Never Take Sweets from a Stranger

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.

Original trailer

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

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 dates: 14th September – 30th October 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

Cast – Complete, awaiting verification
Crew – Believed complete

CREW	NAME	CREDITED	AGE AT RELEASE	BIRTH	Hidden	DEATH	AGE	CREDITS	UNCREDITED	TOTAL HAMMER
Art Direction	Don Mingaye	Yes	31	1929		8 Nov 2017	88	28	15	43
Assistant Camera Operator	Alan McDonald	No	22	1938	1 Jan 1938		87		14	14
Assistant Costume Designer	Yvonne Blake	No	19	17 Apr 1940		17 Jul 2018	78		3	3
Assistant Director	John Peverall	Yes	29	1931		3 Oct 2009	78	21		21
Assistant Editor	Paul Smith	No							2	2
Associate Producer	Anthony Nelson-Keys	Yes	48	13 Nov 1911		19 Mar 1985	73	43		43
Based on the Pony Cart by	Roger Garis	Yes	58	10 Sep 1901		10 Sep 1967	66	1		1
Boom Assistant	Maurice Smith	No							2	2
Boom Operator	Jim Perry	No							9	9
Camera Operator	Len Harris	Yes	43	19 May 1916		21 Feb 1995	78	63	2	65
Casting	Dorothy Holloway	Yes	61	7 Mar 1898		1972	73	4	6	10
Clapper Loader	Les Paul	No							1	1
Continuity	Tilly Day	Yes	57	1903		1994	91	14	1	15
Director	Cyril Frankel	Yes	38	28 Dec 1921		7 Jun 2017	95	3		3
Director of Photography	Freddie Francis	Yes	42	22 Dec 1917		17 Mar 2007	89	6		6
Draughtsman	Neil MacPhee	No							1	1
Executive Producer	Michael Carreras	Yes	32	21 Dec 1927		19 Apr 1994	66	98	11	109
First Assistant Editor	Peter Todd	No							4	4
Focus Puller	Harry Oakes	Yes	39	16 Jan 1921		11 Dec 2012	91	3	56	59
Hair Stylist	Henry Montsash	Yes	54	17 Sep 1905		29 Sep 1974	69	16		16
Make-up	Roy Ashton	Yes	50	16 Apr 1909		10 Jan 1995	85	36	4	40
Music Composer	Elisabeth Lutyens	Yes	53	9 Jul 1906		14 Apr 1983	76	2		2
Musical Supervisor	John Hollingsworth	Yes	43	20 Mar 1916		29 Dec 1963	47	37	3	40
Presenter - US release	Howard Beck	Yes						1		1
Producer	Anthony Hinds	Yes	37	18 Sep 1922		30 Sep 2013	91	87	3	90
Production Designer	Bernard Robinson	Yes	47	28 Jul 1912		2 Mar 1970	57	46	4	50
Production Manager	Clifford Parkes	Yes	32	10 Jul 1928		20 Nov 2014	87	12		12
Production Secretary	Pat Green	No	31	29 Oct 1928			96		3	3
Publicity Director	Dennison Thornton	No	50	23 Aug 1909		1977	67		9	9
Scenic Artist	Gilbert Wood	No	56	1904		1982	78		2	2
Screenplay	John Hunter	Yes	48	22 Aug 1911		8 Sep 1984	73	4		4
Second Assistant Director	Tom Walls	No	47	31 May 1912		28 Nov 1992	80	1	10	11
Second Assistant Editor	Pauline Harlow (Wise)	No	22	1938		Sep 2024	86	11	3	14
Sound Camera Operator	Alan Thorne	No						1	8	9
Sound Camera Operator	Michael Sale	No							9	9
Sound Editor	Arthur Cox	Yes						4	1	5
Sound Editor	Alfred Cox	No	35	1925		2005	80	21	5	26
Sound Recordist	Jock May	Yes	55	1905		8 Jan 1991	86	31	1	32
Still Photographer	Tom Edwards	No				1999			27	27
Supervising Editor	James Needs	Yes	40	17 Oct 1919		4 Feb 2003	83	113	1	114
Third Assistant Director	Dominic Fulford	No	40	19 Aug 1919		23 Apr 2007	87	1	6	7
Wardrobe Mistress	Molly Arbuthnot	Yes	51	19 Dec 1908		31 Oct 2001	92	48	5	53
CAST
1st Policeman	William Abney	Yes	39	7 Jan 1921		9 Aug 1997	76	3		3
2nd Policeman	Tom Busby	Yes	23	7 Nov 1936		20 Sep 2003	66	1		1
Barrister	Guy Standeven	No	31	28 Aug 1928		16 Oct 1998	70		7	7
Charles Calliduke	Cal McCord	Yes	45	13 Aug 1914		24 Sep 1983	69	1		1
Clarence Olderby Jr.	Bill Nagy	Yes	39	21 Feb 1921		19 Jan 1973	51	1		1
Clarence Olderby Sr.	Felix Aylmer	Yes	71	21 Feb 1889		2 Sep 1979	90	2		2
Clerk of the court	Mark Baker	Yes	50	28 Jan 1910		20 Jun 1972	62	1		1
Court Official	George Hildson	No	52	25 Apr 1907		28 May 1982	75		7	7
Court official	Philip Stewart	No							4	4
Courtroom Spectator	Louis Matto	No	49	16 Aug 1910		16 Apr 1989	78		5	5
Courtroom Spectator	Alan Beaton	No	59	10 Jul 1900		Mar 1977	76		3	3
Courtroom Spectator	Richard Neller	No	65	1 Oct 1894		14 Jul 1970	75		9	9
Courtroom spectator	Dan Lester	No							2	2
Defence Council	Niall MacGinnis	Yes	46	29 Mar 1913		6 Jan 1977	63	3		3
Dr Montfort	Jack Lynn	Yes	37	30 Jan 1923		24 Apr 2012	89	1		1
Dr Stevens	James Dryenforth	Yes	65	31 Jan 1895		26 Dec 1973	78	1		1
Eunice Kalliduke	Estelle Brody	Yes	59	15 Aug 1900		3 Jun 1995	94	1		1
Foreman of Jury	John Bloomfield	Yes						1		1
Guest leaving reception	James Ure	No							4	4
Guest leaving reception	Patrick Halpin	No	59	3 Jan 1901		21 May 1975	74		7	7
Hammond	Budd Knap	Yes	47	9 Jan 1913		6 Aug 1982	69	1		1
Janitor	Charles Maunsell	Yes	76	25 Apr 1883		1 Aug 1968	85	1		1
Jean Carter	Janina Faye	Yes	11	16 Apr 1948			77	2	1	3
Judge	Macdonald Parke	Yes	68	30 Jul 1891		17 Jul 1960	68	1		1
Juror	Victor Hagen	No	69	13 Jul 1890		26 Feb 1977	86		1	1
Juror	Ernest Blyth	No	50	1910		1981	71		12	12
Juror	Ernie Priest	No							2	2
Lucille	Frances Green	Yes						1		1
Man in Courtroom	Ray Austin	No	27	5 Dec 1932		17 May 2023	90		2	2
Man Outside Court	Dido Plumb	No	54	23 Jun 1905		4 Mar 1991	85		10	10
Martha	Alison Leggat	Yes	56	7 Feb 1904		15 Jul 1990	86	1		1
Men entering courtroom	John Timberlake	No	55	5 Dec 1904		8 Nov 1993	88		5	5
Miss Jackson	Sheila Robins	Yes	32	1928	1 Jan 1928		97	1		1
Mrs Demarest	Vera Cook	Yes	47	19 Jun 1912		1 Jun 1996	83	3	2	5
Mrs Nash	Shirley Butler	Yes						1		1
Mrs Olderberry	Hazel Jennings	Yes	48	28 Feb 1912		15 Oct 2006	94	1		1
Neal Phillips	Gaylord Cavallaro	Yes	39	28 Aug 1920		29 Jun 1998	77	1		1
Nurse	Patricia Markes	Yes						1	1	2
Olderberrys Chauffeur	Andre Dakar	Yes	63	23 Feb 1897		30 Dec 1987	90	1		1
Party Guest	Walter Henry	No	38	24 Oct 1921		21 Feb 2005	83		5	5
Passerby / Courtroom Spectator	Muriel Greenslade	No							1	1
Peter Carter	Patrick Allen	Yes	32	17 Mar 1927		28 Jul 2006	79	4	2	6
Policeman	John Tatham	No	48	29 Jul 1911		Dec 1996	85	1	9	10
Press photographer	Philip Johns	No							6	6
Prosecutor	Michael Gwynn	Yes	43	30 Nov 1916		29 Jan 1976	59	4		4
Receptionist	Sonia Fox	Yes						1		1
Sally Carter	Gwen Watford	Yes	32	10 Sep 1927		6 Feb 1994	66	2		2
Sam Kingsley	Larry OConnor	Yes						1		1
Sammy Nash	Michael Hammond	Yes						1		1
Student	Rodney Dines	No	20	1940	1 Jan 1940		85		1	1
Sylvia Kingsley	Helen Horton	Yes	36	21 Nov 1923		28 Sep 2007	83	1		1
Taxi Driver	Bill Sawyer	Yes	35	18 Jul 1924		1996	71	2	3	5
Tom Demarest	Robert Arden	Yes	37	11 Dec 1922		25 Mar 2004	81	1	1	2
Trooper	Ernest Fennemore	No	25	19 Mar 1934		7 Dec 1972	38		2	2
Trooper	Joe Phelps	No							7	7
Usher	Peter Carlisle	Yes	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

1960 BBFC Cert. “X”

Production Details

Stills from film

Cast & Crew

Original Poster

Footnotes

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