The Irish in Us

Lifetime best friends James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Frank Mchugh and other good buddy Allen Jenkins hook up in this rather far fetched punchless comedy about an Irish mother and her three unmarried boys still living at home. I can only imagine the fun the guys had making this picture together, it's a shame it doesn't transfer to the screen.

Two of Ma O'Hara's (Mary Gordon) sons have secure jobs as a fireman (McHugh) and cop (O'Brien) while a third (Cagney) is trying to make it as a fight manager with a screw loose pug (Jenkins). When a woman (Olivia DeHaviland) comes between Cagney and O'Brien, the former moves out causing Ma, to fret.

The boys all predictably do what's expected of them; Cagney is energized and fast talking, O'Brien brooding and introspective, McHugh elfin, Jenkins punchy. The plot moves from silly to absurd fast and the sentimental tug with strains of When Irish Eyes are Smiling always near by is blatant. DeHaviland as a confident, modern woman seems almost out of place with her cool rational compared to the entire O'Hara clan in a film so dedicated to a target audience the closing credit plays over a shamrock. The Irish in Us is one bowl of lukewarm blarney.

It made my heart warm to see the scenes with Olivia de Havilland looking up into James Cagney's eyes, and it made me smile when Cagney skipped rope in his short shorts while helping a boxer train. Olivia de Havilland was 19 and this was just her second film, so for that alone it's worth taking a look. If you don't like those two actors though, you can certainly skip this one, because it's mediocre at best. It tries to be a romance, family study, comedy, and boxing film, and doesn't do any of them particularly well. Ultimately it decides to be a boxing film, but even then it can't help itself but show too much of the stupid antics of one of the three brothers (Frank McHugh). The other throwaway character is the boxer named Carbarn Hammerschlog (jeez, what a name, played Allen Jenkins). Jenkins doesn't look a bit like a boxer, and his character is a clown who starts swinging his fists maniacally any time he hears a bell ring (a tired and unfortunately repeated gag). The love triangle involving two brothers (Cagney and Pat O'Brien) and de Havilland has some nice moments, including those with the dear old mom (Mary Gordon, who was ironically Scottish, not Irish). Cagney looks pretty good in the ring too, fighting stuntman Harvey Parry. It's a shame the script is so haphazard and unfocused.

The stars here never give a bad performance, so that I had fun watching this film despite a routine dissension-causing romantic rivalry between James Cagney and his brother, Pat O'Brien, for lovely Olivia de Havilland and an improbable ending. My only complaint was the character of Allen Jenkins, a fighter who starts swinging crazily every time he hears a bell. That got to be a bit tedious, although it was an important part of the plot. O'Brien plays a policeman while his younger brother, Frank McHugh, plays a fireman. They're sort of a microcosm of the Irish in New York City, with Cagney playing a would-be fight manager of Jenkins, and Mary Gordon trying to keep her family together. McHugh and Jenkins provide much of the comedy and the boxing match at the end was very well staged and quite exciting. You can't really go wrong with this film.

Filmmakers sometimes forget: A newspaper reports that Harvey Perry is the welterweight champion, but he's introduced into the ring as the middleweight champion.

Though hard to find (it is not available on VHS or DVD), this film is worth catching at any hour Turner Classic Films decides to air it at. A cute cookie-cutter comedy at first glance, this film stars James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland, as well as lesser-known (today, not then) stars Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh (Father Tim in the Crosby classic "Going My Way").

Cagney is the youngest (Danny) of three Irish brothers all living with their mother (played by Scotswoman Mary Gordon - look for Cagney's ad lib about the "wee bit of Scotch" coming out in her). Oldest brother Patrick brings home nice girl de Havilland, and Danny falls for her. The plot includes a boxing match, a Fireman's Ball, and plenty of New York Irish stereotypes. It adds up to a charming couple of hours, still in good condition and standing the test of time very well. Comedy that does that is worth waiting to see.

Cagney's performance stands out, because he's so very much in character and immersed in the story, despite the reported shooting time of eighteen days. This was just another MGM product back in the day, and it'd be worth lobbying to get it out on DVD today for posterity.

I usually enjoyed the old WB comedies for their great supporting casts, but although THE IRISH IN US is nicely paced with a good cast, there is too much of Frank McHugh for my taste. McHugh is given lots of low comedy scenes that he plays for laughs but makes the comedy seem much too forced at times. Much more bearable is Allen Jenkins as a punch-drunk fighter who goes crazy every time he hears a bell ringing.

As for the star trio, Cagney, de Havilland and O'Brien, they've all done better work in other Warner programmers. Here they are stuck with rather routine assignments which they carry off with customary charm and skill. De Havilland is considerably toned down from her first role in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and shows that she caught on quickly to the more restrained acting technique required by the screen.

Mary Gordon does a nice job as the warm-hearted Irish mother of Jimmy and Pat, anxious to have her sons on good behavior when Pat's girlfriend, Olivia, pays a visit. She and de Havilland have a warm element in their performances that helps the comedy glow.

All in all, an entertaining, if routine Warner comedy with the usual stock players doing their best.