The movie was probably made in the 1950s or 1960s, and might’ve been black & white. Definitely American. The central character was a child concert pianist, probably about 10yo. It was the classic situation where his parents were far more interested in his career than in him. He was kidnapped for ransom, but the kidnappers weren’t exactly hardened criminals and they ended up bonding with the boy, realising that although he has money, his life is pretty horrible. They teach him a negotiating technique - when the other person makes an offer, you say “I can’t hear you”. They release the boy towards the end of the money, ransom unpaid I think, and he uses the technique to reduce the gruelling number of practice hours. He’s a quite well-spoken kid, but when he says “I can’t hear you”, he says it in a Bronx(?) accent he’s picked up from the kidnappers.
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Is it Wonder Kid/Boy (1951)?
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Thanks so much - yes that looks like the one. Now I have a new problem because it only seems to be available on DVD in the UK (region 2) and I’m in Australia (region 4). First world problems, right? I might buy it anyway, in the hope that I get a region-free DVD player some time in the future. Thanks again for your help! 
I’m wondering whether a US version of the same movie was made, because I can hear the “I can’t hear you” line in my head with a definite American accent. I guess it’s also possible that the UK “kidnappers” were trying to sound tough, and that translated into trying to sound like an American gangster from that era.
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