Synopsis
17-year-old Sal Mineo was one of the hottest young actors in Hollywood when The Young Don't Cry was specially tailored for his talents. Filmed on location at the Brockton Orphanage for Boys in Savannah, Georgia, the film stars Mineo as Leslie Henderson, a lonely older orphan who befriends escaped convict Rudy Krist (James Whitmore). Like Leslie, Rudy has spent his entire life feeling alone and unloved, but in his case he is totally irredeemable, using Leslie to further his own getaway plans. At long last, Leslie figures out that Rudy is a no-good--and also finds his own true niche in life. Worth noting is the film's sympathetic treatment of its two principal black characters, played by Leigh Whipper and Ruth Attaway; in 1957, it was still chancy to show any sort of equanimity between black and white people on screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide