Starring Judy Garland, George Murphy, Charles Winninger, and Douglas McPhail
Directed by Norman Taurog
Music and Lyrics by George M. Cohan and others
We leap from 1860's Siam to early 20th century Ireland and New York for this year's bit of St. Patrick's Day blarney. The Wizard of Oz wasn't the biggest hit in 1939, but Judy Garland did receive an honorary Oscar as Dorothy. MGM was happy enough with her performance to put her into this movie as a "test" to see how well she'd do with audiences in a more realistic setting. For Garland, it was her first adult role, even giving her a chance to do what would be her only death scene. How well does this tale of three generations of conflict in an Irish family work today? Let's begin in the Irish countryside, as Nellie Noonan (Garland) waits for her out-of-work father Mike (Winninger) to come home, and find out...
The Story: Nellie loves her father dearly, despite his insistence on never taking a job, but she also loves Jerry Kelly (Murphy). Mike disapproves of anyone taking his daughter from him, let alone Jerry, but they get married and take him to America anyway. All three eventually become American citizens, and Jerry becomes a police officer like he always dreamed. Alas, he does it without his Nellie. She dies in childbirth, leaving a daughter, Little Nellie (Garland), behind. Years later, Nellie falls for Dennis (McPhail), the son of a local contractor (Arthur Shields). Mike doesn't approve of this romance, either...but Jerry is determined to let his daughter have her beau.
The Song and Dance: Garland revels in her first real adult role, especially playing the elder Nellie in the first half. The sequence where she discusses going to America with Murphy is genuinely touching and sweet, and her death scene is genuinely effecting. Winninger hams it up as Nellie's father, and then grandfather, who loves his women but would rather spend his time with his buddies in the local saloon than pursuing work.
Favorite Number: Garland sings "Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" three times, notably and touchingly in the beginning after Jerry proposes. Roger Edens wrote "It's a Great Day For the Irish," which Nellie sings while marching with her grandfather in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Garland did so well with it, it became one of her earliest hits. She performs "Singin' In the Rain" a decade before Gene Kelly did it to a rapt audience at the Policeman's Ball. We finally hear Cohan's title song in the finale, as Dennis, Jerry, and every policeman in New York dances with Jerry's enchanting daughter.
Trivia: Little Nellie Kelly originally debuted on Broadway in 1922. Nellie did have an Irish cop for a father in the stage version, but there, she was a modern Cinderella looking for her wealthy Prince Charming and involved in a robbery plot. Only two songs, "Nellie Kelly, I Love You" and "Nellie Is a Darling" were retained from the original.
What I Don't Like: On one hand, I actually kind of prefer MGM's more interesting story to the Cinderella fluff in the original...but I do wish they kept more of the original songs. It might have been interesting to hear what Cohan's full score sounded like. Winninger is the only one who manages to get anywhere near Garland, with his over-the-top histrionics. Neither Murphy nor the supremely dull McPhail make as much of an impression.
Wish they'd given more of an explanation as to why Mike is so against Jerry marrying his daughter, other than he intends to move to America with her. You can at least somewhat understand his objection to Dennis, since his father has tried to convince him to work with his construction company, but his trouble with Jerry is a lot less obvious.
The Big Finale: Mainly worth checking out on St. Patrick's Day if you're a fan of Garland. Everyone else could probably look for the "Singin' In the Rain" and "Great Day for the Irish" numbers and skip the rest.
Home Media: Currently DVD-only from the Warner Archives.
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