Peg o' My Heart

In order to gain a huge inheritance, young Margaret (her father's PEG O' MY HEART) leaves her fishing village in the West of Ireland to live with an impoverished, but insufferable, noble family in England.

This wonderful, heartwarming - although sadly neglected - film boasts a winning performance from the most misunderstood star of Hollywood's Golden Age. Marion Davies is delightfully playful and quite captivating, easily dominating her every scene. A natural mimic, Davies' Irish brogue is natural & lilting, adding a further dimension to her entrancing character. For viewers unfamiliar with her expertise, Davies will come as a welcome surprise.

In the supporting cast, J. Farrell MacDonald takes first honors as Davies' father; he is completely believable as a tenderhearted old fisherman who sorrowfully gives up his daughter for her own good. Onslow Stevens is well cast as the kind baronet who captures Peg's heart. Alan Mowbray, as a local cad, and Robert Greig, as a stuffy butler, both score in their roles. Tyrell Davis is very amusing as a giddy young gynandroid with absolutely no intentions of wooing Davies. Doris Lloyd as Mowbray's no-nonsense wife, and Nora Cecil as an elderly maid, shine in their cameo appearances.

MGM, under the watchful eye of William Randolph Hearst, gave PEG a splendid cinematic treatment, with money lavished most especially on the production values of the fishing village scenes. The movie proved to be a hit with audiences, as was its signature tune 'Sweetheart Darling,' by Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed.

This was Hearst's favorite of all Davies' films. Although he realized it was time, at age 36, for her to no longer play 20-year-olds, he campaigned relentlessly that she be given an Academy Award nomination. (No MGM actresses were nominated that year, as it turns out; Katharine Hepburn over at RKO got the Oscar.)

Time has not dealt kindly with Marion Davies. Almost forgotten today, when remembered at all it is usually as a sort of footnote to history or object of scandal. Her life certainly was colorful, and as chatelaine of America's most amazing private estate she did circulate amidst powerful circles. But to remember her as the bimbo blonde mistress of the country's mightiest media baron is patently unfair.

While much of the blame can go to Orson Welles' spoof of Davies in CITIZEN KANE (which he was to admit he regretted towards the end of his life) it must be stated emphatically that Marion was not a no-talent actress with few friends & even fewer brains, whose career was destroyed by her stammer leaving her to spend lonely years in great, hulking empty castles.

In reality, Davies was a bright, vivacious lady who charmed & captivated such diverse guests as George Bernard Shaw & Winston Churchill throughout her 33-year liaison with Hearst. Adored by her friends, and a fierce cadre of fans, Davies was renowned for her tireless generosity and charitable good works. Her speech impediment never affected her screen acting and her undeniable talent was evident to any who were willing to access her performances honesty and look past the scandal.

Davies had to have been embarrassed by the Hearst empire's relentless pushing of her career. She knew this left her open to ridicule & mockery, doubtless contributing to her scarcely concealed alcoholism. But she eventually relinquished her film pursuits in order to care for the aging Hearst, and after his death in 1951 she showed herself to be an astute businesswoman during the remaining ten years of her life.

It is only now, with the passage of much time & the restoration of her old movies, that it is becoming easier to acknowledge the contributions & cinematic expertise of Marion Davies.

Marion Davies does surprisingly well as a girl from an Irish fishing village who must abandon her father and become a proper British lady to get a large inheritance. Of course, the accents, music and dance are American stage Irish rather than Irish Irish, but a very clever script and hard work all around pays off. And they forgot to credit 'Mutt' as Marion Davies' dog.

Also made in 1922 by King Vidor.

Marion Davies is wonderful in her best film. She sings ("Sweetheart Darlin'") and dances and is perfect as the Irish country lass who inherits a fortune. She is sent to live with English relatives who take her money and treat her badly. Of course Peg doesn't know they are being paid to "educate" her.

Few star actresses of her day would have played the plain Irish girl who becomes a beautiful woman. A great stage hit for Laurette Taylor (who also starred in a silent version in 1922), the play was already dated when Davies made this film in 1933, but Davies was one of the best comics in Hollywood and creates a funny, charming heroine in Peg. And as in her work in the earlier MARIANNE, Davies proves she was one of the best with accents.

Hearst had pushed for Davies to win an Oscar nomination for this MGM film (there were only three nominee that year), and I think she was worthy. Always underrated and overlooked, Marion Davies was a total delight in every comedy film I've ever seen her in, and this is her best.

Also good is J. Farrell MacDonald as her doting father. Onslow Stevens is surprisingly good here as Gerald and is quite charming. Juliette Compton (as the mean Ethel), Robert Greig, Irene Browne, Alan Mowbray, Tyrrell Davis, Nora Cecil, and Doris Lloyd are all fine too. Michael the dog is fun.

Old fashioned? Sure. But charming and funny and a wonderful film all-round.

Peg o' My Heart (1933)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Based on the J. Hartley Manners play, this film becomes a showcase for star Marion Davies who gives it her all as the spunky Irish girl who moves to England so that she can collect a large inheritance. First she has to become a lady but what she doesn't know is that in order to collect the money she can't see her father (J. Farrell MacDonald) again. This story was previously filmed twice in the silent era but looking at the story one couldn't help but think it would be nice material for the star. The film on the whole looks and smells good but once you bite into it you'll realize that there's really not as much here as you'd think. That's not to say the film isn't worth watching but I'm going to go out on a limb and say only Davies fans will really want to spend their precious time with it. Davies manages to be quite good here, although I don't think anyone could defend her Irish accent, which is all over the place. At times she seems to slip in and out of it so much you can't help but get a little smile on your face. Outside of that Davies is good in the film and gives it her all and this includes some very funny facial gestures including some funny eye winks. The supporting cast is a bit of a letdown with Onslow Stevens looking completely bored throughout and Juliette Compton coming off too stiff. MacDonald has some good moments but he isn't in the film too much. The film isn't ever as funny as one might hope as the fish out of water routine never really gets pushed to its limits, which I think is the fault of the (uncredited) director.

PEG O' MY HEART (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1933), directed by Robert Z. Leonard, stars Marion Davies in a comedy-drama adapted from the popular stage play that later developed into a 1922 silent screen adaptation for Metro starring Laurette Taylor. Though Taylor might have been considered reprising her legendary role she originated for the talking screen, it was an event that never happened. Being a tough act to follow for anyone else assuming the part, Davies contributes greatly in what many consider her finest screen performance. Though this MGM talkie edition resembles certain elements that makes this seem like one directed by John Ford over at the Fox Studios starring Janet Gaynor, Davies, however, shows her ability as an good actress from dancing the Irish jig to speaking in Irish brogue to fine credibility.

The story opens on the West Coast of Ireland. Margaret, fondly known to all as "Peg" (Marion Davies), is introduced as a grown daughter of a fisherman father, Patrick Shamus O'Connell (J. Farrell MacDonald). Coming through the crowd in the fishing community is Sir Gerald Markham (Onslow Stevens), an executor of the Kingsnorth estate looking to speak with Mr. O'Connell. Markham informs O'Connell, whose late wife, Heather, being British by birth, that his father-in-law, Lord Brian Kingsnorth, has died and made Peg the sole heir of her mother's fortune of $2 million pounds. The will also specified that the only way Peg is to inherit the money is to spend three years living at the Chichester estate, with the separation between father and daughter to be permanent. At first O'Connell rejects the offer but eventually agrees to the terms following a tragic shipping accident. Promising to join her at a latter date, Peg agrees to leave her native Ireland with her dog, Michael, and Markham on the next train bound for England. Once at the Chichester estate, Peg finds her surroundings aren't as friendly as it is back home. During her stay, she copes with unfriendly servants and snobbish relatives. During the course of time, Peg has fallen in love with Markham, but is stunned to learn his wedding plans, arranged by Mrs. Chichester (Irene Browne), are to be to Ethel Chichester (Juliette Compton) and Peg's marriage to her foppish son, Alaric (Tyrell Davis). Knowing Ethel's unfaithfulness after witnessing her kissing Christian Brent (Alan Mowbray), a married man, Peg, wanting to return home, receives startling news from Markham as to why she can't return home and ever see her father again. Other members of the cast include: Doris Lloyd (Grace Brent); Robert Greig (Jarvis, the Butler); Geoffrey Gill (Terrence); Nora Cecil (Mrs. Smythe); Leyland Hodgson and Billy Bevan (The Detectives).

Unlike the 1922 screen version, which includes a prologue of Peg as a child, PEG O' MY HEART eliminates the early origins of the O'Connells and death of the mother by getting right down to basics, making this 89 minute movie into a full-fledged Marion Davies product. Aside from sentimentality and moments of humor, there's also song interludes to such tunes as: "Sweetheart, Darlin'," "Safe at Home," "Just Remember That We Love You" (beautiful song), "Boots and Saddles,"Hoppity Hop," "Tavern in the Town," and several reprises of "Just Remember That We Love You"; "Sweetheart, Darlin'." Considering reprises of "Sweetheart, Darlin," not only is it Peg's favorite song in the story, but its theme song as well.

Until it's occasional broadcasts on Turner Classic Movies from 1994 onward, PEG O' MY HEART was one of those rarely seen Marion Davies features for MGM of the 1930s in spite of its reputation as being Marion Davies best sound movie with SHOW PEOPLE (1928) as Davies' best silent. Yet, trite title songs as "Sweetheart, Darlin'" come across as mushy, or lack of a better known male co-star names as Robert Montgomery or Franchot Tone over Onslow Stevens may have something to do with its lack of any sort of revivals. With the exception of the familiarity of J. Farrell MacDonald, the lackluster cast shouldn't be the reason to avoid viewing this one either on Turner Classic Movies or acquiring a DVD copy for purchase to consider watching. Quite appropriate for St. Patrick's Day. (***)