Boys in Brown
Can Bad Boys Make Good?
1949 | 84m | English
Popularity: 0.9 (history)
| Director: | Montgomery Tully |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Reginald Beckwith, Montgomery Tully |
| Staring: |
| Jackie lives in poverty with his widowed mother. In a bid to escape poverty he gets involved in a robbery that sees him sentenced to three years in Borstal where he meets a tough crowd, tougher than anything on the outside. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 01, 1949 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Montgomery Tully |
| Writer: | Reginald Beckwith, Montgomery Tully |
| Genres: | Crime |
| Keywords | male friendship, based on play or musical, reformatory, reform school, getaway driver |
| Production Companies | Gainsborough Pictures, J. Arthur Rank Organisation |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jan 30, 2026 Entered: Apr 30, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Dirk Bogarde | Alfie Rawlins |
| Richard Attenborough | Jackie Knowles |
| Jack Warner | Governor |
| Jimmy Hanley | Bill Foster |
| Barbara Murray | Kitty Hurst |
| Andrew Crawford | Casey |
| Patrick Holt | Tigson |
| Thora Hird | Mrs. Knowles |
| Michael Medwin | Alf "Sparrow" Thompson |
| John Blythe | Bossy Phillips |
| Alfie Bass | Basher Walker |
| Elspeth March | Mrs. Smith |
| Frederick Leister | Judge |
| Graham Payn | Plato Cartwright |
| Stanley Escane | Bert |
| Robert Desmond | Spud |
| Martin Tiffen | Dusty |
| Philip Stainton | Principal Prison Officer |
| Cyril Chamberlain | Mr. Johnson |
| Tony Quinn | Mr. Knight |
| Clive Dunn | Holdup Man |
| Ronald Adam | Judge |
| John Clifford | Mr Smith |
| Frank Coburn | Man |
| Clive Dunn | Man |
| Charles Farrell | Mr. Sykes |
| Pat Hagan | Borstal Master |
| Philip Hillman | Sykes Jr |
| Rose Howlett | Mrs Sykes |
| James Knight | Prison Officer |
| Molly Lumley | Woman Watching Play |
| Robert Moore | Gym Instructor |
| Peter Mullins | Borstal Boy |
| Richard Neller | Borstal Master |
| Harry Terry | Borstal Master |
| Reg Thomason | Borstal Boy |
| John Warren | Signalman |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Reginald Beckwith | Writer |
| Montgomery Tully | Director, Writer |
| Doreen Carwithen | Original Music Composer |
| Gordon Lang | Director of Photography, Cinematography |
| James Needs | Editor |
| Cyril Bristow | Director of Photography |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Antony Darnborough | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Trending Position
Richard Attenborough is the naive young "Jackie", in love with his girl "Kitty" (Barbara Murray) but prone to getting into bad company. It is after one such escapade that he finds himself sentenced to three years in borstal. Fortunately for him, the governor (Jack Warden) believes firmly that the pu ... rpose of these institutions is to rehabilitate and so he is inclined to try and help the man; unfortunately his habit of falling for the wrong 'uns continues as he soon becomes the quarry of the duplicitous "Rawlins" (Dirk Bogarde) and his gang of would-be escapees. The film follows the path he takes to try and escape, not just from his incarceration, but from the self-perpetuating cycle of scenarios that make it impossible for him to break free and make a clean start with his life and his love. It sags a bit, this, but overall the performances are convincing and it does evoke a sense of just how despairing times must have been for many in the immediate aftermath of WWII. Jimmy Handley chips in well as another of "Rawlins" pawns, also do Thora Hird, Alfie Bass and Michael Medwin, too. There is a little too much dialogue but it is still worth a watch.