Don't Ever Leave Me

Don't Ever Leave Me is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Petula Clark, Jimmy Hanley, Hugh Sinclair, Edward Rigby, and Anthony Newley. Produced by Betty Box during her stint at Gainsborough Pictures, it was written by Robert Westerby.

For the Jermaine Stewart song, see Don't Ever Leave Me (song).

Don't Ever Leave Me
Original poster
Directed byArthur Crabtree
Produced byBetty Box
Written byAnthony Armstrong
StarringPetula Clark
Jimmy Hanley
Hugh Sinclair
Music byLambert Williamson
CinematographyStephen Dade
Edited byA. Charles Knott
Production
company
Distributed byGeneral Film Distributors
Release date
19 July 1949
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

The plot, a variation on The Ransom of Red Chief, revolves around Sheila Farlaine (Clark), the teenaged daughter of Shakespearean tragedian Michael Farlaine (Sinclair), who is kidnapped by elderly crook Harry Denton (Rigby) when it's suggested he no longer has what it takes to be a master criminal.

When Harry starts having second thoughts about the caper, Sheila - tired of playing second fiddle to her egotistical father's career - becomes the mastermind of the plot and resists every effort made by Harry's grandson Jack (Hanley) to return her home before she's discovered missing. In this strange scenario Sheila wants to be kidnapped, as she thinks her father will at last take some interest. She begins to take a romantic interest in Jack, and despite her only being 15, he begins taking her out to clubs and casinos, wining, dining and dancing. Jack's girlfriend is less than happy when she discovers this.

Sheila's friend Jimmy (Newley) decides that he too wants to be "kidnapped" and general nuisance to one and all.

Production

Taking advantage of Clark's vocal abilities, screenwriter Westerby included two scenes in which she sang the tune "It's Not for the Want of Trying" by songwriters Jack Fishman and Peter Hart. The film, Clark's twelfth, allowed her to play a role more mature than she had in previous outings, and was both a critical and commercial success.

Anthony Steel has one of his earliest screen appearances.[1]

Cast

References
  1. Vagg, Stephen (23 September 2020). "The Emasculation of Anthony Steel: A Cold Streak Saga". Filmink.


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