location shooting and wonderful cameos, and a treat for anyone interested in Britain or British cinema in the 1950s.