Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Lawrence Edward Watkin (written by)
H.T. Kavanagh ("Darby O'Gill" stories)

Release Date:

26 June 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

More than a wee bit of magical shenanigans!

Plot:

In the enchanted Emerald Isle, Darby O'Gill spins tall tales of leprechauns and banshees. Unfortunately...

Plot Keywords:

Leprechaun | Banshee | Father Daughter Relationship | Irish Mythology | Wish

Cast

Albert Sharpe	...	Darby O'Gill
Janet Munro	...	Katie O'Gill
Sean Connery	...	Michael McBride
Jimmy O'Dea	...	King Brian
Kieron Moore	...	Pony Sugrue
Estelle Winwood	...	Sheelah Sugrue
Walter Fitzgerald	...	Lord Fitzpatrick
Denis O'Dea	...	Father Murphy
J.G. Devlin	...	Tom Kerrigan
Jack MacGowran	...	Phadrig Oge
Farrell Pelly	...	Paddy Scanlon
Nora O'Mahoney	...	Molly Malloy (as Nora O'Mahony)

Also Known As:

The Little People (USA)
The Wishes of Darby O'Gill (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Irish Gaelic

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Iceland:L | USA:Approved (certificate #19015) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | Canada:G (video rating) | Argentina:Atp | UK:U | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Albertson Ranch, Triunfo, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Walt Disney started planning for this movie in the 1940s. After World War II, Disney sent several artists to Ireland for background material.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Wires are often visible when the leprechauns are jumping or making things fly about.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Katie O'Gill: Come in, Mrs. Sugrue!
Sheelah Sugrue: Katie, darlin'! Can you lend me the loan of a small pinch o' tea; I'll pay ye back Thursday.
Katie O'Gill: Ye can have it an' welcome.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Disneyland: I Captured the King of the Leprechauns (#5.26)" (1959)

Soundtrack:

Pretty Irish Girl

Shies away from treacle--and Albert Sharpe is wonderful

Until "Mary Poppins" came along, I don't think Hollywood took Walt Disney seriously as a live-action movie producer. James Baskett got a special Oscar for "Song of the South", as did Hayley Mills for "Pollyanna", but a good many of the performances in Walt's early output deserved a more substantial recognition (as with James Robertson Justice in "The Sword and the Rose"). Albert Sharpe is no exception. Playing storytelling oldster Darby O'Gill in this hit film, Sharpe is fabulous spinning tall tales in a quaint Irish village, capturing himself a real leprechaun and being rewarded with three wishes for setting the little guy free. Colorful outing--better for adults than, say, "The Gnome Mobile"--relying less on sugary sentiment and doting tots than on old-fashioned whimsy. Sean Connery has a nice romance with Janet Munro (who is always a pleasure) and the special effects, particularly near the end, are quite marvelous. *** from ****