User reviews

Dennis Morgan is a perfect choice to play Chauncey Olcott, Irish songwriter in a tune-filled musical biography full of Irish folk songs and dances. All of it is filmed in luscious technicolor with a pleasant cast of supporting players--Andrea King (especially good as Lillian Russell), Alan Hale, Arlene Dahl, George Tobias, Sarah Allgood and you may be surprised to see William Frawley as an Irish singer, William Scanlon, who figures importantly in some musical sequences.

This vastly underrated film is hardly ever shown on TV (except for Turner Classic Movies) and still not available on video. Watch it if you enjoy nostalgic turn-of-the-century musicals about Irish musicians. Some of the material is pretty dated, but you have to accept that in the context of when it was made. Some of the comedy supplied by Ben Blue and George Tobias is a little on the corny side--but the film itself is still a delight for the eye and ear.

The first two-thirds of this mediocre musical are largely a melodrama about the early days of songwriter Chauncy Olcot. Dennis Morgan, who had charisma and to spare, does his best with the lead, but the script is terrible and he can't save it. (If you want to see him at his best, try *Christmas in Connecticut*) He gets NO help whatsoever from the female lead, Arlene Dahl, who was certainly very beautiful, but who had no charisma whatsoever and couldn't act at all. The supporting roles are taken by Warner Brothers reliables, but they can't save the script either.

There is also a cringe-inducing minstrel show that goes on way too long.

Then, about an hour into all that, Scanlan passes the torch to Olcot and the rest of the movie abandons the plot and presents one Olcot song after the next, all well done and some very nicely staged.

So, again, skip the first two-thirds until Dennis Morgan takes over for William Frawley.

I enjoyed this film very much. I found it to be very entertaining for me in that I feel that it captured the romanticism of turn of the century Irish-American culture. There's no messages. There's no violence and there's no overt sex, just wholesome 1947 style entertainment and Dennis Morgan had a chance to sing some really good songs. A really good movie.

Dennis Morgan took his pleasing tenor voice and in My Wild Irish Rose created the image of Irish entertainer Chauncey Olcott for generations to come. I doubt there are too many people who actually saw Chauncey Olcott perform in one of those tearful plays about the Auld Sod and they're not revived too often.

But Olcott as performer and credited songwriter endures, no St. Patrick's Day would be complete without some of Olcott identified songs like When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Mother Machree, and A Little Bit Of Heaven and of course the title song. These are a staple for St. Patrick's celebration in America. Remember these classics are of American origin, they were written for the musical plays Olcott starred in, but have endured so that they've become pure Irish out of love.

Note in the film that Olcott is identified as a performer and that is more correct than to say he wrote these numbers. Back in the day before the founding the American Society for Composers, Authors, and Publishers it was common for songwriters to give copyright credit to a performer to cut him in on royalties for the sale of sheet music which was the venue by which popularity was measured. Al Jolson was the performer who most frequently used that practice.

The film messes somewhat with the facts, but does get the basic story of Olcott's life down with him marrying Arlene Dahl a hometown girl from Buffalo. Olcott did in fact get his first theatrical break as the leading man for Lillian Russell played here by Andrea King. And he did succeed William J. Scanlon as the most popular singer of Irish ballads and Scanlon is played by William Frawley. I'm reasonably sure no one is around who saw Scanlon perform.

Morgan was never in better voice than for this film. The musical numbers are staged well if not in the opulent style of Busby Berkeley. All in all My Wild Irish Rose is an enduring classic, no St. Patrick's Day would be complete without it.

"My Wild Irish Rose", attributed to Chauncy Olcott, is one of the most popular, and my favorite, song commonly done by Barbershop quartets. This film is a story of his life, an Irish immigrant in the 1890s with a beautiful tenor voice, determined to make it big on stage. If this film is an accurate account, then he did very well indeed.

Dennis Morgan stars as Olcott, and was 39 when the film was released in 1947, a veteran in the movies. His co-star, Arlene Dahl was 23, in her first film, played his love interest, Rose Donovan, who he supposedly wrote the song for. I don't recall seeing any of her other films, but she sure was beautiful as a 23-year-old.

The movie is just one uplifting 100-minute pleasure to watch. Loaded with songs, and near the end a medley of Irish stage productions, including the title song. Dennis Morgan, with his great smile and great singing voice, is just perfect as Chauncy Olcott. His song to his mother, near the end, after she expressed remorse for not having believed in him, brough tears to my eyes. This is such a fine movie, any rating under "7" should be considered bogus. I give it a strong "8" of 10.

This excellent musical movie, in beautiful Technicolor, is so wonderful it's enough to make every person of Irish descent feel proud. Full of the joy and celebration of all things Irish, a fine cast, with brilliant settings and superb theatrical trappings, lovely Irish music and the superlative Irish tenor voice of star Dennis Morgan, 'tis the luck o' the Irish to have such a marvelous movie to enjoy over and over again! Not just just for St. Patty's Day, mind you, but for all year round.

One of the jewels produced by Jack L. Warner during his heyday as studio boss in Burbank in the 1940s.

Shame on Warner Brothers for not having this fine picture available on home video and DVD!

One of the better musical bios. Dennis Morgan is great as the singer/composer Chauncey Olcutt. The supporting cast is very good, especially Andrea King as the glamorous Lillian Russell. The turn of the century atmosphere is the perfect setting. The technicolor is excellent. A simple plot, but the movie just makes you feel good. Morgan was always underrated as an actor and a singer.

The music is wonderful; the cast is a delight; the story is charming (not a word that one hears much today!) - so why is this movie not on home video? Dennis Morgan, to quote Lillian Russell, sings 'beautifully'. This film is a gem and is one of the best musicals made. Ben Blue is hilarious, and Arlene Dahl is stunning as Rose. This movie is a joy to see. If you have never seen it - and I had not until last year - check it out when next it comes on TCM. It is better for you than 99.99999% of the idiocy on TV or at the movies.

Yes, I give it a 10 because I compare it not only to others of it's kind but also to the dreck one is bombarded with on a daily basis in what's laughably called today's "popular culture." That aside, the film is beautifully cast, as has been stated elsewhere, and gives us a fairly good look at popular theater of the late 18th and early 20th centuries. No small coincidence is that many of the plays that Olcott played in involved a similar plot: Boy meets girl, someone objects, (usually the father or some authority figure) boy struggles, boy wins girl. The was actually known at the time as a "Chauncey Olcott Act." No coincidence, too, that John Ford directed one. He called it, "The Quiet Man." And, "My Wild Irish Rose," is, in itself, a "Chauncey Olcott act." Great stuff, no? Anyway, great songs, great stuff. Enjoy.

PS - After seeing the film I'd like to know more about Bill Scanlan. I found an obit that said he quit "Mauvorneen," as a result of insanity (replaced, as in the film, by Chauncey Olcott) and died in an asylum several years later. But he had been, apparenlty, a very big star in his own right, who wrote songs and plays and had plays written for him.

Anyone know more?

This is a wonderful film and I have loved it since I recorded the soundtrack off TV all the way back in the late 1950s and played it to death for several years. No review of mine is necessary here as just about every one already shown pretty much raves about the film. My sole reason for writing here is to strongly correct an assertion made in one of the more recently-dated reviews, this by John Ryan, who states that Dennis Morgan did not sing in the film, but was dubbed by Dennis Day. That is patently untrue. Mr. Morgan does all his own singing, and his voice could hardly be more different from Dennis Day's if he were Mario Lanza! The mix-up may be due to the fact that Dennis Day did record a three-disc set for RCA Victor with songs from the movie, but his voice is not heard in it at all. For the record, much as I like Dennis Morgan in the film, Dennis Day had three times his voice and much better high notes. Morgan may be listed as a tenor, but he mostly sings in high baritone keys throughout. But his singing is still quite enjoyable. For the record, I have several acoustical recordings of Chauncey Olcott, and whatever his stage attributes may have been, he did not sing even as well as Dennis Morgan, let alone Dennis Day.

Maybe since I'm Irish I was expecting too much. I thought that with the list of songs there would be lots of Irish music and singing - you know, a St. Patrick's Day type musical atmosphere. Instead, I got a great deal of fictitious storyline about a turn-of-the-last-century Irishman who made good. Many of the listed songs were background or incidental to the plot. It was only towards the end of the picture that they got around to singing a few of those gorgeous Irish songs I know.

No complaints with the cast, although with affable, uncharismatic Dennis Morgan as the lead it had the feel of a 'B' musical. Arlene Dahl is a nice ball of fluff but a barely passable actress, but the real surprise was William Frawley in what must be one of his best roles. Lots of other recognizable supporters were on hand - Sara Allgood, George Cleveland, George Tobias among others.

It was nicely mounted and the DVD I had was of good quality. I was just disappointed with the amount of dialogue as opposed to time spent on the music.

This was a wonderful story and the music was like a trip back in time to the grand old Irish music of yesteryear. Dennis Morgan was perfect for the role and his charismatic personality and handsome smiling face made me want the story to never end. It was touching and heart felt and all the supporting actors were wonderful. The sets were beautiful as were the costumes and the story was strong and well paced. I loved all the songs that Dennis sang with his beautiful voice. I knew he was a good actor but I never knew how great a singer he was. He was at the top of his talent. At the end he sang to a sweet little girl who in real life was his daughter. That was very special. It was a grand old Irish musical!

WE WEREN'T FAMILIAR with the name of Irish-American tenor and song writer extraordinaire, Chancellor 'Chauncy' Olcott until a very short time ago. We had caught a portion of the film last year, but did not view the opening credits, nor did we see much more than the earliest of scenes. We certainly weren't aware that this Dennis Morgan starring vehicle was a biography.

Hollywood HAS ALWAYS liked to do biopics about various prominent figures in show biz history and no one did love it more so than Warner Brothers. Perhaps the head honchos at that studio were attempting to catch lightning in a bottle for a second time in doing his title of MY WILD IRISH ROSE. Being that Chauncy Olcott was a contemporary of George M. Cohan's, they figured that they might have another YANKEE DOODLE DANDY on their hands.

ALTHOUGH THE MOVIE was well received and did get some Oscar nominations, it dell just a little short of any such expectations.

IN ADDITION TO the expected scenes of recreations of theatrical shows of the 1890's, the obligatory montages of train travels to various hamlets and the inclusion of the popular music of the period, the movie does score on some other levels.

LOOKING AT ITS historical references, it does manage to include some real characters of the times. Both Lillian Russell (Andrea King) and William Scanlon (William Frawley) were well know singers of the era. The character of "Duke" Muldoon (George O'Brien) was also right out of the history books; as wrestling champion William Muldoon was an outstanding and accomplished grappler and American Heavyweight Champion.

HE WAS A CONTEMPORARY and friend of "the Boston Strong Boy", Heavyweight Boxing Champion, John L. Sullivan; as well as being a physical culture trainer and exponent, who treated his body as a temple. Muldoon was the President of the New York State Athletic Commission for many years.

IN CLOSING WE must mention that Dennis Morgan did bear a striking resemblance to some photos we've seen of a young Chauncy Olcott. Ironically, even though that Mr. Morgan was a singer, his voice was dubbed by one other; that being Dennis Day, who was both a tenor and of Irish descent.