What's this about?

Lately, it seems like many of the movies/shows are just a rehash or reboot of things that have already been done. And so I started to dive into the past. It's been fun, but I find myself losing track of which ones I’ve seen and whether or not I enjoyed them. Sometimes the titles themselves just don't tell me enough to remember.

I wouldn’t have voluntarily watched a lot of these movies when I was younger. It’s strange how interests change. That goes for what I read, too. I have another blog that explores books. I’m mostly reading older fiction and memoirs, and some of the books have led me to movies/shows and vice versa. In those cases, I may post the book review over here as well.

There will be spoilers, which is different than my book reviews. That’s mostly because I want to have enough information to help me remember what I’ve seen. I’m getting older. The brain doesn’t cooperate like it used to. What can I say? The gray hairs are catching up with me!

Friday, March 8, 2024

The Green Cockatoo - 1937

I found another hour-ish mystery to watch. Nothing known about it ahead of time. I noticed it is also known as Four Dark Hours and Race Gang. The Green Cockatoo is probably the best title in my opinion.

Innocent Eileen has come to London fresh from the country. She gets off the train and is immediately approached by a man who offers to help her find a place to stay. When they get to the hotel, he collapses, and she stands over him with a knife in her hand.

She was tasked with handing over a message to the man's brother, but when she makes it to The Green Cockatoo, she can't find the man. The police are hot on her heels, though, and she unknowingly chooses Jim's room to hide in. She doesn't make the connection since he's Jim and the brother called him Connor.

The murderers are still after Jim, and they go on the run together. Eventually, the police catch up with Jim and let him know his brother is dead. He hears who the suspect is, but he doesn't believe it could be Eileen until he gets to the murderer's place and finds her there. Will he believe her?

I know they tried to explain why she didn't tell the entire story, but it bothered me a bit. I'm also curious why she didn't recognize any of the men. She saw Terrell twice, so I don't see any excuse there. Maybe I could give her a break for the thugs, but she should've recognized the main man. He walked right by her after the attack at the abandoned building, AND she saw him at the train station.

Anyway, if I brush that aside, I did enjoy my hour with the story. It was written by Graham Greene, whose name I recognized from Went the Day Well. I'm still on the lookout for the book associated with that one, but it appears this was a straight screenplay written by Greene. I really liked John Mills (Jim Connor) as an actor in this one, and I'm sure I've seen him in something else. I may do more searching on him. He seems like an interesting person. Oh! And I need to correct his name. SIR John Mills - he was granted knighthood! Good Movie!



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