O Filhinho da Mamãe

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.

Years ago, I read James Cagney's autobiography. In it he talked about 'the Irish mafia'--a group of very close friends he had on and off camera. This is a rare case where all four members of this group were together in the same film--Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Frank McHugh and Allan Jenkins (fine, I don't think Jenkins was Irish--but he was still a member of this group of friends). It looks like the friends had a lovely time making the film but it is an awfully lightweight and rather brainless film. Enjoyable...but brainless.

Ma O'Hara (Mary Gordon) has three grown sons that live with her: Danny (Cagney), Pat (O'Brien) and Mike (McHugh). While Pat and Mike respectable jobs, Danny, the youngest, is a bit of a dreamer and hopes to make his fortune managing boxers. However, he has nothing to show for his efforts and Ma is hoping he'll soon follow in his brothers' footsteps.

Into this family come two people. First, a brainless boxer named 'Carbarn' (Jenkins)--and he's the least likely looking boxer I can recall having seen in film. Second, Pat brings home Lucille (Olivia de Havilland) and plans on marrying her. However, they barely know each other and Pat is seriously premature. To make it worse, Lucille has already met Danny...and is quite interested. So what's to become of all these characters? Well, it all comes to a head at one of the most ridiculous boxing matches on film where a first-time fighter gets to fight the champ!!!

The whole picture is ridiculous and mindless...but also kind of fun. It's a turn your brain off and enjoy sort of time-passer. Agreeable but very, very slight due to the fluff-like plot that never seems the least bit real. What saves it is the likability of the actors...period.

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.

Irish in Us, The (1935)

*** (out of 4)

James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh play brothers in this lightweight Warner comedy/drama. Cagney and O'Brien have a falling out after Cagney steals his girl (Olivia de Havilland) and this leads to various problems, which comes full on during a boxing match. This film really doesn't offer anything new in the various teamings of Cagney and O'Brien but there's enough charm here to make the film worth watching. Cagney and O'Brien always work well together and that's true here as the two make for some nice laughs and fighting. McHugh and Allen Jenkins add nice comic support in their roles and it seems Allen's character, a boxer who goes nuts when he hears a bell, was inspired by The Three stooges short Punch Drunk. de Havilland is also very good here in her supporting role. The film ends on a ten or fifteen minute boxing match, which is shot very nice, although it does lead to a rather hokey ending.

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.