3 Cheers for the Irish (Warner Bros.) (1940)

_ EE Fa i (Opening Day) ‘3 Cheers For Irish’ Delightful Comedy At Strand Today — The shamrock is no more thoroughly Irish than the Warner Bros. comedy “Three Cheers For The Irish” which opens at the Strand today. Heading the cast are such popular off-spring of Erin as Priscilla Lane, Thomas Mitchell, Dennis Morgan and Alan Hale. With the tang of St. Patrick’s day in his role, Mitchell plays the warm character of a New York cop. Gruff, real, lovable Feter Casey celebrates his twenty-fifth year on the force with one bane in his otherwise happy existence — a rookie policeman, played by Morgan, whose unforgivable taint is his being a Scotsman. And, to add insult to injury he is given Casey’s job when the old-timer is summarily Mat 105—15c Priscilla Lane pensioned. One of Casey’s daughters, Priscilla’s role, doesn’t mind Morgan’s Scotch burr, and as a matter of record she kind of likes it. Which causes all sorts of complications in the Casey household. He is forbidden to see the girl, but eventually, of course, true love triumphs. Meanwhile the houseful of Casey girls push through a plan to have their “Pop” elected Alderman. Priscilla, the homey one, handles the records. The gay colleen, portrayed by Virginia Grey, puts her “oomph” into the campaign. Irene Hervey plays the beautiful but not too brainy daughter who messes things up beautifully by accepting a campaign contribution from a notorious racketeer. It takes “Pop” Casey and his staunch friend, played by Alan Hale, to straighten things out in their own Irish way. Priscilla Lane has a spunky role well-suited to her winsome talents, and the comely Misses Grey and Hervey have, in the Hollywood jargon, “what it takes” to do right by their parts. Director Lloyd Bacon, son of the lauded stage star of “Lightnin’”’, is in there with the best of the Irish, and his background makes him perfect choice for this assignment. The clever, human original screen play was written by Richard Macaulay and Jerry Wald. Battle of Brogues In **3 Cheers For Irish” Irish brogue and Scotch brogue vied for supremacy in Warner Bros. “Three Cheers For the Irish,” which makes its local bow at the Strand today. Partisans of both sides lined up their forces for a decisive battle. It all started when Dennis Morgan, who plays the romantic lead, adopted a Scotch brogue for script purposes. Thomas Mitchell, sworn enemy of Mor* gan because the younger man supplanted him—an Irishman! —on the New York police force when Mitchell was retired, is supposed to speak with an Irish brogue. Priscilla Lane, playing Mitchell’s daughter just speaks American. This influence pervaded the entire company with so much competition between the opposing groups that Director Lloyd Bacon, in the role of arbitrator, adopted both brogues. WEARIN’ OF THE GRIN Still TC-108; Mat 203—30c AN OLD IRISH CUSTOM lives again when Dennis Morgan carries his bride (Priscilla Lane) over the threshold in Warner Bros.' "3 Cheers For The Irish." Featuring Thomas Mitchell, the film opens at the Strand today. Warbling Dennis Morgan Whistles in New Film Once upon a time one of the brightest items in the gag bags of the wags in the Hollywood was how a fellow made a sensation singing on the stage, was sought by every studio in the industry, brought out ’mid pomp and fanfare—and never allowed to sing. It’s a pretty stale story now. But it isn’t very funny to the latest victim. His name is Dennis Morgan, and he is now being groomed importantly by Warner Bros., but the nearest he has come to using his singing voice—which a few years ago had an army of studio scouts dogging his steps with contracts—is to whistle “Comin’ Through the Rye” as a sort of a theme song for his part opposite Priscilla Lane in “Three Cheers for the Irish,” which opens at the Strand Theatre today for a week’s run. As a matter of fact, young Morgan’s first experience in cinematown was interlaced with the Nelson Eddy-Allan Jones thing. He found himself kept on the same payroll as a sort of walking insurance policy—if, for any one of a large variety of reasons, Eddy weren’t on hand at the appointed time to start his picture, the studio was prepared to call on Jones. And Jones failing, too, Morgan. He bowed out of his contract. And he was ready to bow out of Hollywood. Warner Bros. prevailed upon him to stay. He still hasn’t had a chance to sing, but has a fine romantic role in “Three Cheers for the Irish.” It may be a big. step in the right direction for the star. (Review) ‘3 Cheers For The Irish’ Sparkling Hit At Strand Priscilla Lane, Thomas Mitchell, Dennis Morgan and Alan Hale Star In Merry Comedy Film Shure and it was a great day for old Erin yesterday, when “Three Cheers For The Irish”, Warner Bros. comedy hit, opened at the Strand. It’s a_ swell story packing all the lightness and charm of a bright new Easter bonnet. Lovely Priscilla Lane, Dennis Morgan and Thomas Mitchell all give excellent performances in the lead roles and will delight the hearts of every happy Hibernian in town. They are given unusually fine support by Alan Hale, William Lundigan, Irene Hervey and Virginia Grey. “Three Cheers For The Irish” is a rollicking story of a retired New York policeman who is persuaded to run for Alderman and learns that pounding a city beat was a much simpler task. Peter Casey, played by Thomas Mitchell, is assisted in his election campaign by his three daughters who jump into the campaign with all the beauty they can muster. Poor Peter soon learns, though, that his oldest girl, played by Irene Hervey, has been a little too ambitious and has accepted campaign funds from the town’s most notorious gambler. To add to his woes, Priscilla Lane, playing his youngest girl, falls in love with the young cop who has replaced Casey on the Force. Alan Hale, as Gallagher, is the campaign manager and with Alan Hale Amuses Set In the waits-between-scenes, the players settle the international situation, re-play the Rose Bowl game, or reminisce. On the “Three Cheers for the Irish” set at Warner Bros. they were talking about how actors used to dread the seasonal layoffs in the old stage days, and Alan Hale told this one on Maurice Barrymore, There used to be a painting in the Lambs Club called “Summer.” It was terrible. Awful. But Barrymore insisted, “Let it hang, It does me a lot of good. Everytime I look at it I know summer can’t be as bad as it’s painted in that picture.” Priscilla Lane A Home Gal--And Loves It It would be difficult indeed to figure a more cutting blow for the typical glamor gal of Hollywood, then to be told she was a stay-at-home type, but the case of Priscilla Lane proved just the cpposite. She was just as pleased as punch when she learned that some critic had written that she “reminds you of the girl back home, the stay-at-home, triedand-true, gingham-apron type.” Priscilla, currently starring with Dennis Morgan, Thomas Mitchell and Alan Hale in Warner Bros.’ ‘Three Cheers for the Irish,” which opens at the Strand Theatre today, really got a great big kick out of that. Already in Hollywood more than two years, tradition stipulates that she by now should be a bright item in the village night life with at least three or four boy friends who dance the rhumba and wear their black ties with definite eclat, should be smoking cigarettes out of a 10-inch holder, and should be talking with a Park Avenue-ish accent. But she’s afraid that if this is what it takes to conform to type, Mat 104—15c Priscilla Lane she’ll just have to go on being a “cause celebre.” She seems to be just “a natural-born homebody,” as they would say back [15] in her hometown of Indianola, Towa. It’s always a trifle trite, if not downright odious, to ramble on about what a star “would be if she weren’t a star,” because the answer calls for such vague “reaching.”’ That doesn’t hold with Priscilla, though, because you instinctively grasp just seeing her on the screen that if the course plotted by the astrologers had never brought her to Hollywood —of if for some unfathomable reason—it suddenly took her away from there—she would be happiest far from the glitter and glare of movie fame. And if you knew her personally and knew her enthusiasms, you’d be easily able to carry the picture further in almost complete detail of this other Priscilla Lane. Therein probably lies the whole secret of Priscilla Lane —she is in Hollywood but not of it. She is still plain “Pat.” the help of Casey’s hundreds of friends manages to get the popular policeman elected to office in spite of all the family-imposed obstacles and interference. Mitchell has never had a finer chance to show what he can really do and shows a complete understanding of his role, giving it all the good natured humor and Irish tenacity associated with New York policemen. As the daughter, Priscilla Lane lends vitality and charm to a role for which she is perfectly suited. Dennis Morgan, as the young cop, contributes his finest performance to date and fulfills the promise he has shown in his earlier roles. Virginia Grey, Irene Hervey and Frank Jenks are great in their supporting roles. The cast also includes Henry Armetta, Morgan Conway and Alec Craig. Director Lloyd Bacon has captured the mood perfectly and keeps a general family atmosphere prevalent throughout the entire film. Richard Macaulay and Jerry Wald have written a swell screen play that will surely delight the hearts of all who go to see it. An All-Irish Cast In “3 Cheers For Irish,” Strand Film They always argue that if there is any subconscious watchword in Hollywood it must be “contradiction.” And, true, it is a land of countless anachronisms. Kids in their teens have often played gray-bearded oldsters; Humphrey Bogart is the most vicious killer-rat in the underworld on the screen—off, he’s one of Hollywoods most “regular guys.” They never photograph a rainy scene outdoors even when it’s pouring, because real rain doesn’t look quite “real.” But you’d not have much luck if you had gone searching for paradoxes on the set of Warner Bros.’ “Three Cheers for the Irish,” which opens at the Strand Theatre this morning. One of the typical sets, representing the interior of a police department, was as Irish as St. Patrick’s Day, a four-leafclover and Paddy’s pig. Shure, an’ there was Priscilla Lane, whose family Mullican was “out from” Galway; Thomas Mitchell, just a generation removed from Connemara; Scotch-Irish Dennis Morgan, from Aberdeen; and Alan Hale and Ed Gargan, from County Davan. There were 25 cops, and 12 plainclothesmen, and scores of “bits”, and they were O’Connors, O’Mulvaneys, Monohans, Burkes, Sheas, Sullivans, Mulcaheys, and all the rest, and they were from Waterford and Wexford, Donegal, King’s County and Queen’s County. It was like a good old fashioned shindig, and between scenes, “Pat” Lane, and Tom and Al.and Dennis and Ed and Lloyd Bacon, the director, whose dad was the memorable stage star of “Lightnin’”, and _ his script girl, Florence O’Neill, and all the others stood around, each telling his favorite Irish story.