Young and Innocent (1937)

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

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Josephine Tey (novel), Charles Bennett (screen play)

Stars:

Nova Pilbeam, Derrick De Marney, Percy Marmont

Cast

Complete credited 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 Clay
George Merritt	...	Det. Sgt. Miller
J.H. Roberts	...	Mr. Briggs - Solicitor
Jerry Verno	...	Lorry Driver
H.F. Maltby	...	Police Sergeant
John Miller	...	Police Constable

Storyline

An actress is murdered by her estranged husband, who is jealous of all of her young boyfriends. The next day, writer Robert Tisdall (who happens to be one such boyfriend) discovers her body on the beach. He runs to call the police, however, two witnesses think that he is the escaping murderer. Robert is arrested, but owing to a mix-up at the courthouse, he escapes and goes on the run with a Police Constable's daughter Erica, determined to prove his innocence.

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Plot Keywords:

police | escape | beach | murder | boy | 

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Taglines:

The Successor to "39 Steps"

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS or DVD copy of the movie. Therefore, many of the versions of this movie available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the movie.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock (2009)

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Soundtracks

May I Have the Next Romance With You
(uncredited)
Written by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel

User Reviews

Classic Hitchcock

Hitchcock is in a class by himself. I'll give any of his films multiple viewings. The story and structure of "Young and Innocent" resemble "The 39 Steps," with a young woman helping a young man on the run thwart the police and prove his innocence. This film is a standout, though, not because of the story or acting (both charming), but because of a virtuoso bit of directing by the Master, in which the location of the killer is revealed. As I watched the scene unfold for the first time, I remember thinking, "This is what makes Hitchcock Hitchcock." I wish I had never seen any Hitchcock films so I could watch them all again for the first time. His is a brilliant body of work, and this is an often overlooked example of his mastery of the film art.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

23 November 1939 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Girl Was Young

Filming Locations:

Cornwall, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont British Picture Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1