Green Light (1937)

A brilliant young surgeon takes the blame for a colleague when a botched surgery causes a patient's death and buries himself at a wilderness research facility.

Director:

Frank Borzage

Writers:

Milton Krims (screen play), Lloyd C. Douglas (from the novel by)

Stars:

Errol Flynn, Anita Louise, Margaret Lindsay

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Errol Flynn	...	Dr. Newell Paige
Anita Louise	...	Phyllis Dexter
Margaret Lindsay	...	Frances Ogilvie
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Dean Harcourt (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Walter Abel	...	John Stafford
Henry O'Neill	...	Dr. Endicott
Spring Byington	...	Mrs. Dexter
Erin O'Brien-Moore	...	Pat Arlen
Henry Kolker	...	Dr. Lane
Pierre Watkin	...	Dr. Booth
Granville Bates	...	Sheriff
Russell Simpson	...	Sheep Man
Myrtle Stedman	...	A Nurse
St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers	...	(as St. Luke's Choristers)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddy Chandler	...	Policeman (scenes deleted)

Storyline

When his colleague Dr. Endicott is late for an operation, Dr. Newell Paige decides to proceed with Mrs. Endicott's scheduled surgery. The surgery had already been postponed from the previous day and Paige is convinced the surgery needs to go forward without delay. Part way through the operation however, Endicott arrives and takes over only to make a serious error. When a hospital inquiry finds Dr. Paige responsible for Mrs. Dexter's death, he is forced to resign. By chance he meets Mrs. Dexter daughter, Phyllis, and while there is a mutual attraction, she rejects him when she learns his true identity. With little else to do, Paige decides to join his one time hospital colleague in Montana, Dr. John Stafford, who is continuing his tests into spotted fever. Paige is impatient however and decides to test a possible cure on himself.

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Plot Keywords:

fainting | laboratory animal | filmed on location | selfless love | surgery | 

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Taglines:

ERROL FLYNN In His First Modern Role

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 February 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

La lumière verte

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$513,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cosmopolitan Productions, Warner Bros., First National Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The airplane depicted as flying Dr. Endicott to Montana is a 1929 Lockheed Vega 5C, registration NC48M, owned by Paul Mantz.

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Goofs

When Paige rides up on his horse, it is more than obvious that it's stuntman, not Flynn. He dismounts to the right of the horse, but the next action cut showing Flynn has him in front of the animal, not on its side.

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Quotes

Dean Harcourt: I'm alive simply because I have a job to do. You take away my job, you take away my life.
Dr. Newell Paige: Yes, a man must have something to live for, musn't he?
Dean Harcourt: Or something to die for.
Dr. Newell Paige: [Smiles] I can't think of something to die for. However, maybe something will turn up.

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Alternate Versions

The available video version in Argentina was lifted from an old 16mm print in English with Spanish subtitles. The credits were replaced with Spanish language translations.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (1983)

User Reviews

I never thought much about being an egg before

Errol Flynn stars as idealistic young doctor who takes the blame for a botched operation that costs a woman her life. Why he does this is supposed to be noble but seems stupid to me. After he's dismissed by the hospital, he joins a friend (Walter Abel) researching a cure for spotted fever. Abel has lots to say about ticks and spotted fever, so have a pencil and paper handy.

An odd movie, especially for Flynn. What makes it odd isn't the medical melodrama I summarized above. Those types of movies were a dime a dozen back then. No, what makes it odd and also fascinating is the inclusion of spiritual themes. In particular Cedric Hardwicke's character. Hardwicke plays a perspicacious reverend, equal parts Mr. Miyagi and Gandalf. His scenes are some of the movie's most interesting. Errol's love interest choices are Anita Louise and Margaret Lindsay. I won't spoil which he picks but it wasn't the one I was rooting for. The cinematography and score are excellent, as is Frank Borzage's direction. It's a very good-looking movie. Not always successful but intriguing in many ways. Definitely worth recommending.