8mm Forum: The Boy With The Green Hair

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Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on June 05, 2016, 03:08 AM:

Just been running a 400' digest of Dean Stockwell as "The Boy With The Green Hair". Billed as "A war orphan whose hair mysteriously turns green".

Most Super 8 digests manage to condense the main part of a film's story, but not this one. It does not reveal the truth, although an unfinished letter from his parents is read to him. The letter only makes sense if the viewer knows the story, which he/she doesn't.

Actually, his parents were killed in the London Blitz and when he finally learns the truth that he is a war orphan his hair turns green.

The print, in a white unmarked box, from Bucks Film Labs, Slough, England, is on Fuji stock which has fading colour so the boy's hair never really looks green. There is no indication from which British distributer it came from, but as it was originally RKO, I suspect that it was a Mountain release.

Can any member shed any more light on this digest?

Posted by Brian Fretwell (Member # 4302) on June 05, 2016, 03:52 AM:

Lee's Cameras were advertising a 4 x 400 ft version (B&W, £45 or colour, £87.95) from Mountain Films in the March 1980 Movie Maker, so they did have the rights for it - but no 400ft Mountain extracts (of any films) in that advert.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on June 05, 2016, 04:03 AM:

Thank you Brian. A black and white version certainly would not show that the boy's hair had turned green.

He is in the bath and also washing his hair, he gets out and starts towelling his wet hair, as he does so he goes to the mirror and when he removes the towel he just stares and stares at his reflection. Then returns to the bath, and holding his head over he turns on the shower and repeats washing with the soap. Same non-reaction with mirror image. He even looks at the soap, and then another bar.

While all this is going on, the viewer is confused as he is!

Posted by Ken Finch (Member # 2768) on June 05, 2016, 01:53 PM:

Hi Maurice, I also have the 400ft digest of this and agree with your comments. It is a very poor condensation! I have not run it for some time and cannot remember whether it is colour or not. Many years ago I saw the film in a cinema and seem to remember it was a black and white film and the green hair sequence was tinted but it was a very long time ago!! I will have to look at the digest and check which version I have. I think I got it from Derann, second hand, as are most of my films. I am actually thinking of selling it. Ken Finch.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on June 06, 2016, 02:03 PM:

Ken
The 35mm print was on Technicolor. As I said, my Super 8 print is on Fuji colour stock.

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