For the Love of Barbie
Ann (Barbara Murray) loves kids, which is a good job because as a welfare worker she has lots of kids to deal with from those who have been left orphaned to those abandoned by parents who can't cope. The latest children in her life are the three tailor children who have been left orphaned and as such have been put in to the care home of Mrs. Daniels (Mona Washbourne). Whilst Ann can't help but care about the children she is involved with she also has to protect them from the truth about their parents such a mother who is a drunk yet her child thinks she is a famous actress travelling around the world. Whilst Ann endeavours to help the children she also becomes involved with Bill (Max Bygraves) an electrician with a good heart and a great nature with kids despite initially not wanting to get involved.
I haven't said this for a while but I wonder what it was like to watch "A Cry from the Streets" back when it was released as whilst this is a drama with issues still current today when it comes to troubled families it is less gritty. I say that because of course cinema has moved on from 1958 and I doubt a light drama like this would ever make it to the big screen these days although it might still get made as a TV drama. As such whilst we have a storyline which features dead parents, alcoholic mothers as well as disappointment none of it comes with any real hard hitting impact.
But let me tell you that there are parts of "A Cry from the Streets" which will just put a huge smile on your face. I am on about a scene where Bill and Ann take a group of children for a picnic and that leads to a sing-along with the children which is wonderful because Max Bygrave had such a wonderful way with the children and sings the little ditty so wonderfully. I have to tell you I can't stop smiling even now as I type this because it is such a sweet, fun scene. In fact there is plenty in "A Cry from the Streets" which makes me smile from the various cockney characters to the sweet performance of Barbara Murray as the caring Ann all of which works nicely to balance the drama when it comes to troubled parents.
What this all boils down to is that "A Cry from the Streets" is simply a nice drama, very much a product of its era, yes it features a child lighting a cigarette for a woman, yet still works today thanks to that aspect of being more on the innocent side of things rather than being dark and heavy.
