The Boy with Green Hair

Joseph Losey's first feature opens with a war orphan waking to find his hair has turned bright green. Peter, played by Dean Stockwell, draws first the curiosity and then the hostility of his town, and the green hair becomes a standing reminder of what war does to children. Pat O'Brien and Robert Ryan are in the cast. What happened to the film is nearly the same story as the film. Howard Hughes, who took over RKO in 1948, was angered by the pacifist message and wanted it re-edited. He called Stockwell into his office and pressed a line on him to deliver in the scene where the children discuss war; the boy politely said no, even after Hughes shouted at him. Screenwriter Ben Barzman later explained that Losey had shot it in a way that left little room for change, and that a few softening lines were wedged in and that was all. Losey and Barzman were blacklisted soon after. It opened on 27 November 1948, lost money, and was well received by critics. Who it is for: viewers interested in postwar Hollywood allegory and in stories of studio interference. Who it is not for: anyone put off by an unmistakable message, which this film makes no effort to hide.