The Blue Parrot

THE BLUE PARROT is one of those innumerable British attempts at a film noir/murder mystery that flooded cinemas during the 1950s. These were always second rate features that suffered hugely from a lack of budget and scripts that seem to have been written overnight or with the dialogue simply made up on the spot.

This one's set in and around the titular nightclub, although with about half a dozen extras it's hardly a buzzing place. There's not even a sense of mystery or surprise, instead THE BLUE PARROT just goes through the motions and has a sense of weary familiarity to it from the start. I note that director John Harlow's career finished soon afterwards - he may have simply been considered too old-fashioned - as did the career of the guy who came up with the story, while the dialogue writer died within a couple of years. Bad luck or what?

The main acting role goes to Irish star Dermot Walsh, coming across as a very unconvincing American. Ballard Berkeley (FAWLTY TOWERS) is better as the investigating detective, although he must have been able to play this kind of role in his sleep. John Le Mesurier is on hand in a mildly sinister role - although anything is better than his attempt at an Italian character in the following year's DANGEROUS CARGO - and there's a minor turn from Ferdy Mayne too. THE BLUE PARROT's still rubbish, though.

One of the perks of the 'B' movie is that occasionally it gives a leading role to an actor one would not otherwise have associated with movies. Ten years before the role for which she is remembered in the original cast of 'Dr Who' the late Jacqueline Hill as Sgt. Maguire of the Metropolitan Police (sadly we never see her in uniform) infiltrates a Soho populated by low-lifes like spiv Ferdy Mayne (who has a vindictive high maintenance mistress amusingly played by Valerie White) and shady nightclub proprietor John LeMesurier. The latter shares the screen at one point with The Major from 'Fawlty Towers', back in the days when the police computer looks more like a loom than a machine for retrieving information.

Direction by numbers doesn't help nor does an absence of shadow or flat focus. Aims at noir without the noir. The scene where the cast are madly winking across a 'sleazy' nightclub with no patrons and a band designed for earplugs is especially excruciating. Ballard Berkley and John LeMesurier try hard with a nuance free script and Ferdy Maine tries hard to look sinister. The film's origins with journalism are painfully obvious in a totally linear account; no sub plots, no character development, no humorous asides. The one joke is the name of the night club, 'The Blue Parrot' which is, of course, the name of Signor Ugatti's nightclub in Casablanca- maybe they should have borrowed the set designer, the extras, the scriptwriters from that film. A Sidney Greenstreet lookalike might have helped. Whole thing could have been phoned in.

Many British crime thrillers of the 50s are set in a nightclub.The nightclub in this film is so small and uninhabited that getting a parrot cage in might be difficult a blue budgie cage more likely.Yet again we have an "American policeman" helping Scotland Yard.Obviously the producers in this case could not afford an American actor so instead they brought in an Irishman,Dermot Walsh,who makes a woeful attempt at an American accent.Did the producers really think that this would be enough to sell this to American audiences.John Le Mesurier makes a suitably sinister club owner and Ballard Berkley plays a detective for the umpteenth time.Funny that it was not till he played "The Major" in Fawlty Towers that he ever really became famous.The plot is full of the usual contrivances and twists of the genre and is fairly unmemorable.

It isn't for nothing this film has such a low score and, although it might have some academic interest to see some early British actors who later achieved greater fame, it has no intrinsic value to justify more than ten minutes watching it.

The script and direction are virtually non-existent and all the acting (except Richard Pearson) is dire.

The use of an American character, who has no reason to exist other than to attract American budget money, is absurdly not played by an American, and would be scoffed at by American audiences - even more so than Dick van Dyke was in 'Mary Poppins', by British audiences.

And this ersatz 'American' is the worst part of the film. The second worst part is that we have no concern or sympathy for the murdered victim, and wonder why Scotland Yard would even be interested - let alone the FBI as well. One would think this was the only murder the police had had that month.

But the most unbelievable aspect of 'The Blue Parrot' is that anybody in the British film industry at that time would have believed they had a winner on their hands.

Finally, just look at the 2-wall sets: the foyer of the club, for example... and the 1-wall corridor outside 'Annie Oakley's' room...

There is no worthwhile reason to consider viewing this film.

IMHO...