From the Archives: Three Cheers for the Irish ( 1940 )

 

Priscilla Lane and Dennis Morgan are making eyes at each other while Thomas Mitchell looks on in this scene from "Three Cheers for the Irish" ( 1940 ). You can read our review of this American-Irish themed film here: https://silverscenesblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/three-cheers-for-irish-1940.html

From the Archives is our latest series of posts where we share photos from the Silverbanks Pictures collection. Some of these may have been sold in the past, and others may still be available for purchase at our eBay store : http://stores.ebay.com/Silverbanks-Pictures

Two Guys from Texas ( 1948 )

Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson were great pals off-screen and they had the good fortune to play together on-screen in 11 films released throughout the 1940s. Most of these were simple comedies in the vein of the popular Bob Hope and Bing Crosby Road pictures that Paramount was issuing. In 1946, Morgan and Carson made a film called Two Guys from Milwaukee which turned out to be a hit for the fellows and so, two years later, they banked on its success and came back with Two Guys from Texas, even though none of the characters are the same. 

In this fun outing, they play Steve Carroll and Danny Foster, two song and dance men. Their act bombed in the East so they are heading West to try their luck in California. Their car breaks down in the Texan desert en route and they take refuge at a dude ranch run by Joan Winston ( Dorothy Malone ) who, in exchange for room and board, employs them to entertain her guests. This they willingly do and they also bring a little romance to the ranch with Steve falling for Joan and Danny being pursued by Maggie ( Penny Edwards ). 

Two Guys from Texas is rather slim on plot but packed with entertainment. Morgan and Carson were a great duo and their characters were known for constantly ribbing each other. They had some excellent banter in It's A Great Feeling ( their last pairing ) and they have some funny quips in Two Guys as well. 

There is a good running subplot about Danny's ( Jack Carson ) terrible fear of animals ( even a squirrel sends him into a fit ) and another about a bank robbery in town which the boys are accused of. The grand finale takes place at the annual rodeo where Danny and Steve attempt to capture the real crooks in order to clear their names and win back their gals. This finale was later used again in Here Come the Nelsons ( 1952 ) with Ozzie Nelson riding a wild bronco while his boys set out to foil bank robbers at the rodeo. 

Two Guys from Texas was filmed in vibrant Technicolor and was directed by David Butler who always did fine work. It features some great musical numbers penned by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn ( notably Everyday I Love You Just a Little Bit More and I Want to be a Cowboy in the Movies ) and it also boasts a great supporting cast of characters including Fred Clark, Forrest Tucker as an inept Texan sheriff, Monte Blue, John Alvin, Gerard Mohr and even an appearance by Bugs Bunny! 

If you are looking for light-hearted good-natured fluff for entertainment, what more can you ask for? 

Three Cheers for the Irish ( 1940 )

Peter Casey ( Thomas Mitchell ) is proud to have served 25 years with Chicago's police force. He loves his job so much he never gave retirement a thought, but his superiors did,  and, on the day of his 25th anniversary no less, they tell him to collect his pension. Retirement would be bearable for Casey if it were not for knowing that the new cop ( Dennis Morgan ) taking over his beat is a Scotchman! 

"Scotsman! Scotsman! There be no such thing as a Scotchman!"

To make matters worse, this fetching young rookie has his eyes on Casey's darling daughter Maureen "the apple of me eye". 

Warner Brother's Three Cheers for the Irish begins as a pleasant light-hearted variation of Four Daughters but midway through the film shifts its focus to the growing animosity Casey has for his would-be son-in-law and his political pursuit for the office of city alderman ( councilman ). It would have benefited from having the domestic comedy sequences extended and the other two sisters' parts ( played by Virginia Grey and Irene Hervey ) expanded upon, but the picture nevertheless entertains. 

Priscilla Lane is simply peachy as Maureen, and Irish-American Dennis Morgan does a marvelous job of rolling his Rrrrs in a Scottish brogue. He only sings one song in the film but audiences do get to see his winsome bonny smile in many a scene. Alan Hale has a great part as an over-exuberant practical joker and Frank Jenks, Henry Armetta, and that veteran of Irish-themed pictures J.M Kerrigan are also in the cast. But it is Thomas Mitchell's film entirely, and this excellent actor milks the role for all its worth. 

Like Charles Winniger's character in Little Nellie Kelly, Peter Casey is a stubborn Irishman, and it is particularly sad to see that these two fathers were willing to be separated from their daughters rather than bend their pride and admit that they were being pig-headed. 

Richard Macaulay helped write the screenplay along with Jerry Wald. These two men collaborated on over twenty scripts for Warner Brothers during the 1930s and 1940s including Ready, Willing, and Able, The Roaring Twenties, They Drive By Night, Torrid Zone, Million Dollar Baby, Brother Rat, and Flight Angels.