Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Ernest Ball, an aspiring composer from Cleveland, struggled through his younger years to make it in the business. After not being able to make it in his home town, Mr. Ball decides to go East to New York, the capital of the world of entertainment where his music was appreciated and went to have the recognition he deserved.

"Irish Eyes Are Smiling", the biographic film didn't make a good impression of the man and his life. In fact, this was a rather uninspired production of Twentieth Century Fox that must have been created for Dick Haymes, the actor with a golden voice who was at his prime. Directed by veteran actor/director Gregory Ratoff, this is a dull movie where some of Ernest Ball's songs are prominently placed in a musical comedy that didn't do anything to please audiences.

Mr. Haymes had a pleasing tenor voice, but as far as the acting department went, he was at a disadvantage playing opposite Monty Wooley, or even a young Anthony Quinn. This was June Haver's second appearance in a film after her success in "Home in Indiana". She doesn't have much to do as the main interest of Ernest Ball.

The best of Mr. Ball's songs, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling", which he composed with lyrics by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff proved to be a song that survived the author as it became a standard hymn always associated with Irish celebrations and a must for St. Patrick's Day.

The film is part of a long line of musical biographies of songwriters that has hardly any interest in the person's actual life story. Instead, calling them biographies allows the musicals to cull songs from their catalog for various musical numbers. Still, at times, these films can be pleasant time-wasters. This one, ostensibly about turn-of-the-century songwriter Ernest Ball, is one of these pleasant but unexceptional entries.

Judging from the songs presented in the film, Ball specialized in Irish hokum ("Mother Macree" for example)--lugubrious ballads that wallowed in maternal sentimentality and dreams. Consequently, Dick Haymes portrayal of Ball presents him as a weak passive sort, who is easily pushed around. Seemingly to balance him, June Haver as his romantic interest is incredibly butch--growling, aggressive, and constantly popping people in the eye. While Haymes sings Ball's slow ballads, Haver performs peppy up-tempo numbers (that were not written by Ball). One of these underlines the reversal of gender-expected behavior: "Bessie in a Bustle." Here, Haver sings in male clothing, as various men in drag (with bustles naturally) cavort around her!

It's a pretty out-of-nowhere moment, but seems to fit the general attitude about aggressive women and passive men that's going on in the rest of the film.

Overall, it's a colorful period piece, with plenty to keep a viewer diverted for an hour and a half--and some interesting ideas if you stop to notice them. But it's no landmark musical.

This biography of Ernest Ball has numerous historical inaccuracies but none are serious enough to detract from the music. Dick Haymes was a popular singer in the 1940s and appeared in several movies without ever achieving movie-star status. June Haver is beautiful and has several good numbers. Monty Woolley is very good in a semi-comedic role and Anthony Quinn makes a good foil for him. The story tends to drag in spots, but there is enough good music to make watching worth while. The songs include "Boy Of Mine", "Bessie With The Bustle" and (of course) "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling". Watch it for the music and don't worry all that much about the story.

All of the June Haver musicals were worth watching, to me, mostly because of the time frame of the music involved (the gay nineties thru the twenties ... that is to say, 1890 thru 1930.)

This particular one, I enjoyed Monty Wooley's performance as a bit of a con man and an entrepreneur, as well as a rare appearance of Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom, a former boxer who didn't have to fake a boxing match. Anthony Quinn had a chance to do comedy and fared quite well. Quinn makes a bet with Wooley that he (Wooley) cannot, as he claims, make a musical star out of the next female who comes out of the ladies room in a restaurant. You have four and a half guesses who comes thru the door.

There is one dreadful number called "Bessie and Her Bustle" which made me cringe. June's other numbers did her no harm but Only "Irish Eyes Are Smiling" was any real help to her. Dick Haymes was a bit of a dead fish as an actor but his singing was really quite splendid.

Some other reviewer called June's performance "butch", which is ridiculous. She was pert and feisty and altogether charming. Gordon MacRae would have done the Haymes part much more satisfactorily but then this is true of many, many leads that required an actor as well as a singer. I would recommend this film if you are a June Haver fan and if you like a lot of good old Irish songs. (Ball biography,roughly) How about "Mother Machree" and "A Little Bit Of Heaven Fell From Out the Sky One Day" and "Let The Rest Of The World Go By."

Hi, There, I recently had a new friend enter my life that I just treasure. He is in quite ill health and likely won't be around too much longer. His brother, also aging and in poor health, sang on the original movie (When Irish Eyes are Smiling). I am not certain what the details are regarding this, only that he sang. Since I heard my friends story, I have been working feverishly to obtain a copy of the movie I could give him to enjoy his brother, who he doesn't get to see too often as they are separated geographically and are both ill and elderly. He has so much love for his brother and I see it come shining through every time I talk with him. I would love nothing more than to give him a copy of this movie that he could enjoy and possibly share with his brother. Does anyone know if it is out on DVD, if so, where the heck I might find it. I've searched the web over, to no avail. I would appreciate anything anyone might be able to offer. Thanks in advance for your help.

Cindy