âLuck off the Irish âhas cajolery O off wenigem

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! In honor of all things Irish, here’s an odd film that 20th Century Fox released in 1948.It’s called “The Luck of the Irish,” and I wonder if this movie â€" about a leprechaun â€" was made because of the enormous success of Fox’s 1947 hit “Miracle on 34th Street,” a film about Santa Claus. The problem is that “Irish” isn’t really about the leprechaun or luck. It’s about a man facing a post-war crisis. And a love story. And a political story.In fact, “Luck” is many movies squished into one. Unfortunately, no matter how hard the filmmakers try to recreate the “Miracle” magic, “Luck” just doesn’t come together.Tyrone Power plays Stephen Fitzgerald, a Worl! d War II correspondent who must choose his next move now that the war’s over. He’s planning to go to New York and meet with Senator David Augur (Lee J. Cobb) for a possible job, but his own views are the opposite of Augur’s, and he worries that he’s selling his soul to advance his career aspirations, which is to be an author.While in Ireland awaiting transport to New York, Stephen stays at a charming Irish inn and meets Nora (Anne Baxter), a lovely lass. One night, from his window, he spies a leprechaun (Cecil Kellaway) and follows him. Stephen manages to capture the leprechaun and asks for his pot of gold (below). But he then lets the leprechaun and his gold go free, for which the leprechaun bestows undying devotion and luck. Once in New York, Stephen wrestles wit! h his co nscience as the Senator hires him and sets him up in a posh NYC apartment while the Senator’s daughter, Frances (Jayne Meadows), worms her way into Stephen’s life.Meanwhile, Stephen can’t figure out why Horace, the new manservant Augur hired for him, has a familiar look. That’s because it’s the leprechaun, although Stephen’s memory of the leprechaun seems to have disappeared. Also in town is Nora, whom Stephen does remember and runs into by accident, and she reminds him of his former life, one that he misses.Of its many stories, “Irish” works best as a study of post-war America, as a man grapples to find his place. Power brings a steady confidence to his work, well-playing Stephen’s inner turmoil. A glimpse at a late’40s political machine shows that not much has changed, and the backroom politics are on display.The problem is that this serious plot thread completely clashes with the whimsical doings of the leprechaun. It doesn’t help that the script dol! es out a generous and stereotypical dose of Irish malarkey.Frankly, it’s more fun to watch Meadows, who is a vivacious presence in this movie. It’s also ironic that in “Miracle on 34th Street,” released just one year earlier, Maureen O’Hara plays a single mom and a career woman who has a supervisory job at Macy’s department store. In “Irish,” there’s a line uttered about Frances that she has a man’s courage and a man’s brain â€" and it’s considered a liability! It’s just ridiculous, considering that the character of Frances at least has some dimension to her.Nora, on the other hand, remains sweet throughout â€" and blandly so. The lovely Baxter (above) conveys that sweetness convincingly! , but there’s not much to Nora. In fact, so little happens b! etween S tephen and Nora in Ireland that you wonder why both are so attracted to each other. Meanwhile, Meadows is a marvel, and her character is always interesting. You wonder what Frances will do next rather than Nora, and that’s a real problem.Kellaway earned an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor for his role, and you have to wonder if 20th Century was pushing for this after Edmund Gwenn’s brilliant work as Santa in “Miracle.” Unfortunately, while Kellaway does his best, there’s not much he can do as the character is nothing more than you would expect.It’s interesting that director Henry Koster made the Christmas classic “The Bishop’s Wife” the year before, which dealt with an angel. He managed to mix the drama and fantasy together well in that movie, but the material seems to fight him here.“The Luck of the Irish” should be split into two films. One could be a comedy about luck, whimsy and romance set in Ireland. The other could be a drama about a jou! rnalist questioning his role in life while set in NYC. Each could star Power; just divide up the cast. As it stands, the current story is pleasant enough but runs out of luck.
Great classic films, best all time movies