Edgar Allan Pooh . . . for preserving Good Old Boys Networks, Institutional Sadomasochism, perpetuating the plague of callous murders-by-malpractice in America's hospitals, and upholding Religion based upon the precept that "The Richest Person Is Always Right." Mr. Douglas probably saw a movie in which one of Walter Reed's buddies lets himself be bitten by a Yellow Fever-infected mosquito, and rushed home thinking "Let's up the ante--a Tick's bite is Ickier than a 'Squeeter's any day of the week!" At this time, America thought that 14-year-old girls made Errol Flynn tick. In a brilliant piece of casting against type, Warner Bros. convinced Errol to make GREEN LIGHT to show that it was actually TICKS that made him tick! Though Oscar Wilde was clairvoyantly channeling Errol when he wrote A PORTRAIT OF DORIAN GRAY (autopsy results would show that Mr. Flynn died at 50 in a nonagenarian's body), Mr. Douglas laughed all the way to the bank thinking about such a hedonist being cast as his unlikely saint in GREEN LIGHT. Many may argue over whether this tale's "Dean Harcourt" is more Iago or Machiavelli, but most will enjoy seeing the lowly wood tick getting "in like Flynn."

MartinHafer This might just be the strangest Errol Flynn film other than the truly odd Cuban movies he made at the very end of his career. It has many strange plot elements and a convoluted religious element that just left me dazed! But, despite the very strange writing, the overall effort is still pretty good--mostly because it's hard to imagine Errol Flynn making a bad film! Heck, drunk and disinterested, he was still a heck of an actor--and here he is young and vigorous and engaging.The film begins with a strange Norman Vincent Peale sort of sermon by Cedric Hardwicke. In fact, whenever this odd preacher talks, he sounds very mystical...but never seems to mention God or the Bible! And you also wonder what the heck he has to do with the rest of the film. Well, honestly, he DOESN'T have much to do with the film--he seems more like a wacky social gospel-spouting plot device--but a pleasant one.The film actually has to do with a bizarre doctor (Flynn) who inexplicably covers for his boss when the boss-man botches an operation and kills a patient. I say inexplicable because his reasons for covering for the elder doctor seemed convoluted to say the least. As a result of taking the blame for something he DIDN'T do (and, by the way, possibly allowed an inept surgeon to keep practicing), agnostic Flynn goes to see Hardwicke--who pulls some strings and manipulates him into meeting the daughter of the woman (Anita Louise) killed by the other doctor. She falls for him but when she discovers that Flynn is the one blamed the death, she despises him and he runs off to a life of self-sacrifice working on Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever! This culminates with him injecting himself with an experimental vaccine--and Louis comes running to him! Does the amazingly self-sacrificing Flynn pull through?! Well, don't expect any surprises! If the plot I described sounds convoluted and weird, that's because it is--and it's actually a bit worse, but I omitted a bit of the plot due to space. The bottom line is that the film STILL manages to be enjoyable even though it is never the least bit believable. A very minor Flynn outing to say the least. At least it IS original!

blanche-2 Lloyd Douglas was a popular author whose books, Magnificent Obsession, Demetrius and the Gladiators, the Robe, and this film, Green Light, were all made into films. Since Douglas was a Lutheran minister, his stories often had a spiritual theme. In "Green Light," a surgeon (Errol Flynn) takes the rap for another surgeon (Henry O'Neill) when a patient dies during surgery. He is asked to resign his hospital position, which he does, and he joins a fellow doctor (Walter Abel) in his work to find a cure for spotted fever.Cedric Hardwicke plays an Episcopal minister who is the spiritual adviser of the dead woman's daughter (Anita Louise) and Flynn's nurse (Margaret Lindsay). He is the voice of author Douglas.The theme is self-sacrifice, that no person exists alone, and that we all are part of life's tapestry. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.As others have pointed out, this is a different type of role for Errol Flynn. He doesn't quite nail it. Handsome and charming, Flynn was a sincere actor whose looks and athleticism made up for the fact that he very often didn't get under the skin of a role. This role called for a more solid, contemplative approach. Someone on this board mentioned Tyrone Power, and I agree, he would have been a better choice. Flynn was just too lightweight for this sort of part, though, like everything else he did, he gets away with it. He was a movie star first, and that covered a multitude of sins. Lindsay and Louise don't have much to do. Hardwicke imbues his role with a great deal of dignity.A definite for Flynn fans to see him do a role against type.

heliopause Green Light is beautifully directed, has a first rate score, and has a melodramatic mood throughout that makes it wonderful to watch. It relates the story of a young doctor who takes the fall for an elder doctor's mistake. Errol Flynn delivers a fine performance as does Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Margaret Lindsay, and Walter Abel.It is a terrible reality that so many fine classics are not yet available on DVD. In my opinion, better than its rating. Fans of Flynn will not be disappointed.