Fighting Father Dunne

Before Father Flanagan started Boystown and after MGM gave his life the Class-A MGM treatment in two films starring Spencer Tracy, Father Peter Dunne of St. Louis had a similar smaller scale operation. And RKO a much smaller studio did a film about his work with homeless male youth and got Pat O'Brien to play the title role.

The real Father Peter Dunne in 1905 took in three homeless newsboys he found living in a box in St. Louis as it is shown in the film. That was the start of a home he created which serviced now several generations. The home is still being run, but not in the St. Louis metropolitan area any longer.

Dunne's problems are just like what Father Flanagan had to deal with and O'Brien with the Irish charm working on all cylinders solves nearly all of them during the course of the film. One major difference between this film and Boystown is that where Spencer Tracy took his charges out of the city and created his own town so to speak, Dunne's group is still in the city, the kids are still selling newspapers and dealing with big city life.

Pat O'Brien was Hollywood's quintessential Irishman. His best roles were as fast talking promoter types whatever their profession (Knute Rockne) or when he played priests (Angels With Dirty Faces, The Fighting 69th)quiet, reflective, wise and strong. He doesn't break any new ground with Father Dunne, but it's the O'Brien we've come to expect and I suspect wouldn't be happy to see him as anything else.

Pat O'Brien also has a Mickey Rooney like character in this film. Here the part is played by Darryl Hickman in probably the best role he had in his juvenile career. Unlike Rooney in Boystown, Hickman comes to a tragic end, so unlike Tracy, O'Brien couldn't save all the kids in his charge.

Good supporting cast and the best performances their come from Charles Kemper as O'Brien's put upon brother-in-law and Arthur Shields as an irascible wealthy donor to O'Brien's cause. He's an Ulster man and always lets Father Dunne know it. In real life Shields and his brother Barry Fitzgerald were just that.

How times have changed. Could Fighting Father Dunne or Boystown be made today? I don't know how the public would take a couple of priests starting a home for wayward teenage boys now.

All american Pat O'brien is Father Dunne, who wants to help the local city boys. Darryl Hickman is Matt, in a flashback, telling the story of newsboys, trying to make a living. Darryl was the brother of Dwayne, both very successful in hollywod. When the newsboys are sick and down on their luck, father Dunne somehow gets them a doctor and the necessary medications. somehow. it's all tongue in cheek, with god (and father Dunne) on the side of good. he finds a home, and furniture, and food... all on credit of course. but the neighbors are willing to go along for a priest. fun (older) character actor Una O'Connor as Miss ORourke. it's pretty good... all according to formula. no big surprises her, but pretty good. a feel good film from RKO. Directed by Ted Tetzlaff. nominated for Talk of the Town, six years earlier.

PAT O'BRIEN has all the Irish charm and blarney to play a priest who can fast talk his way out of any situation with consummate ease--and it's the sort of role he could have played in his sleep by the time he made FIGHTING FATHER DUNNE.

The storyline sounds like a recap of BOY'S TOWN--without the extra punch supplied by an above ordinary script--so the film plugs along without much steam, folksy but predictable and full of stereotyped child actors playing newspaper boys. DARRYL HICKMAN is the most prominent among them but can't do too much with his role as the most troublesome one who can't be reformed by the good intentions of Father Dunne.

It's a strictly minor entry in O'Brien's career which was starting to go on the skids in the late '40s and played the lower half of a double bill when released in 1948 without much notice from critics or the public.