Hue and Cry (film)
Encyclopedia
Hue and Cry is a British film
directed by Charles Crichton
and starring Alastair Sim
, Harry Fowler
and Joan Dowling
.
It is generally considered to be the first of the "Ealing comedies
", although it is better characterised as a thriller for children. Shot almost entirely on location, it is now a notable historic document due to its vivid portrait of a London
still showing the damage of World War II
. London forms the backdrop of a crime-gangster
plot which revolves around a working-class children's street culture
and children's secret clubs
.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
directed by Charles Crichton
Charles Crichton
Charles Crichton was an English film director and film editor. He became best known for directing comedies produced at Ealing Studios...
and starring Alastair Sim
Alastair Sim
Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is best remembered in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge, and for his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two St. Trinian's films...
, Harry Fowler
Harry Fowler
Harry James Fowler, MBE is an English actor in film and TV. He started in juvenile roles, most notably in the first recognised Ealing Comedy Hue and Cry, made in 1947...
and Joan Dowling
Joan Dowling
Joan Dowling was an English character actress.-Biography:Joan Dowling was an English Actress of the 1940–50s era. She was the illegitimate daughter of Vera Dowling and was brought up by her great grandmother in Uxbridge...
.
It is generally considered to be the first of the "Ealing comedies
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
", although it is better characterised as a thriller for children. Shot almost entirely on location, it is now a notable historic document due to its vivid portrait of a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
still showing the damage of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. London forms the backdrop of a crime-gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
plot which revolves around a working-class children's street culture
Children's street culture
Children's street culture refers to the cumulative culture created by young children. Collectively, this body of knowledge is passed down from one generation of urban children to the next, and can also be passed between different groups of children . It is most common in children between the ages...
and children's secret clubs
Childhood secret club
A childhood secret club is an informal organization created by children.-Key elements:Some defining features of a childhood secret club are:Names. Unlike cliques, these associations have names. Giving a name to the group is what creates the club...
.
Cast
- Alastair SimAlastair SimAlastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is best remembered in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge, and for his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two St. Trinian's films...
as Felix H. Wilkinson - Harry FowlerHarry FowlerHarry James Fowler, MBE is an English actor in film and TV. He started in juvenile roles, most notably in the first recognised Ealing Comedy Hue and Cry, made in 1947...
as Joe Kirby - Douglas Barr as Alec
- Joan DowlingJoan DowlingJoan Dowling was an English character actress.-Biography:Joan Dowling was an English Actress of the 1940–50s era. She was the illegitimate daughter of Vera Dowling and was brought up by her great grandmother in Uxbridge...
as Clarry - Jack WarnerJack Warner (actor)Jack Warner OBE was an English film and television actor. He is closely associated with the role of PC George Dixon, which he played until the age of eighty....
as Nightingale - Valerie White as Rhona
- Jack LambertJack Lambert (British actor)Jack Lambert was a British film and television actor.-Selected filmography:* Red Ensign * The Ghost Goes West * Premiere * Nine Men * Floodtide * The Lost Hours...
as Ford - Ian Dawson as Norman
- Gerald Fox as Dicky
- David Simpson as Arthur
- Albert Hughes as Wally
- John Hudson as Stan
- David Knox as Dusty
- Jeffrey Sirett as Bill
- James Crabbe as Terry
- Stanley Escane as Roy
- Frederick PiperFrederick PiperFrederick Piper was an English actor who appeared in over 80 films and many television productions in a career spanning over 40 years. Never a leading player, Piper was usually cast in minor, sometimes uncredited, parts although he also appeared in some more substantial supporting roles...
as Mr. Kirby - Vida HopeVida Hope-Selected filmography:* Champagne Charlie * English Without Tears * Hue and Cry * Nicholas Nickleby * It Always Rains on Sunday * Woman Hater * For Them That Trespass...
as Mrs. Kirby - Heather Delaine as Dorrie Kirby
- Joe E. Carr as Short, Nattily-dressed Thug
- Henry Purvis as Larry the Bull
- Paul Demel as Jago
- Alec Finter as Detective Sergeant Fothergill
- Arthur Denton as Vicar
- Robin HughesRobin HughesRobin Hughes was a film and television actor-Background:Robin Hughes was born June 7, 1920 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to English parents...
as Selwyn Pike - Howard Douglas as Watchman
- Bruce BelfrageBruce BelfrageBruce Belfrage was an English actor and BBC newsreader.Like his brother, the author and journalist Cedric Belfrage, Bruce Belfrage was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk....
as BBC announcer - Grace ArnoldGrace ArnoldGrace Arnold was an English actress. Her first film was Men Without Honour in 1939, where she starred opposite an actor named Ian Fleming.-Selected filmography:* Guilt * Spare a Copper * Went the Day Well?...
as Dicky's Mother
External links
- Hue and Cry at screenonline