When their deeply religious mother (Annette Carell) dies, the seven Hook children bury her in the garden of their gloomy Victorian house and continue life as normal, never telling anyone because they are all under-age and fear the orphanage.
The children release the housekeeper, Elsa (Margaret Leclere), so that they can live alone without adult supervision. One of the children, Jiminee (Mark Lester), learns how to forge his mother’s signature so they can continue to cash her pension checks.
They stay connected to their deceased mum via seance-like gatherings conducted by Diana (Pamela Franklin) in the garden shed that they call “Mother Time”.
They are managing pretty well but things turn ugly when the long lost father, Charlie (Dirk Bogarde) returns to take over the household. He manipulates them, steals their mother’s life-savings of £400, and in a gripping finale, reveals to the children the terrible secret Mother has hidden from them – with a truly shocking result.
The movie was filmed in Chichester Road, Croydon, South London.
Charlie Hook
Dirk Bogarde Jiminee
Mark Lester Diana
Pamela Franklin Hubert
Louis Sheldon Williams Dunstan
John Gugolka Gerty
Sarah Nicholls Willy
Gustav Henry Louis
Parnum Wallace Elsa
Margaret Leclere Mrs Quayle
Yootha Joyce Miss Bailey
Claire Davidson Mr Halbert
Anthony Nicholls Mother
Annette Carell Bank Clerk
Gerald Sim Doreen
Edina Ronay Mr Moley
Garfield Morgan
Director
Jack Clayton
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The children release the housekeeper, Elsa (Margaret Leclere), so that they can live alone without adult supervision. One of the children, Jiminee (Mark Lester), learns how to forge his mother’s signature so they can continue to cash her pension checks.
