THE GREEN GIRL is a 2014 documentary on actress Susan Oliver, best known for her prolific work on American network television from the 1960s through the 1980s. The film was directed and produced by George A. Pappy Jr., and I viewed it on the Tubi streaming channel.
The title THE GREEN GIRL refers to a sequence in the first pilot for the original STAR TREK TV series, called "The Cage". In that sequence Susan Oliver's character takes on the persona of a seductive green-skinned Orion slave dancer. Footage from "The Cage" was used for a two-part STAR TREK episode called "The Menagerie", enabling Oliver's performance to become a part of pop culture history.
The title of the documentary is somewhat misleading, however. Coverage of Oliver's work for STAR TREK takes up only a small part of this film. Susan Oliver's overall life and acting career was far more fascinating than just one cult TV appearance.
The blonde, blue-eyed Oliver guested on dozens of network shows during the classic period of American TV, quite often appearing on a particular show more than once, playing different characters. There were several attractive women who showed up nightly during the classic TV era, but Oliver had an indefinable quality about her that made her unique. The characters she portrayed were not just eye candy--they usually were complicated and troubled, and she often stole whatever episode she was in from the regulars of the series.
THE GREEN GIRL features dozens of clips from Oliver's TV work that attest to her talent and versatility. (Obviously Oliver must have been highly dependable as well, or she never would have gotten so much work in the hectic world of network TV.)
Oliver could have had an extensive big screen movie career, or at least have starred in her own TV series, but THE GREEN GIRL shows she was far too independent for that. Oliver didn't want to be controlled by a major studio, or tied down to just one TV show. She also had no interest in the Hollywood social scene. She was a multifaceted individual who was also a record-breaking aviator. When her acting career started to slow down in the late 1970s, she trained to become a director, and she eventually helmed single episodes of M*A*S*H and TRAPPER JOHN M.D. (The documentary puts forth the idea that Oliver's directing credits would have been more extensive if not for a "Boy's Club" mentality in the entertainment industry.)
Many of Oliver's friends and relatives are interviewed here, along with fellow actors such as Lee Meriwether, David Hedison, Gary Conway, and Roy Thinnes. Coverage is also given to Oliver's financial and health struggles toward the climax of her too short life.
THE GREEN GIRL presents a thorough look at Susan Oliver's life, but at the end the actress remains a bit of an enigma. Despite dating several movie stars, and famous baseball players, she never married or had any children. One gets the feeling after watching this film that even those who felt they were close to her never really knew her completely. There was much, much more to Susan Oliver than just playing a famous Star Trek role, and one wonders if she accomplished all that she wanted to.
THE GREEN GIRL is very well done, and it's perfect for retro TV fans. It shines a light on one of the best performers of the classic TV period and details what it was like to work as an actor during that era.
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