These Dangerous Years

These Dangerous Years
These Dangerous Years
	Associated British-Pathé
Release dates	3 July 1957 (London); July 8, 1958 (USA);
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

These Dangerous Years (also known as Dangerous Youth) is a 1957 British

drama musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring George Baker, Frankie Vaughan, Carole Lesley, Thora Hird, Kenneth Cope, David Lodge and John Le Mesurier.^[1]

The army sequences were filmed in the Inglis Barracks, Mill Hill, London NW7.

Plot

Tough gang leader and wannabe rock star Dave Wyman, from the slums of Liverpool, gets called up for National Service. He undergoes basic training, finds the discipline surprisingly suits him, and emerges stronger. When his best friend from training is killed by the camp bully, Dave takes revenge, and eventually ends up marrying his singing partner.

Cast

George Baker as the Padre
Frankie Vaughan as Dave Wyman
Carole Lesley as Dinah Brown
Jocelyn Lane as Maureen
Katherine Kath as Mrs Wyman
Thora Hird as Mrs Larkin
Eddie Byrne as Danny
Kenneth Cope as Juggler
Robert Desmond as Cream O'Casey
Ray Jackson as Smiler Larkin
Richard Leech as Captain Brewster
John Le Mesurier as Commanding Officer
David Lodge as Sergeant Major Lockwood
Michael Ripper as Private Simpson
Reginald Beckwith as Hairdresser
Martin Boddey as Police Sergeant
Lloyd Lamble as Police Officer
Bunner O'Keeffe as youth buying the Liverpool Echo

Production

It was the first solo producing effort from Anna Neagle. The film was known as The Cast Iron Shore and was to be the first of three films Neagle made with Diana Dors. However Dors was in Hollywood and declined to return to make the film .^[2]

George Baker later said it "wasn’t a good film. Herbert was trying to break away, you see. They'd all gone for Frankie Vaughan and this was a Liverpool film with a message about how tough it is in the Dingle. It wasn’t attractive to a lot of people because it wasn’t well enough made. The script was by Jack Trevor Story and he and Herbert had no meeting-ground whatever."^[3]

Reception

According to Kinematograph Weekly the film was "in the money" at the British box office in 1957.^[4]

References

^ "These Dangerous Years". BFI. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
^ Dors Drops out of Neagle Film Author: Cecil Wilson Date: Monday, Sept. 3, 1956 Publication: Daily Mail (London, England) p 3
^ McFarlane, Brian. An autobiography of British cinema : as told by the filmmakers and actors who made it. p. 40.
^ Billings, Josh (12 December 1957). "Others in the money". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 7.