Bill and Coo (1948)

Bill and Coo is a 1948 film directed by Dean Riesner, filmed in Trucolor, and conceived to showcase George Burton's trained birds (Burton's Birds).

The 61-minute live-action film stars many types of birds, including budgies, commonly known in the US as parakeets) and lovebirds. The film also features other trained animals, including cats, dogs and a crow. With the exception of three humans (producer Ken Murray, bird trainer George Burton, and Elizabeth Walters) in a short set-up segment before the opening credits, the film features an all-animal cast. The film was shot on the world's second smallest film set, a miniature village built onto a 15' x 30' (4.57m X 9.14m) tabletop.

The film received an Honorary Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the "Oscars") "In which artistry and patience blended in a novel and entertaining use of the medium of motion pictures.

Synopsis

The plot of the film is that the birds live in a fictional, peaceful town named Chirpendale. A crow arrives known as the Black Menace. As his name suggests, the Black Menace terrorizes the town. The story follows the adventures of the hero Bill, a cab driver, as he tries to save Coo and the rest of the town's inhabitants from certain destruction.

Actors