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

Nova Pilbeam was only 17 when she made this movie, while Derrick De Marney (Robert), who falls in love with Erica (Pilbeam) was 31.

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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 E! True Hollywood Story: Alfred Hitchcock (1999)

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Soundtracks

I've Got Something In My Eye
(uncredited)
Written by James V. Monaco and Charles Newman

User Reviews

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.

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