''Cry Wolf'' is a 1969 British children's film directed and written by John Davis and starring Anthony Kemp,

Janet Munro Janet Munro (born Janet Neilson Horsburgh; 28 September 1934 – 6 December 1972) was a British actress. She won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in the film ''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' (1959) and received a BAFTA Film Awa ...

and

Ian Hendry Ian Mackendrick Hendry (13 January 1931 – 24 December 1984) was an English actor. He worked on several British TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, including the lead in the first series of '' The Avengers'' and '' The Lotus Eaters.'' He was no ...

. It was made by Damor Leaderfilms for the

Children's Film Foundation The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) is a non-profit organisation which makes films and other media for children in the United Kingdom. Originally it made films to be shown as part of children's Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. Th ...

. It concerns three children who foil a kidnapping plot. This was the final film of actress

Plot

Tony discovers a plot to kidnap a visiting Prime Minister, but no one believes him. He meets Stella, a reporter, who does believe him, but she is secretly the mastermind behind the kidnapping plan. With the help of his friends Martin and Mary, Tony manages to foil the plot.

Cast

* Anthony Kemp as Tony * Mary Burleigh as Mary * Martin Beaumont as Martin *

Judy Cornwell Judy Valerie Cornwell (born 22 February 1940) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Daisy in the British sitcom ''Keeping Up Appearances'' (1990–1995). She also played Anya Claus in '' Santa Claus: The Movie'' (1985). In ...

as Stella *

Eileen Moore Eileen Moore (born August 1932 in London, England) is a British actress. She is best known as Sheila in the film ''An Inspector Calls''. Life Moore was born in London in August 1932. She was married to actor George Cole from 1954 until their divo ...

as Muriel Walker *

Maurice Kaufmann Maurice Harington Kaufmann (29 June 1927 – 21 September 1997) was a British actor of stage, film and television, who specialised in whodunits and horror films, from 1954 to 1981, when he retired. Personal life He was married to Honor Blackm ...

as Jim Walker * John Trenaman as Ben * Rex Stallings as marksman * Alfred Bell as Insp. Blake * Mary Yeomans as Mrs. Quinn, woman in tobacconist's shop *

Pat Coombs Patricia Doreen Coombs (27 August 1926 – 25 May 2002) was an English actress. She specialised in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female, comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, ...

as Mrs. Blades *

Kevin Manser Kevin Baden Manser (16 February 1929 – 21 December 2001) was an Australian actor best known for his career as a Dalek operator in the early seasons of the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was born in Adelaide and ...

as town clerk *

Alec Bregonzi Alec Bregonzi (21 April 1930, London – 4 June 2006) was an English actor who appeared in a number of stage and television roles. Bregonzi began his career as a professional actor in 1955 in repertory theatre in Farnham, then in York, Broml ...

as sound man *

Wilfrid Brambell Henry Wilfrid Brambell (22 March 1912 – 18 January 1985) was an Irish television and film actor, best remembered for playing the grubby rag-and-bone man Albert Steptoe alongside Harry H. Corbett in the long-running BBC television sitcom '' ...

as delivery man (as Wilfred Brambell) *

Adrienne Corri Adrienne Corri (born Adrienne Riccoboni; 13 November 1931 – 13 March 2016) was a Scottish actress. Early life She was born Adrienne Riccoboni in Glasgow in November 1931, the daughter of an English mother (Olive Smethurst) and an Italian fa ...

as Muriel & Polly's friend in car *

Walter Gotell Walter Jack Gotell (born Walter Jacques Goettel; 15 March 1924 – 5 May 1997) was a German-born British actor. He was well known for his role as General Gogol, head of the KGB, in the Roger Moore era of the James Bond film seriesTom VallancO ...

as Ronan (as Walter Cotell) *

as Hobson *

as Polly * Roy Moore

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "Something of a variation on the usual Children's Film Foundation productions in that the villains are played straight: This certainly makes for greater plausibility, and despite some inconsistency in the playing and a rather feeble attempt at comedy, there is ample compensation in Judy Cornwell's splendid villainess and the suspense is quite effectively sustained." ''

Kine Weekly ''Kinematograph Weekly'', popularly known as ''Kine Weekly'', was a trade paper catering to the British film industry between 1889 and 1971. Etymology The word Kinematograph was derived from the Greek ' Kinumai ', (to move, to be in motion, to ...

'' wrote: "Rather more adult than the usual C.F.F. fare, this is an exciting tale that should please the slightly older children. Good, matinee attraction. This departure from the usual style of C.F.F. productions looks as though it will justify the experiment of using a far more sophisticated plot and having villains who are bad without being ludicrous. The quite sensible story has exciting moments and a tense climax that should thrill most ages. The main role of the boy Tony is played with a natural eagerness by Anthony Kemp and the adult leads – Judy Cornwell, Maurice Kaufmann, John Trenaman Rex Stallings and Eileen Moore – all play seriously."

References

External links

''Cry Wolf''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* {{IMDb title, 0202842 1969 films Children's Film Foundation 1960s children's films 1960s British films