Opening title: This story – like its characters – is fictitious. It is set in Canada. But it could happen anywhere – And it could be true.
Peter Carter meets official resistance when he finds his 9 year old daughter has been the victim of the pedophile patriarch of the town’s most powerful family.
Production Details
A Columbia Pictures Corporation presentation of a Hammer Film
Production.
Copyright MCMLIV by Hammer Film Productions Ltd. Ltd. All rights reserved
Megascope
MPAA Approved
RCA Sound System
Produced at Bray Studios
All characters and incidents portrayed, and the names used herewith are ficticious and the similarity to any names, characters or history of any person is entirely accidental and unintentional
Black & White 81 mins
Filming Began: 14th August 1959
UK Release: 4th March 1960
Studio:
Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire
Locations:
Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England
Stills from film
Click an image for enlarged slideshow
Cast & Crew
Red = Uncredited
Crew | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits | Uncredited | Total Hammer | |
Art Direction | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/don-mingaye/# | 31 | 1929 | 8 Nov 2017 | 88 | 28 | 15 | 43 | |
Assistant Camera Operator | Alan McDonald | 22 | 1938 | 01.01.1938 | 86 | 14 | 14 | ||
Assistant Costume Designer | Yvonne Blake | 19 | 17 Apr 1940 | 17 Jul 2018 | 78 | 3 | 3 | ||
Assistant Director | John Peverall | 29 | 1931 | 3 Oct 2009 | 78 | 21 | 21 | ||
Assistant Editor | Paul Smith | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Associate Producer | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/anthony-nelson-keys/# | 48 | 13 Nov 1911 | 19 Mar 1985 | 73 | 41 | 41 | ||
Based on the Pony Cart by | Roger Garis | 58 | 10 Sep 1901 | 10 Sep 1967 | 66 | 1 | 1 | ||
Boom Assistant | Maurice Smith | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Boom Operator | Jim Perry | 9 | 9 | ||||||
Camera Operator | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/len-harris/# | 43 | 19 May 1916 | 21 Feb 1995 | 78 | 53 | 2 | 55 | |
Casting | Dorothy Holloway | 61 | 7 Mar 1898 | 1972 | 73 | 4 | 6 | 10 | |
Clapper Loader | Les Paul | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Continuity | Tilly Day | 57 | 1903 | 1994 | 91 | 14 | 1 | 15 | |
Director | Cyril Frankel | 38 | 28 Dec 1921 | 7 Jun 2017 | 95 | 3 | 3 | ||
Director of Photography | Freddie Francis | 42 | 22 Dec 1917 | 17 Mar 2007 | 89 | 6 | 6 | ||
Draughtsman | Neil MacPhee | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Executive Producer | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/michael-carreras/# | 32 | 21 Dec 1927 | 19 Apr 1994 | 66 | 84 | 8 | 92 | |
First Assistant Editor | Peter Todd | 4 | 4 | ||||||
Focus Puller | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/harry-oakes/# | 39 | 16 Jan 1921 | 11 Dec 2012 | 91 | 53 | 53 | ||
Hair Stylist | Henry Montsash | 54 | 17 Sep 1905 | 29 Sep 1974 | 69 | 16 | 16 | ||
Make-up | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/roy-ashton/# | 50 | 16 Apr 1909 | 10 Jan 1995 | 85 | 36 | 4 | 40 | |
Music Composer | Elisabeth Lutyens | 53 | 9 Jul 1906 | 14 Apr 1983 | 76 | 2 | 2 | ||
Musical Supervisor | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/john-hollingsworth/# | 43 | 20 Mar 1916 | 29 Dec 1963 | 47 | 37 | 3 | 40 | |
Presenter - US release | Howard Beck | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Producer | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/anthony-hinds/# | 37 | 18 Sep 1922 | 30 Sep 2013 | 91 | 88 | 1 | 89 | |
Production Designer | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/bernard-robinson/# | 47 | 28 Jul 1912 | 2 Mar 1970 | 57 | 45 | 4 | 49 | |
Production Manager | Clifford Parkes | 32 | 10 Jul 1928 | 20 Nov 2014 | 87 | 12 | 12 | ||
Production Secretary | Pat Green | 31 | 29 Oct 1928 | 29.10.1928 | 95 | 3 | 3 | ||
Publicity Director | Dennison Thornton | 50 | 23 Aug 1909 | 1977 | 67 | 9 | 9 | ||
Scenic Artist | Gilbert Wood | 56 | 1904 | 1982 | 78 | 2 | 2 | ||
Screenplay | John Hunter | 48 | 22 Aug 1911 | 8 Sep 1984 | 73 | 4 | 4 | ||
Second Assistant Director | Tom Walls | 47 | 31 May 1912 | 28 Nov 1992 | 80 | 1 | 10 | 11 | |
Second Assistant Editor | Pauline Harlow (Wise) | 22 | 1938 | 01.01.1938 | 86 | 11 | 3 | 14 | |
Sound Camera Operator | Alan Thorne | 1 | 8 | 9 | |||||
Sound Camera Operator | Michael Sale | 9 | 9 | ||||||
Sound Editor | Arthur Cox | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||||
Sound Editor | Alfred Cox | 35 | 1925 | 2005 | 80 | 21 | 4 | 25 | |
Sound Recordist | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/jock-may/# | 55 | 1905 | 8 Jan 1991 | 86 | 30 | 1 | 31 | |
Still Photographer | Tom Edwards | 1999 | 29 | 29 | |||||
Supervising Editor | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/james-needs/# | 40 | 17 Oct 1919 | 4 Feb 2003 | 83 | 110 | 1 | 111 | |
Third Assistant Director | Dominic Fulford | 40 | 19 Aug 1919 | 23 Apr 2007 | 87 | 1 | 6 | 7 | |
Wardrobe Mistress | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/molly-arbuthnot/# | 51 | 19 Dec 1908 | 31 Oct 2001 | 92 | 48 | 5 | 53 | |
Cast | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits | Uncredited | Total Hammer | |
1st Policeman | William Abney | 39 | 7 Jan 1921 | 9 Aug 1997 | 76 | 3 | 3 | ||
2nd Policeman | Tom Busby | 23 | 7 Nov 1936 | 20 Sep 2003 | 66 | 1 | 1 | ||
Barrister | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/guy-standeven/# | 31 | 28 Aug 1928 | 16 Oct 1998 | 70 | 7 | 7 | ||
Charles Calliduke | Cal McCord | 45 | 13 Aug 1914 | 24 Sep 1983 | 69 | 1 | 1 | ||
Clarence Olderby Jr. | Bill Nagy | 39 | 21 Feb 1921 | 19 Jan 1973 | 51 | 1 | 1 | ||
Clarence Olderby Sr. | Felix Aylmer | 71 | 21 Feb 1889 | 2 Sep 1979 | 90 | 2 | 2 | ||
Clerk of the court | Mark Baker | 50 | 28 Jan 1910 | 20 Jun 1972 | 62 | 1 | 1 | ||
Court Official | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/george-hilsdon/# | 52 | 25 Apr 1907 | 28 May 1982 | 75 | 7 | 7 | ||
Court official | Philip Stewart | 4 | 4 | ||||||
Courtroom Spectator | Louis Matto | 49 | 16 Aug 1910 | 16 Apr 1989 | 78 | 5 | 5 | ||
Courtroom Spectator | Alan Beaton | 59 | 10 Jul 1900 | Mar 1977 | 76 | 3 | 3 | ||
Courtroom Spectator | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/richard-neller/# | 65 | Oct 1894 | 14 Jul 1970 | 75 | 9 | 9 | ||
Courtroom spectator | Dan Lester | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Defence Council | Niall MacGinnis | 46 | 29 Mar 1913 | 6 Jan 1977 | 63 | 3 | 3 | ||
Dr Montfort | Jack Lynn | 37 | 30 Jan 1923 | 24 Apr 2012 | 89 | 1 | 1 | ||
Dr Stevens | James Dryenforth | 65 | 31 Jan 1895 | 26 Dec 1973 | 78 | 1 | 1 | ||
Eunice Kalliduke | Estelle Brody | 59 | 15 Aug 1900 | 3 Jun 1995 | 94 | 1 | 1 | ||
Foreman of Jury | John Bloomfield | 18 | 1942 | 01.01.1942 | 82 | 1 | 1 | ||
Guest leaving reception | James Ure | 4 | 4 | ||||||
Guest leaving reception | Patricia Markes | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
Hammond | Budd Knap | 47 | 9 Jan 1913 | 6 Aug 1982 | 69 | 1 | 1 | ||
Janitor | Charles Maunsell | 76 | 25 Apr 1883 | 1 Aug 1968 | 85 | 1 | 1 | ||
Jean Carter | Janina Faye | 11 | 16 Apr 1948 | 16.04.1948 | 76 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Judge | Macdonald Parke | 68 | 30 Jul 1891 | 17 Jul 1960 | 68 | 1 | 1 | ||
Juror | Victor Hagen | 69 | 13 Jul 1890 | 26 Feb 1977 | 86 | 1 | 1 | ||
Juror | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/ernest-blyth/# | 12 | 12 | ||||||
Juror | Ernie Priest | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Lucille | Frances Green | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Man in Courtroom | Ray Austin | 27 | 5 Dec 1932 | 17 May 2023 | 90 | 2 | 2 | ||
Man Outside Court | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/dido-plumb/# | 54 | 23 Jun 1905 | 4 Mar 1991 | 85 | 10 | 10 | ||
Martha | Alison Leggat | 56 | 7 Feb 1904 | 15 Jul 1990 | 86 | 1 | 1 | ||
Men entering courtroom | John Timberlake | 55 | 5 Dec 1904 | 8 Nov 1993 | 88 | 5 | 5 | ||
Miss Jackson | Sheila Robins | 32 | 1928 | 01.01.1928 | 96 | 1 | 1 | ||
Mrs Demarest | Vera Cook | 47 | 19 Jun 1912 | 1 Jun 1996 | 83 | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
Mrs Nash | Shirley Butler | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Mrs Olderberry | Hazel Jennings | 48 | 28 Feb 1912 | 15 Oct 2006 | 94 | 1 | 1 | ||
Neal Phillips | Gaylord Cavallaro | 39 | 28 Aug 1920 | 29 Jun 1998 | 77 | 1 | 1 | ||
Nurse | Patricia Markes | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
Olderberrys Chauffeur | Andre Dakar | 63 | 23 Feb 1897 | 30 Dec 1987 | 90 | 1 | 1 | ||
Party Guest | Walter Henry | 38 | 24 Oct 1921 | 21 Feb 2005 | 83 | 5 | 5 | ||
Passerby / Courtroom Spectator | Muriel Greenslade | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Peter Carter | Patrick Allen | 32 | 17 Mar 1927 | 28 Jul 2006 | 79 | 4 | 2 | 6 | |
Policeman | John Tatham | 48 | 29 Jul 1911 | Dec 1996 | 85 | 1 | 9 | 10 | |
Press photographer | Philip Johns | 6 | 6 | ||||||
Prosecutor | Michael Gwynn | 43 | 30 Nov 1916 | 29 Jan 1976 | 59 | 4 | 4 | ||
Receptionist | Sonia Fox | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Sally Carter | Gwen Watford | 32 | 10 Sep 1927 | 6 Feb 1994 | 66 | 2 | 2 | ||
Sam Kingsley | Larry OConnor | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Sammy Nash | Michael Hammond | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Student | Rodney Dines | 20 | 1940 | 01.01.1940 | 84 | 1 | 1 | ||
Sylvia Kingsley | Helen Horton | 36 | 21 Nov 1923 | 28 Sep 2007 | 83 | 1 | 1 | ||
Taxi Driver | Bill Sawyer | 35 | 18 Jul 1924 | 1996 | 71 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
Tom Demarest | Robert Arden | 37 | 11 Dec 1922 | 25 Mar 2004 | 81 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Trooper | Ernest Fennemore | 25 | 19 Mar 1934 | 7 Dec 1972 | 38 | 1 | 1 | ||
Trooper | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/joe-phelps/# | 7 | 7 | ||||||
Usher | Peter Carlisle | 45 | 4 Aug 1914 | 16 Oct 2000 | 86 | 1 | 1 |
Original Poster
Click to enlarge
Footnotes
On its original release, the film made little impact at the box-office and its press was mainly negative. Paedophilia had never been tackled like this in the cinema before.
James Carreras commented: “Message pictures? I tried one: Never Take Sweets from a Stranger. Nobody bought it. I’m not an artist. I’m a businessman.”
This was silent screen star, Estelle Brody’s last feature film, and her only appearance for Hammer.
Michael Gwynn later played Lord Melbury in BBC TV’s comedy Fawlty Towers