The Green Helmet
| The Green Helmet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Michael Forlong |
| Written by | Jon Cleary |
| Based on | The Green Helmet 1957 novel by Jon Cleary |
| Produced by | Charles F. Vetter |
| Starring | Bill Travers Ed Begley Sid James |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Faithfull |
| Edited by | Frank Clarke |
| Music by | Ken Jones |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $378,000[1] |
| Box office | $950,000[1] |
The Green Helmet is a 1961 British drama film directed by Michael Forlong starring Bill Travers, Ed Begley and Sid James. The film is centred on a British motor racing team. It is based on a 1957 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary.[2]
Plot outline[edit]
The novel starts at France's 24-hour Le Mans race when British champion racing driver Greg Rafferty crashes his car. The plot then follows Rafferty as he continues to race while also concealing his fears.
Cast[edit]
- Bill Travers as Rafferty
- Ed Begley as Bartell
- Sid James as Richie Launder
- Nancy Walters as Diane
- Ursula Jeans as Mrs. Rafferty
- Megs Jenkins as Kitty Launder
- Jack Brabham as himself
- Sean Kelly as Taz Rafferty
- Tutte Lemkow as Carlo Zaraga
- Gordon Tanner as Hastrow
- Ferdy Mayne as Rossano
- Peter Collingwood as Charlie
- Roland Curram as George
- Diane Clare as Pamela
- Harold Kasket as Lupi
Original novel[edit]
| Author | Jon Cleary |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | action |
| Publisher | Collins, Sydney |
Publication date | 1957 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 253pp |
| Preceded by | Justin Bayard |
| Followed by | Back of Sunset |
It was based on a novel which had been published in 1957.
Background[edit]
Cleary had written a book about Australian politics, The Mayor's Nest, but his English publisher was worried it would not appeal to an international audience, and suggested a book on motor racing.[3]
Cleary and his wife had lived in Italy for a year and became familiar with the motor races there such as the Mille Miglia. He had not written in six months, so moved to Valencia, a small town in Spain where he rented a villa. He wrote the novel in twenty days at a chapter a day.[4][5]
Reception[edit]
The book became a best seller on its publication in 1957. Cleary says Reader's Digest paid an advance of 20,000 pounds for their editions.[3][6]
Production[edit]
Film rights were bought by MGM, who hired Cleary to adapt his own novel. He said, "They bought it on the strength that some American producer who was an alcoholic which they didn't know he'd read the book... This producer said he had something between 20 and 25000 feet of the most spectacular motor racing. And he ran about a thousand feet of it and it was spectacular. What they didn't know was the other 24,000 was just nothing."[3]
The head of MGM's British operation was Lawrence Bachmann. The director was Michael Forlong, a New Zealander from television. This was his first film. "I want this to be an adult film about a sport I love very much," said Forlong. "I want to show why drivers race, why they are frightened, why they can't give it up."[7]
The star was Bill Travers who Cleary said "was a charming likeable bloke but he was miscast" and who asked the author not to write "any long speeches because I can't handle them."[3]
Travers was six feet four which meant they had to design a car around him. The technical adviser was Stirling Moss. Ed Begley was imported from America. Cleary said Walters was a beauty queen who had been signed to MGM "and she was charming and friendly and everybody liked her, she was an absolute dish to look at...and she couldn't change expression."[3] South African Sid James was cast as an Australian although Cleary says he spoke in "an Afrikaaner accent. They put him in because he looked right for the part and he was always good at working class characters."[3]
Although most of the movie was set in Italy, it was shot in Wales.[3] It was completed by January 1961.[8]
Reception[edit]
Critical[edit]
The New York Times called it "a noisy diatribe against speed car racing" in which Travers "looks unhappy" and Begley "delivers every cliche in the script with embarrassing enthusiasm."[9]
Variety called it a "pack of autoracing melodramatic cliches helped by fast action sequences."[10]
Box office[edit]
Cleary disliked the final film and said "They got their money back on it but only just."[3] According to MGM records the film earned $375,000 in the US and $575,000 internationally, making a profit of $124,000.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ^ GREEN HELMET, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 28, Iss. 324, (Jan 1, 1961): 64.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Jon Cleary Interviewed by Stephen Vagg: Oral History at National Film and Sound Archive
- ^ MYSTERY MAN; JON CLEARY / WRITER Features: [Late Edition] Stephens, Tony. Sydney Morning Herald; 15 Nov 1997: 3.
- ^ Hetherington, John (31 December 1960). "Jon Cleary - Worth a Couple of Brigades to Authors". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 10.
- ^ "The Author". Sydney Morning Herald. 15 October 1960. p. 14.
- ^ Edwards, Bill (21 July 1960). "Production". Kine Weekly. p. 23.
- ^ VIEW FROM A LOCAL VANTAGE POINT By A.H. WEILER. New York Times 1 Jan 1961: X5.
- ^ 'Morgan the Pirate' and 'The Green Helmet' on Double Bill Archer, Eugene. New York Times 20 July 1961: 32.
- ^ "The Green Helmet". Variety. 28 June 1961. p. 6.
External links[edit]
- The Green Helmet at IMDb
- The Green Helmet at the TCM Movie Database
- The Green Helmet at AllMovie
- The Green Helmet (novel) at AustLit (subscription required)
