The Boys (1962)

In 1962 London, four troublesome teenagers are charged by the police with robbing a garage and murdering the night watchman.

Director:

Sidney J. Furie

Writer:

Stuart Douglass (original screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Todd, Robert Morley, Dudley Sutton

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Todd	...	Victor Webster
Robert Morley	...	Montgomery
Dudley Sutton	...	Stan Coulter
Ronald Lacey	...	Billy Herne
Tony Garnett	...	Ginger Thompson
Jess Conrad	...	Barney Lee
Felix Aylmer	...	The Judge / Judge
Wilfrid Brambell	...	Robert Brewer (as Wilfred Bramble)
Colin Gordon	...	Gordon Lonsdale
Kenneth J. Warren	...	George Tanner
Allan Cuthbertson	...	Randolph St. John (as Alan Cuthbertson)
Wensley Pithey	...	Mr. Coulter (as Wensley Pithey/Wensley Athey)
Roy Kinnear	...	Mark Salmon
Patrick Magee	...	Mr. Lee
David Lodge	...	Mr. Herne

Storyline

After the night watchman of a garage is found murdered, 4 young men are arrested and put on trial. Under cross-examination, suspects and witnesses give differing accounts of the same incidents that led up to the crime. After re-examining the suspects' statements, the prosecuting counsel finally learns the truth.

---

Plot Keywords:

london england | 1960s | year 1962 | teenager | gang | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jess Conrad has said in interviews that Sidney J. Furie told "The Boys" to tear up the script, and improvise their dialogue.

---

Goofs

The events leading to the trial are said on numerous occasions throughout the film to have taken place on a Thursday, January 15, 1962. January 15, 1962 was actually a Monday.

---

Quotes

Montgomery: Are you proud of being a lavatory attendant?
The Judge: That's a most unseemly question Mr Montgomery. The witness need not answer it.
Robert Brewer: Well I will answer it. I am proud. Very proud.

---

Alternate Versions

The 2009 DVD master seems to come from a TV master. The movie is cropped to a ratio 1:1.77 with some strong anamorphic deformations. Also the nude calendar presented at the trial is blurred.

---

Connections

Referenced in Talkies: The Boys: Locations Now & Then (2018)

---

Soundtracks

Main Theme
(uncredited)
Written by Brian Bennett, Bruce Welch & Hank B. Marvin
Played by The Shadows

User Reviews

Misunderstood

When I saw this film a couple of nights ago on late night TV I was struck by how much it captured the spirit of a time when I was a boy a little younger than 'The Boys' in the film

The Boys in question are four teenagers charged with murder of an elderly night watchman during a robbery.

Several social issues are 'on trial' Firstly, the generation gap. This was a time when 'teenagers' were a new concept in Britain (the four are described disparagingly by their elders as 'teddy boys'), and this perception his used by the defence to show that teenagers are harshly judged by their elders.

The four in question are rowdy and ill mannered enough but rather too well spoken for real working class teenagers (particularly teen idol of the day Jess Conrad). However their plight is gripping enough to hold the interest of the viewer.

In England in 1962 a) an 18 year old could hang for murder but not a younger accomplice (one of the most notorious incidents of the time was the hanging of 18 year old Derek Bentley - 1956 - while his younger accomplice who fired the fatal shot, could not be hanged) b) some types of murder - killing during a the commission of a crime - were capital, others not.

The film points up these anomalies and was making a serious social criticism at the time.

The film is a believable portrayal of poor lads on a night out that went disastrously wrong and has a nice little twist in the tail

Worth hanging about to see this one - 8 out of 10

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1962 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Boys

Filming Locations:

Soho, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Galaworldfilm Productions, Atlas Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1