My Wild Irish Rose

Yes, I give it a 10 because I compare it not only to others of it's kind but also to the dreck one is bombarded with on a daily basis in what's laughably called today's "popular culture." That aside, the film is beautifully cast, as has been stated elsewhere, and gives us a fairly good look at popular theater of the late 18th and early 20th centuries. No small coincidence is that many of the plays that Olcott played in involved a similar plot: Boy meets girl, someone objects, (usually the father or some authority figure) boy struggles, boy wins girl. The was actually known at the time as a "Chauncey Olcott Act." No coincidence, too, that John Ford directed one. He called it, "The Quiet Man." And, "My Wild Irish Rose," is, in itself, a "Chauncey Olcott act." Great stuff, no? Anyway, great songs, great stuff. Enjoy.

PS - After seeing the film I'd like to know more about Bill Scanlan. I found an obit that said he quit "Mauvorneen," as a result of insanity (replaced, as in the film, by Chauncey Olcott) and died in an asylum several years later. But he had been, apparenlty, a very big star in his own right, who wrote songs and plays and had plays written for him.

Anyone know more?

Dennis Morgan is a perfect choice to play Chauncey Olcott, Irish songwriter in a tune-filled musical biography full of Irish folk songs and dances. All of it is filmed in luscious technicolor with a pleasant cast of supporting players--Andrea King (especially good as Lillian Russell), Alan Hale, Arlene Dahl, George Tobias, Sarah Allgood and you may be surprised to see William Frawley as an Irish singer, William Scanlon, who figures importantly in some musical sequences.

This vastly underrated film is hardly ever shown on TV (except for Turner Classic Movies) and still not available on video. Watch it if you enjoy nostalgic turn-of-the-century musicals about Irish musicians. Some of the material is pretty dated, but you have to accept that in the context of when it was made. Some of the comedy supplied by Ben Blue and George Tobias is a little on the corny side--but the film itself is still a delight for the eye and ear.

Dennis Morgan took his pleasing tenor voice and in My Wild Irish Rose created the image of Irish entertainer Chauncey Olcott for generations to come. I doubt there are too many people who actually saw Chauncey Olcott perform in one of those tearful plays about the Auld Sod and they're not revived too often.

But Olcott as performer and credited songwriter endures, no St. Patrick's Day would be complete without some of Olcott identified songs like When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Mother Machree, and A Little Bit Of Heaven and of course the title song. These are a staple for St. Patrick's celebration in America. Remember these classics are of American origin, they were written for the musical plays Olcott starred in, but have endured so that they've become pure Irish out of love.

Note in the film that Olcott is identified as a performer and that is more correct than to say he wrote these numbers. Back in the day before the founding the American Society for Composers, Authors, and Publishers it was common for songwriters to give copyright credit to a performer to cut him in on royalties for the sale of sheet music which was the venue by which popularity was measured. Al Jolson was the performer who most frequently used that practice.

The film messes somewhat with the facts, but does get the basic story of Olcott's life down with him marrying Arlene Dahl a hometown girl from Buffalo. Olcott did in fact get his first theatrical break as the leading man for Lillian Russell played here by Andrea King. And he did succeed William J. Scanlon as the most popular singer of Irish ballads and Scanlon is played by William Frawley. I'm reasonably sure no one is around who saw Scanlon perform.

Morgan was never in better voice than for this film. The musical numbers are staged well if not in the opulent style of Busby Berkeley. All in all My Wild Irish Rose is an enduring classic, no St. Patrick's Day would be complete without it.

I enjoyed this film very much. I found it to be very entertaining for me in that I feel that it captured the romanticism of turn of the century Irish-American culture. There's no messages. There's no violence and there's no overt sex, just wholesome 1947 style entertainment and Dennis Morgan had a chance to sing some really good songs. A really good movie.

This excellent musical movie, in beautiful Technicolor, is so wonderful it's enough to make every person of Irish descent feel proud. Full of the joy and celebration of all things Irish, a fine cast, with brilliant settings and superb theatrical trappings, lovely Irish music and the superlative Irish tenor voice of star Dennis Morgan, 'tis the luck o' the Irish to have such a marvelous movie to enjoy over and over again! Not just just for St. Patty's Day, mind you, but for all year round.

One of the jewels produced by Jack L. Warner during his heyday as studio boss in Burbank in the 1940s.

Shame on Warner Brothers for not having this fine picture available on home video and DVD!