Wings of the Morning

Shot partially on location in Killarney, Ireland in Glorious Three-Strip Tecnicolor, "Wings of the Morning" can claim to be the first film shot in that process on the British Isles. Iconic cinematographer Jack Cardiff gets his first Technicolor credit as the film's camera operator and would go on to one of the most illustrious careers in film history. However, although it was financially successful during its initial release, fans of John McCormack and Henry Fonda will be disappointed with it today.

John McCormack, the pride of Athlone, County Westmeath and arguably the greatest Irish tenor of all time, failed in several attempts to break into the movies. That's not surprising when one views his stiff acting and singing in this film. Although he sings three songs here, he evidently didn't even bother to memorize the lyrics and sings while looking at a notebook he carries with him. It's no wonder that the film editor decided to cut away from him to inserts of the idyllic Irish countryside during his performance rather than keep the overweight and unphotogenic singer on screen.

Fonda supposedly played a Canadian in this British movie shot partially in Ireland but clearly didn't have a competent dialogue coach because he plays his early scenes with a decidedly Southern drawl. He later lapses into his singularly un-Canadian Midwestern twang.

At this point in his career Fonda was a free-lancer and didn't have to do this film, which was designed as a showcase for French beauty Annabella in her English-speaking debut. After he did sign a long-term contract at Fox in 1940 as a condition of getting the role of Tom Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath," the respected actor chafed when required to play support for films designed to showcase other Fox stars. His unhappy experience on the Alice Faye vehicle "Lillian Russell" is a prime example. Why did Fonda agree to do the film? A good guess would be that the trip to Englasnd and Ireland, rather than the script, was enough motivation.

Forget the plot, which is silly, but bask in the glorious 3-strip Technicolor-the first British colour film-which is very fine indeed, natural and delicate and not at all garish. I assume that the use of many different coloured props (dresses, fruits etc.) was deliberate to show off the process, but the result is beautiful; it must have been something of a sensation for the 1937 audiences.

Add to this cameos by the famous (ageing here) jockey Steve Donoghue; songs by the much-loved singer Count John McCormack; cameos by two well-known (in their day) racing commentators; and extremely rare footage in colour of Derby Day, and you have quite a valuable historical record of the times.

A young Henry Fonda (well-31 but only into his 3rd. Year of movies) is almost unrecognisable apart from his distinctive voice and hints of those pale blue eyes that became more piercing as he aged.

The print that UK's Talking Pictures channel showed (August 2022) is almost beyond criticism, maybe a little faded in places, but what a joy to view!

Wings of the Morning is both the title of the film and the name of a gypsy horse who rides in the English Derby at Epsom Downs. It was the first modern technicolor film to be shot in the British Isles. To insure quality cinematographer Ray Rennahan who was THE color guy in Hollywood was brought over and he did a first rate job. I guess for good luck Henry Fonda who appeared in the first outdoor technicolor film in the USA came over to appear in this one. In the tradition of Americans appearing in British productions, Fonda plays a Canadian horse trainer with the Irish name of Kerry Gilfallen replete with his Nebraska twang.

In fact most of this British production is shot in Ireland and I hope that Wings of the Morning is available to folks in Ireland in any format. Their country is really nicely captured in some really lush greens. And there is some nice color footage of London and the Epsom Derby in the middle Thirties.

There are two stories, a brief prologue involving gypsy princess Annabella and the Irish Lord Clontarf played by Leslie Banks. They wed against all convention and soon after, Banks is killed in a riding accident. Of course most of the family snubs the widow and she returns to the gypsies.

Fast forward some forty years and Annabella is now playing her own great granddaughter and she's back in Ireland having fled Spain from the revolution going on there. She flees like Katharine Hepburn did in Sylvia Scarlett, in the guise of a boy and fools everybody including horse trainer Henry Fonda.

Of course the romance develops and a pair of horses get trained and primed for the Epsom Derby. Horse stories are no different in the UK then they are the USA and if you've seen enough of them on the silver screen you have an idea how the rest of the film goes.

Champion jockey Steve Donoghue makes an appearance in Wings of the Morning and lucky indeed we are to have a technicolor filmed appearance of the great John McCormack who favors us with four songs sung at a party scene at Clontarf castle. McCormack was an icon in many an Irish and Irish American household. A great concert singer, he and an Italian tenor named Caruso share equal credit in developing the record industry as they both signed with Edison's fledgling RCA Victor label back in the day. You couldn't find too many Italian households without a Caruso record back in the day nor many Irish households without a gramophone and McCormack records to play on them.

During his sequence McCormack sings and reads material, lyrics I'm sure he must have sang a gazillion times. My guess is that he was 53 when Wings of the Morning was made and may have been sustaining memory problems. McCormack died in 1945 and had not sung for several years at that point.

Wings of the Morning were it not for McCormack and technicolor would be a rather ordinary race track story. Still it's good entertainment and for folks in Ireland, a must.

The story is pleasant, though artificial and inconsequential. The scene where the heroine was obliged to go swimming and thus reveal her true identity is almost identical to one in the earlier Girls Will Be Boys with Dolly Haas. The print I saw was from the Cohen Collection, looking superb, and what I really enjoyed was seeing Ireland and pre-war London and its people in colour, together with character actors like Mark Daly and D.J. Williams, previously confined to faded monochrome footage. And not least the legendary Irish tenor, John McCormack, whom I've long heard recordings of, but never seen. Annabella and Henry Fonda make an attractive leading couple.

Although there had been earlier British colour films in other processes, this was the first in technicolour.Obviously Fox spent the money on the cast and colour,as the story is second rate. Lots of lovely country views and John Mccornick singing away.Curiously he keeps on looking at a small book for the lyrics.A very experienced cast many who had been in films since early silent films.