Producer: Robert L. Welch. Executive producer: Bing Crosby. Songs: "Top O' the Morning" (Crosby), "You're in Love With Someone" (Crosby, Blyth), "The Donovans" (Fitzgerald, Crosby, Blyth), "As Beautiful Kitty" (Crosby), "Oh! 'Tis Sweet To Think" (Crosby), "In a Shady Nook One Moonlight Night" (Crosby), "My Lagan Love" (Crosby), "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms" (Crosby).
Copyright 5 September 1949 by Bing Crosby Enterprises, Inc. Released through Paramount Pictures. New York opening at the Paramount: 31 August 1949. U.S. release: 5 September 1949. U.K. release: 24 October 1949. Australian release: 20 October 1949. Sydney opening at the Prince Edward: 30 September 1949 (ran 4 weeks). 8,962 feet. 100 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: At Blarney Castle, near Cork, Ireland, Sergeant Briany McNaughton (Barry Fitzgerald) excitedly informs Constable Hughie Devine (Hume Cronyn), his assistant, that the Blarney Stone has been stolen, fulfilling the legend that one day the Stone would be stolen, with dire and disastrous consequences.
NOTES: Third and final teaming of Bing Crosby with Barry Fitzgerald.
VIEWER'S GUIDE: A bit weird for children, who will not only have difficulty following the story but will take it far too seriously.
COMMENT: A delightful slice of Irish whimsy. It is true that the characters are self-consciously stage Irish, and that the groupings tend to be stiff, but this is more than made up for by the agreeable acting and the attractive songs, plus Lindon's fine camerawork and Miller's surprisingly fluid direction. The script has a number of elements going for it that are well utilized to sustain the interest.
Former singer Ann Blyth has a go at a duet with Bing, but her voice is far from what it was. (In future, her singing would be dubbed). Production values are grade "A".
OTHER VIEWS: Reasonably successful at the box-office, though it didn't scale the heights of Crosby's previous outings, or indeed many of his subsequent films. As a consequence, those critics who regard themselves as "film historians" tend to dismiss or at best look down upon this movie.
Despite a few shortcomings - chiefly from Ann Blyth - it's one of my favorite Crosby pictures. I'm a pushover for things Celtic admittedly, but the flavor and atmosphere of this one is quite unusual. It takes real acting skill to bring off a whimsical mystery plot successfully. Crosby, Fitzgerald and Cronyn are particularly deft in this respect. And of course Crosby has some wonderful Irish airs as well. And these too form an integral part of this movie's off-beat but highly fascinating theatrics. - JHR writing as George Addison.
Copyright 5 September 1949 by Bing Crosby Enterprises, Inc. Released through Paramount Pictures. New York opening at the Paramount: 31 August 1949. U.S. release: 5 September 1949. U.K. release: 24 October 1949. Australian release: 20 October 1949. Sydney opening at the Prince Edward: 30 September 1949 (ran 4 weeks). 8,962 feet. 100 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: At Blarney Castle, near Cork, Ireland, Sergeant Briany McNaughton (Barry Fitzgerald) excitedly informs Constable Hughie Devine (Hume Cronyn), his assistant, that the Blarney Stone has been stolen, fulfilling the legend that one day the Stone would be stolen, with dire and disastrous consequences.
NOTES: Third and final teaming of Bing Crosby with Barry Fitzgerald.
VIEWER'S GUIDE: A bit weird for children, who will not only have difficulty following the story but will take it far too seriously.
COMMENT: A delightful slice of Irish whimsy. It is true that the characters are self-consciously stage Irish, and that the groupings tend to be stiff, but this is more than made up for by the agreeable acting and the attractive songs, plus Lindon's fine camerawork and Miller's surprisingly fluid direction. The script has a number of elements going for it that are well utilized to sustain the interest.
Former singer Ann Blyth has a go at a duet with Bing, but her voice is far from what it was. (In future, her singing would be dubbed). Production values are grade "A".
OTHER VIEWS: Reasonably successful at the box-office, though it didn't scale the heights of Crosby's previous outings, or indeed many of his subsequent films. As a consequence, those critics who regard themselves as "film historians" tend to dismiss or at best look down upon this movie.
Despite a few shortcomings - chiefly from Ann Blyth - it's one of my favorite Crosby pictures. I'm a pushover for things Celtic admittedly, but the flavor and atmosphere of this one is quite unusual. It takes real acting skill to bring off a whimsical mystery plot successfully. Crosby, Fitzgerald and Cronyn are particularly deft in this respect. And of course Crosby has some wonderful Irish airs as well. And these too form an integral part of this movie's off-beat but highly fascinating theatrics. - JHR writing as George Addison.