In the Second World War, Sally Maitland (Anna Neagle) appears to signal Nazi planes to bomb England after murdering an innocent citizen in his home. The next morning, Sally boards a ship bound for Canada. Two of her fellow passengers, Jim Garrick (Richard Greene) and Polish officer Jan Orlock (Albert Lieven), seek her acquaintance, despite her long-time and well-known admiration for
Nazi Germany. It soon becomes common knowledge that Jim is in British intelligence. Sally rebuffs his advances, but welcomes Jan's attention. Sally is, in fact, a deep cover British agent on a secret mission shadowing her quarry: Jan. Unbeknownst to Sally, Jim has been assigned to help and protect her.
The ship is stopped in mid-ocean by the German heavy cruiser
Prinz Eugen, and a boarding party takes Jim prisoner. To the puzzlement of the ship's captain, the cruiser allows the ship to continue on its way. It turns out that the Germans have captured an impostor, when Jim emerges from hiding.
When they reach Halifax,
Nova Scotia, Jan introduces Sally to his invalid mother, Madame Orlock (
Lucie Mannheim). Jim uses his contacts to have Sally appear to be a true Nazi sympathizer by having Canadian government men expose her and warn the Orlocks to stay away from her due to her Nazi leanings. Sally pretends to try to break off their relationship to avoid trouble for them.
Jan reveals that he is working for the Nazis and recruits Sally into his spy ring on the night of their greatest exploit. Sally has been waiting for this chance to find out who his fellow conspirators are, especially their leader. To Sally's surprise, the leader turns out to be Madame Orlock, who is not Jan's mother. She reveals that one of the ships of an incoming convoy has been secretly replaced by another filled with explosives, which is to be detonated when they reach Halifax, wrecking the vital port, a plan inspired by a
devastating accident of the
First World War.
At this point, Jan reveals he is anxious to make up for a recent bungled secret mission to bomb British royalty which failed due to his contact man sending incorrect landmark signals to the bombers. This explains the opening sequence: Sally killed the Nazi agent and thwarted that mission. Sally finally learns that Jim is assigned to her when she catches him breaking into Jan's study to try to uncover evidence, just as she has.
Later, after being caught unawares after Orlock sneaks into her room, she thinks fast on her feet to explain her friendliness to Jim. Orlock believes she is a double agent, but she claims she is tricking the enemy and avoids being summarily executed. She then slips Jim a note written in lipstick advising him to wait at headquarters for information and heads off with Orlock.
Orlock orders Sally to telephone Jim and tell him that an attempt will be made to sabotage the Queen Mary, scheduled to sail later that night, and that all available agents should be immediately sent to stop it. Sally is able to warn of the actual plot to the British over the telephone. Canadian bombers are then dispatched to blow up the ship. Meanwhile, Jan shoots Sally before Jim can rescue her; fortunately the bullet is stopped by a cigarette case which he gave to her earlier, and she and Jim are married.
Production[edit]
Although never identified as
Unity Mitford, the central character played by Neagle has some obvious similarities to the pro-Nazi British dilettante who had a great deal of notoriety in pre-war times.
[6] In production during 1943, while the United Kingdom was still fearful of Nazi spies,
Yellow Canary 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.
[7][8]Van Neste, Dan. "Richard Greene, Swashbuckler With A Double-Edged Sword". classicimages.com.Retrieved: 5 June 2011
Cast[edit]Production[edit]
Although never identified as
Unity Mitford, the central character played by Neagle has some obvious similarities to the pro-Nazi British dilettante who had a great deal of notoriety in pre-war times.
[6] In production during 1943, while the United Kingdom was still fearful of Nazi spies,
Yellow Canary 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.
[7][8]
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.
[7] 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 films Flying Fortress and
Unpublished Story. In 1943, Greene appeared in
Yellow Canary while on furlough.
[9][10]
Although set aboard a ship in the early scenes, the majority of the principal photography for
Yellow Canary 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 a realistic, "atmospheric" look at wartime conditions in the busy Canadian military and civilian port.
[7]
In London in 1940, German bombers, drawn by a signal from Sally Maitland, a British Nazi sympathizer, drop their bombs on Buckingham Palace. When British soldiers rush to the source of Sally's signal, they find only the dead body of Oscar Borell. Sally, meanwhile, has taken a train to Liverpool, where she boards the S.S.Carina , a ship bound for Canada. Sally, who is known as the "Yellow Canary" because of her pro-Nazi sympathies, is snubbed by most of the ship's passengers except for Jan Orlock, a Polish refugee, and Lt. Commander Jim Garrick of British Naval Intelligence, who is traveling undercover as a supply officer for the British army. Sally welcomes Orlock's company but snubs Garrick. As the ship heads out to sea, it is followed by a German cruiser, which orders her to heave to. After the Germans commandeer the Carina , an officer boards the ship and demands that Garrick be turned over to the Germans. Orlock, who has seen his mother disabled and his home destroyed in a German raid, denounces the officer in perfect German. Sally watches as the Germans escort Garrick from the ship, but later discovers that the man taken prisoner was actually Garrick's double and the real Garrick is still onboard the Carina . After the Germans leave, Orlock tries to convince Sally of the heinousness of the Nazis and insists that she meet his mother, who is living in Halifax. When the ship docks at Halifax harbor, Sally takes a room at the Barrington Hotel, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police assigns two agents to follow her. Orlock takes Sally to visit his invalid mother at the Chateau Brochet, and while Sally toasts the "new order," Madame Orlock drinks to old freedoms. Although Sally tells Orlock that they should stop seeing each other because of their differing political beliefs, he insists on calling for her the next afternoon. When Sally returns to her hotel room that night, she finds Garrick camped in a bed outside her door, claiming that it is the last available bed in Halifax. The next day, Sally joins Orlock and his mother on Signal Hill above the Halifax harbor. There, Orlock describes Halifax as Europe's gateway to the Atlantic and recounts the destruction of the harbor by a TNT explosion in 1917. When Sally and the Orlocks return to Chateau Brochet, they are visited by two Canadian agents, who warn the Orlocks that Sally is a traitor. Shaken by her accusers, Sally decides that she must leave Halifax. In reply, Orlock shows her his cigarette case which is encrusted with a swastika, and reveals that he is a Nazi undercover agent. After reaffirming his love for Sally, Orlock invites her to join his organization of Nazi spies, who he says will act "when the star rises," the phrase he spoke to the German officer aboard the Carina . After Sally returns to her hotel, the Orlocks are visited by Mrs. Towcester, a busy-body passenger from theCarina , who informs them that Garrick is a British Intelligence agent. As soon as Mrs. Towcester leaves, Orlock burns all his papers to insure that they will not fall into Garrick's hands. Later that night, Sally returns to the Chateau Brochet to search Orlock's study and is interrupted by Garrick, who is working undercover with Sally for British Intelligence. Back at the hotel bar, Sally informs Garrick that Orlock is a Nazi and that his organization plans to act shortly. At the door to her hotel room, Sally apologizes to Garrick for her rude behavior, and as she opens the door, he kisses her. Their embrace is witnessed by Orlock, who is seated in Sally's room. When the door closes, Orlock pulls out his gun and orders Sally to leave with him. In response, Sally slaps Orlock and accuses him of being a British agent who has betrayed their love. Sally's behavior regains Orlock's confidence, and he decides to introduce her to their leader. As Sally walks into the hotel corridor, she drops a message to Garrick, instructing him to go to headquarters and wait. On the drive to their meeting, Orlock tells Sally about how a man named Oscar Borell sabotaged their mission to bomb the King and Queen of England at their country palace by signaling the planes to drop the bombs on Buckingham Palace instead
| Upon arriving at Chateau Brochet, Orlock introduces Sally to the other members of the ring, and she recognizes several of them as hotel employees. Then striding down the stairs, comes the group's leader, Madame Orlock. After informing Sally that she was only posing as Orlock's Mother, she tells the group that a German ship, loaded with TNT, has infiltrated a British convoy and will blow up Halifax harbor that night. She then announces that they plan to use Sally as a decoy and instructs her to call British Intelligence with the misinformation that the Queen Mary is the target of Nazi sabotage. As instructed, Sally phones Garrick at headquarters, but then smashes the lights and yells a warning about the planned sabotage of the harbor. Quickly switching on the lights, Orlock shoots Sally, who falls to the ground. Aware of Sally's danger, Garrick rushes to the chateau and takes the Nazis prisoners. Alerted by Sally's information, the British Navy singles out the German ship before it enters the harbor and bombs it into oblivion. Some time later in London, Sally, who was saved from the bullet's impact by Orlock's cigarette case, arrives home and is at last welcomed as a hero by her family. Sally then discovers that she was trailed by Garrick, who introduces himself to the Maitland family as their new son-in-law. |
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As appearing in
Yellow Canary, (main roles and screen credits identified):
[5]
- Anna Neagle as Sally Maitland
- Richard Greene as Lieutenant Commander Jim Garrick
- Albert Lieven as Jan Orlock
- Lucie Mannheim as Madame Orlock
- Nova Pilbeam as Betty Maitland
- George Thorpe as Colonel Charles Hargraves
- Marjorie Fielding as Lady Maitland
- Franklin Dyall as Captain Foster
- Valentine Dyall as officer on German cruiser [Prinz Eugen ?]
- Margaret Rutherford as Mrs. Towcester
- Aubrey Mallalieu as Reynolds
- Sybille Binder as Madame Orlock's Attendant
FULL SYNOPSIS
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In London in 1940, German bombers, drawn by a signal from Sally Maitland, a British Nazi sympathizer, drop their bombs on Buckingham Palace. When British soldiers rush to the source of Sally's signal, they find only the dead body of Oscar Borell. Sally, meanwhile, has taken a train to Liverpool, where she boards the S.S. Carina , a ship bound for Canada. Sally, who is known as the "Yellow Canary" because of her pro-Nazi sympathies, is snubbed by most of the ship's passengers except for Jan Orlock, a Polish refugee, and Lt. Commander Jim Garrick of British Naval Intelligence, who is traveling undercover as a supply officer for the British army. Sally welcomes Orlock's company but snubs Garrick. As the ship heads out to sea, it is followed by a German cruiser, which orders her to heave to. After the Germans commandeer the Carina , an officer boards the ship and demands that Garrick be turned over to the Germans. Orlock, who has seen his mother disabled and his home destroyed in a German raid, denounces the officer in perfect German. Sally watches as the Germans escort Garrick from the ship, but later discovers that the man taken prisoner was actually Garrick's double and the real Garrick is still onboard the Carina . After the Germans leave, Orlock tries to convince Sally of the heinousness of the Nazis and insists that she meet his mother, who is living in Halifax. When the ship docks at Halifax harbor, Sally takes a room at the Barrington Hotel, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police assigns two agents to follow her. Orlock takes Sally to visit his invalid mother at the Chateau Brochet, and while Sally toasts the "new order," Madame Orlock drinks to old freedoms. Although Sally tells Orlock that they should stop seeing each other because of their differing political beliefs, he insists on calling for her the next afternoon. When Sally returns to her hotel room that night, she finds Garrick camped in a bed outside her door, claiming that it is the last available bed in Halifax. The next day, Sally joins Orlock and his mother on Signal Hill above the Halifax harbor. There, Orlock describes Halifax as Europe's gateway to the Atlantic and recounts the destruction of the harbor by a TNT explosion in 1917. When Sally and the Orlocks return to Chateau Brochet, they are visited by two Canadian agents, who warn the Orlocks that Sally is a traitor. Shaken by her accusers, Sally decides that she must leave Halifax. In reply, Orlock shows her his cigarette case which is encrusted with a swastika, and reveals that he is a Nazi undercover agent. After reaffirming his love for Sally, Orlock invites her to join his organization of Nazi spies, who he says will act "when the star rises," the phrase he spoke to the German officer aboard the Carina . After Sally returns to her hotel, the Orlocks are visited by Mrs. Towcester, a busy-body passenger from the Carina , who informs them that Garrick is a British Intelligence agent. As soon as Mrs. Towcester leaves, Orlock burns all his papers to insure that they will not fall into Garrick's hands. Later that night, Sally returns to the Chateau Brochet to search Orlock's study and is interrupted by Garrick, who is working undercover with Sally for British Intelligence. Back at the hotel bar, Sally informs Garrick that Orlock is a Nazi and that his organization plans to act shortly. At the door to her hotel room, Sally apologizes to Garrick for her rude behavior, and as she opens the door, he kisses her. Their embrace is witnessed by Orlock, who is seated in Sally's room. When the door closes, Orlock pulls out his gun and orders Sally to leave with him. In response, Sally slaps Orlock and accuses him of being a British agent who has betrayed their love. Sally's behavior regains Orlock's confidence, and he decides to introduce her to their leader. As Sally walks into the hotel corridor, she drops a message to Garrick, instructing him to go to headquarters and wait. On the drive to their meeting, Orlock tells Sally about how a man named Oscar Borell sabotaged their mission to bomb the King and Queen of England at their country palace by signaling the planes to drop the bombs on Buckingham Palace instead. Upon arriving at Chateau Brochet, Orlock introduces Sally to the other members of the ring, and she recognizes several of them as hotel employees. Then striding down the stairs, comes the group's leader, Madame Orlock. After informing Sally that she was only posing as Orlock's Mother, she tells the group that a German ship, loaded with TNT, has infiltrated a British convoy and will blow up Halifax harbor that night. She then announces that they plan to use Sally as a decoy and instructs her to call British Intelligence with the misinformation that the Queen Mary is the target of Nazi sabotage. As instructed, Sally phones Garrick at headquarters, but then smashes the lights and yells a warning about the planned sabotage of the harbor. Quickly switching on the lights, Orlock shoots Sally, who falls to the ground. Aware of Sally's danger, Garrick rushes to the chateau and takes the Nazis prisoners. Alerted by Sally's information, the British Navy singles out the German ship before it enters the harbor and bombs it into oblivion. Some time later in London, Sally, who was saved from the bullet's impact by Orlock's cigarette case, arrives home and is at last welcomed as a hero by her family. Sally then discovers that she was trailed by Garrick, who introduces himself to the Maitland family as their new son-in-law.
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