Three Cheers for the Irish (1940)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Strong and Moving!

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

I really enjoyed this movie, and laughed aloud several times. The father was for the most part lovable, in spite of his stubbornness and temper, and the 3 daughters were lovely, as was the Scottish policeman! I just couldn't understand the father's prejudice against the Scotsman as a suitor of his daughter: I mean, he had a good job, was kind and helpful, and steady. I guess it can only be explained by his stubbornness and the belief that the Scotsman in some way was responsible for his forced retirement. But this attitude seemed to be carried to a too harsh extreme when he disowned his daughter after she married the Scot, although he came round in the end.There were a couple of bothersome things for me: I found both of the policemen helping themselves to the Italian vendor's fruit without paying to be out-of-character. I really couldn't believe that the upright Scotsman would basically steal like that. And the general disappointment and grandfather's anger when the grandchild was announced to be a girl was again a bit hard to take in this day and age.But the election scenes were a real hoot, especially when the father is trying to dissuade people from voting for him! And Alan Hale Sr. is as always extremely watchable.

Back during the Studio Era of Hollywood, film's like this were cranked out like Ford automobiles. They were filmed on small budgets and in a short time, reaching theaters within weeks of their filming and editing. No pretense, no elaborate sets, no special effects - just good, wholesome entertainment. The best of them feature some terrific ensemble casts, crisp dialog, unpretentious direction, no-frills cinematography and good, clear story-telling. This delightful film is a fine example of that system.I am a big fan of the 3 leads in this movie: Priscilla Lane, Dennis Morgan and Thomas Mitchell. Priscilla Lane, like her contemporary, Jean Arthur, was a very big star who is not as widely known or appreciated today. While Arthur was much more prolific, the body of work that each left behind is very impressive. They were both leading ladies for such giants as Jimmy Stewart and John Garfield, to name two. They were both equally adept at comedy and drama. They both had a girl-next-door appeal that is not in great demand today. Here, Priscilla Lane is lovely and charming, as the object of conflict in this film.Dennis Morgan is similarly obscure to most people today. Paired with Jack Carson in a number of films as a kind of Warner Brothers response to the Hope-Crosby duo, Morgan was also equally adept at drama and comedy. Here he is charming as a Scotsman, with a very convincing Scottish accent. We really root for him in his courtship of Priscilla and in his struggle against Mitchell's prejudice. He and Lane are really good together.I also really like Mitchell (perhaps best remembered as Scarlett O'Hara's father), however, this is not one of his best roles or performances. He is usually better at balancing bluster with comedy. He is sometimes quite poignant. Such poignancy and balance are somewhat lacking in this role. In short, he is not so much a lovable curmudgeon as he is just a curmudgeon.Disowning his loving, devoted daughter simply because she marries a Scotsman seems rather contrary to the strong father-daughter relationship the film has portrayed up to that time. It also seems like a punishment that is way too severe for the "crime."Then the pregnancy and the end arrive too abruptly. We have never seen Mitchell soften in his attitude of total rejection of Lane, until he learns of her pregnancy. He begins to soften, but a little too suddenly and a little too late. In the end, we want to see him become a little more contrite and also accepting of Morgan. We want to know that he realizes that he has been overly harsh and needs to make some gesture of contrition and reconciliation. But his only concession is to finally call Morgan a "Scotsman." His character from beginning to end, is a little too harsh to be as sympathetic as I think he should be. This doesn't ruin the movie, but just keeps it from being completely satisfying. Had Mitchell provided one of his more typical characterizations, I would have rated this movie an 8. A very enjoyable movie nonetheless.

This is a cute and watchable little film from MGM. Considering that it had none of the huge stars like many of its films, it is surprisingly fun and worth seeing--and I almost scored this a 7. Dennis Morgan, Thomas Mitchell and Priscilla Lane are the stars and while I wasn't surprised to hear Mitchell's excellent Irish accent, I was surprised that Morgan did the Scotish accent as well as he did.The story itself is an interesting slice of life about retiring cop Mitchell. He didn't know he was about to lose his job and initially this throws him for a loop, as he loves his job--it is his life. And, he also blames Morgan for this because this young cop actually gets Mitchell's job! What happens next is something I'll leave up to you--I'd hate to spoil the movie. But, the big characters and the whole mood of the film is infectious--just turn off your brain and enjoy!

This film is backed by an excellent cast. Priscilla Lane and Dennis Morgan make a sweet couple. Dennis, (Angus Ferguson), is constantly bothered by Priscilla's father because he is Scottish and took over her father's policeman job when he had to leave the force. Will love conquer? Find out when you watch this fast-paced great film. Very Much recommended!