Yellow Canary (film)
Encyclopedia
Yellow Canary is a 1943 British
drama film
starring Anna Neagle
, Richard Greene
and Albert Lieven
. Neagle plays a British Nazi sympathiser who travels to Halifax, Canada
trailed by spies from both sides during the Second World War
.
, Jim Garrick and Polish officer Jan Orlock. It soon becomes common knowledge that Jim is in British intelligence. Jan rebuffs his advances, but welcomes Jan's attention.
The ship is stopped in mid-ocean by a U-boat
, and a boarding party takes Jim prisoner. To the puzzlement of the ship's captain, the submarine allows him to continue on his way. It also turns out that the Germans have captured an imposter when Jim emerges from hiding.
When they reach the port of Halifax
, Jan introduces Sally to his mother, an invalid. The two women disagree over their opinions of the Nazis. Later, when Sally tries to break off their relationship, Jan reveals that he is working for the Nazis.
He recruits her into his spy ring on the night of the their greatest exploit. To Sally's surprise, the leader of the ring turns out to be Madame Orlock, who is not actually Jan's mother. She reveals that a ship of an incoming convoy has been secretly replaced by another filled with explosives. When the convoy reaches Halifax, the resulting explosion will wreck the vital port, inspired by the devastating accident
of the First World War
.
Madame Orlock orders Sally to telephone Jim and tell him that a sabotage attempt will be made on the Queen Mary, scheduled to sail later that night, and that all available agents should be immediately sent to stop it. Sally shows her true colours when she divulges the actual plot. Canadian bombers are dispatched to blow up the ship. Meanwhile, Jan shoots Sally before Jim can rescue her; fortunately the bullet is stopped by a cigarette case given to her earlier by Jan. She and Jim get married.
, the central character played by Dame Anna Neagle has some obvious similarities to the pro-Nazi British dilettante who had a great deal of notoriety in pre-war times. Neagle and director/producer Wilcox had collaborated on a number of previous film projects and made their professional relationship a personal one as well when they married on 9 August 1943.
In production during 1943, while the United Kingdom was still fearful of Nazi spies, the film was obviously made as wartime propaganda, with the aim not only of keeping up morale but also of warning the British public to be on their guard.
The Yellow Canary co-stars Richard Greene and Margaret Rutherford went on to further success in other films. Rutherford was especially adept at scene-stealing in the film.Greene was in the armed forces at this time and had interrupted his successful acting career to serve in the Second World War
in the 27th Lancers
, where he distinguished himself. After three months, he went to Sandhurst
and was commissioned. He was promoted to Captain in the 27th Lancers in May 1944. He was relieved from duty in 1942 to appear in the British propaganda film
s Flying Fortress and Unpublished Story. In 1943, he appeared in The Yellow Canary while on furlough.
Although set aboard a ship in the early scenes, the majority of the principal photography took place at the massive lots at Denham Film Studios
(D&P Studios), located near the village of Denham
, Buckinghamshire
. All of the location sequences of Halifax were strictly "B" roll, but did provide an realistic, "atmospheric" look at wartime conditions.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
starring Anna Neagle
Anna Neagle
Forming a professional alliance with Wilcox, Neagle played her first starring film role in the musical Goodnight Vienna , again with Jack Buchanan. With this film Neagle became an overnight favourite...
, Richard Greene
Richard Greene
Richard Marius Joseph Greene was a noted English film and television actor. A matinee idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, which ran for 143 episodes from 1955 to 1960.It has been...
and Albert Lieven
Albert Lieven
Albert Lieven was a German actor. He was born Albert Fritz Liévin in Hohenstein, East Prussia. He died in London, England. He was married four times, including to the actresses Susan Shaw and Valerie White....
. Neagle plays a British Nazi sympathiser who travels to Halifax, Canada
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
trailed by spies from both sides during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Plot
Sally Maitland boards a ship bound from England for Canada during wartime. Two of the passengers seek her acquaintance, despite her well-known longtime admiration for Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, Jim Garrick and Polish officer Jan Orlock. It soon becomes common knowledge that Jim is in British intelligence. Jan rebuffs his advances, but welcomes Jan's attention.
The ship is stopped in mid-ocean by a U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
, and a boarding party takes Jim prisoner. To the puzzlement of the ship's captain, the submarine allows him to continue on his way. It also turns out that the Germans have captured an imposter when Jim emerges from hiding.
When they reach the port of Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
, Jan introduces Sally to his mother, an invalid. The two women disagree over their opinions of the Nazis. Later, when Sally tries to break off their relationship, Jan reveals that he is working for the Nazis.
He recruits her into his spy ring on the night of the their greatest exploit. To Sally's surprise, the leader of the ring turns out to be Madame Orlock, who is not actually Jan's mother. She reveals that a ship of an incoming convoy has been secretly replaced by another filled with explosives. When the convoy reaches Halifax, the resulting explosion will wreck the vital port, inspired by the devastating accident
Halifax Explosion
The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows"...
of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Madame Orlock orders Sally to telephone Jim and tell him that a sabotage attempt will be made on the Queen Mary, scheduled to sail later that night, and that all available agents should be immediately sent to stop it. Sally shows her true colours when she divulges the actual plot. Canadian bombers are dispatched to blow up the ship. Meanwhile, Jan shoots Sally before Jim can rescue her; fortunately the bullet is stopped by a cigarette case given to her earlier by Jan. She and Jim get married.
Cast
- Anna NeagleAnna NeagleForming a professional alliance with Wilcox, Neagle played her first starring film role in the musical Goodnight Vienna , again with Jack Buchanan. With this film Neagle became an overnight favourite...
as Sally Maitland - Richard GreeneRichard GreeneRichard Marius Joseph Greene was a noted English film and television actor. A matinee idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, which ran for 143 episodes from 1955 to 1960.It has been...
as Lieutenant Commander Jim Garrick - Albert LievenAlbert LievenAlbert Lieven was a German actor. He was born Albert Fritz Liévin in Hohenstein, East Prussia. He died in London, England. He was married four times, including to the actresses Susan Shaw and Valerie White....
as Jan Orlock - Lucie MannheimLucie MannheimLucie Mannheim was a German singer and actress.Mannheim was born in Berlin–Köpenick where she studied drama and quickly became a popular figure appearing on stage in plays and musicals. Among other roles, she played Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House, Marie in Büchner's Woyzeck, and Juliet in...
as Madame Orlock - Nova PilbeamNova PilbeamNova Margery Pilbeam is a British film and stage actress. She was born in Wimbledon. Her father was RADA-trained actor Arnold Pilbeam.-Career:Pilbeam had widely noted roles as a child stage actress...
as Betty Maitland - George Thorpe as Colonel Charles Hargraves
- Marjorie FieldingMarjorie Fielding-Selected filmography:* Quiet Wedding * Spring in Park Lane * Conspirator * The Mudlark * The Lavender Hill Mob * Mandy * The Magic Box...
as Lady Maitland - Franklin DyallFranklin DyallFranklin Dyall was an English actor.He appeared in 26 films between 1916 and 1948...
as Captain Foster - Margaret RutherfordMargaret RutherfordDame Margaret Taylor Rutherford DBE was an English character actress, who first came to prominence following World War II in the film adaptations of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest...
as Mrs. Towcester - Aubrey MallalieuAubrey MallalieuAubrey Mallalieu was an English actor with a prolific career in supporting roles in films in the 1930s and 1940s....
as Reynolds - Sybille BinderSybille BinderSybille Binder was an Austrian actress of Jewish descent whose career of over 40 years was based variously in her home country, Germany and the United Kingdom, where she found success in films during the 1940s.-Career:...
as Madame Orlock's Attendant
Production
Although never identified as Unity MitfordUnity Mitford
Unity Valkyrie Mitford was a member of the aristocratic Mitford family, tracing its origins in Northumberland back to the 11th century Norman settlement of England. Unity Mitford's sister Diana was married to Oswald Mosley, leader of British Union of Fascists...
, the central character played by Dame Anna Neagle has some obvious similarities to the pro-Nazi British dilettante who had a great deal of notoriety in pre-war times. Neagle and director/producer Wilcox had collaborated on a number of previous film projects and made their professional relationship a personal one as well when they married on 9 August 1943.
In production during 1943, while the United Kingdom was still fearful of Nazi spies, the film was obviously made as wartime propaganda, with the aim not only of keeping up morale but also of warning the British public to be on their guard.
The Yellow Canary co-stars Richard Greene and Margaret Rutherford went on to further success in other films. Rutherford was especially adept at scene-stealing in the film.Greene was in the armed forces at this time and had interrupted his successful acting career to serve in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the 27th Lancers
27th Lancers
The 27th Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1941 to 1945.The regiment was raised in June 1941 from a cadre of personnel taken from the 12th Royal Lancers, and was assigned to 11th Armoured Division as the divisional reconnaissance regiment...
, where he distinguished himself. After three months, he went to Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
and was commissioned. He was promoted to Captain in the 27th Lancers in May 1944. He was relieved from duty in 1942 to appear in the British propaganda film
Propaganda film
The term propaganda can be defined as the ability to produce and spread fertile messages that, once sown, will germinate in large human cultures.” However, in the 20th century, a “new” propaganda emerged, which revolved around political organizations and their need to communicate messages that...
s Flying Fortress and Unpublished Story. In 1943, he appeared in The Yellow Canary while on furlough.
Although set aboard a ship in the early scenes, the majority of the principal photography took place at the massive lots at Denham Film Studios
Denham Film Studios
Denham Film Studios were a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952.The studios were founded by Alexander Korda, on a 165 acre site near the village of Denham, Buckinghamshire. At the time it was the largest facility of its kind in the UK, but it was merged with Rank's Pinewood...
(D&P Studios), located near the village of Denham
Denham, Buckinghamshire
Denham is a village and civil parish in the South Buckinghamshire district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is north west of Uxbridge and north of junction 1 of the M40 motorway. Denham contains the Buckinghamshire Golf Club.-Origin:...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. All of the location sequences of Halifax were strictly "B" roll, but did provide an realistic, "atmospheric" look at wartime conditions.