The Green Cockatoo *** (1937, John Mills, René Ray, Robert Newton, Charles Oliver, Bruce Seton) – Classic Movie Review 12,514

The entertaining 1937 British crime drama film The Green Cockatoo stars John Mills as a song and dance man trying to avenge his brother (Robert Newton)’s death at the hands of vicious crooks.

‘She Lost Herself In Murder!’

Director William Cameron Menzies’s entertaining 1937 crime drama film The Green Cockatoo features an early starring role for John Mills in this short British thriller set in London’s Soho district, about a cockney song and tap dance nightclub entertainer, Jim Connor (Mills), trying to avenge his brother Dave (Robert Newton)’s death at the hands of vicious crooks (Bruce Seton, Julian Vedey), led by gambling gang boss Terrell (Charles Oliver).

René Ray also stars as innocent young Eileen, who arrives in London to find work and and walks into an ambush at the train station, where the gangsters knife their cheating, double-crossing accomplice Dave. He tells Eileen can bring her to a good place to stay, and staggers with her to a cheap hotel, where he begs her to go to The Green Cockatoo club and tell his brother Jim, but then dies of his wound. Eileen finds Jim and the duo end up pursued by both the criminals and the police.

The Green Cockatoo is an interesting, effective enough little curio, with plenty of seedy, lowlife atmosphere and stalwart Brit performances. Considering that the story is by Graham Greene and the director is Menzies (Things to Come) you might expect something more remarkable, but it is still a 65 minute vintage pleasure. Menzies keeps it brisk and fast moving, and John Mills is particularly lively and sprightly. René Ray makes the best of her hard-to-believe role, and Robert Newton is so good it is a shame he has only such brief screen time.

It is also known as Four Dark Hours and Race Gang.

It is filmed in the studio at Denham Film Studios, Uxbridge, Buckinghamshire, England.

The cast are John Mills as Jim Connor, René Ray as Eileen, Robert Newton as Dave Connor, Charles Oliver as gang boss Terrell, Bruce Seton as tall henchman Madison,  Julian Vedey as short henchman Steve,  Allan Jeayes as the Detective Inspector, Frank Atkinson as Protheroe, Jack Vyvyan as PC Pat Johnson , Bill Shine as Lightning, Sybil Grove as Hotel Majestic Proprietress,  Googie Withers, Alf Goddard as Charlie the Bartender, Orlando Martins, and Edward Lexy.

The Green Cockatoo is directed by William Cameron Menzies, runs 65 minutes, is made by New World Pictures and Devonshire Films, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Edward O Berkman [Ted Berkman ] (screenplay and dialogue), Arthur Wimperis (uncredited) and Graham Greene (story and scenario), is shot in black and white by Mutz Greenbaum [Max Greenbaum], is produced by William K Howard, is scored by Miklos Rozsa, and is designed by Arthur Cornwall.

it was released in December 1937 in the UK.

The films of William Cameron Menzies: Always Goodbye (1931), The Spider (1931), Almost Married (1932), Chandu the Magician (1932), I Loved You Wednesday (1933), Wharf Angel (1934), Things to Come (1936), The Green Cockatoo (1937), Address Unknown (1944), Drums in the Deep South (1951), The Whip Hand (1951), Invaders from Mars (1953), and The Maze (1953).

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,514

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