JohnHowardReid Copyright 27 December 1947 by Warner Bros Pictures, Inc. A First National picture. New York opening at the Strand: 24 December 1947. U.S. release: 27 December 1947. U.K. release: 27 December 1948 (sic). Australian release: 27 January 1949 (sic). 9,115 feet. 101 minutes.SYNOPSIS: When William Scanlan's voice fails on tour, Chauncey Olcott agrees to dub his singing from hidden positions on the stage. Eventually, Scanlan's voice cracks to such an extent that he can no longer deliver his lines. One St Patrick's night in Boston, Olcott substitutes for Scanlan on stage. After a near-riot, Olcott is accepted by the crowd after he sings "A Little Bit of Heaven". At this point, Scanlan himself walks on stage to give Olcott his blessing. Olcott continues with the tour, triumphing in such shows as Mavourneen, Sweet Inniscarra and The Carey Fair.NOTES: Heindorf and Steiner were both nominated for an Academy Award for Scoring of a Musical Picture, losing to Alfred Newman's "Mother Wore Tights".Although it didn't make the top ten, "My Wild Irish Rose" was a huge box-office success, despite unenthusiastic, even condemnatory reviews.COMMENT: A feast of green for lovers of old Erin and old-time minstrel shows. Visually, the screen is so flooded with various shades of green, by film's end all other colors have virtually been extinguished. Aurally, the producer supplies such a fulsome musical program, he scarce has room for his story. Not that I'm complaining. No, sirree! There's more than enough humor left to float a dozen rounds of Irish laughter, enough tears to move all but the flintiest Anglo hearts. Especially moving is the scene in which Scanlan, played by William Frawley — his finest performance ever! — gives young Olcott his watch.The only area in which film-lovers will feel short-changed lies in the direction of Miss Arlene Dahl. Now I am not a fan of the blandly doll-like Dahl, so it doesn't worry me that her part has been cut to ribbons and that she is outclassed and out-acted almost right off the screen. With fine players like Alan Hale, Andrea King, George O'Brien, Ben Blue and the aforesaid William Frawley on hand, who needs a spiritless Kewpie doll?OTHER VIEWS: Superlative sound recording really does justice to this account of Irish tenor Chauncey Olcott, superbly enacted by Dennis Morgan who was never in better voice than in this feast of Irish song and dance. Musical number succeeds musical number with each one more lavish than the one before, until finally mind and heart can bear the strain no longer. True the story is pretty facile, but who cares when it serves so admirably as a peg on which such a musical feast is imposed? Beautifully photographed and costumed, lavishly produced, with a wonderful array of character actors including Emmett Vogan (doctor), Grady Sutton ("sick" minstrel), Andrew Tombes (bogus bartender) and Hale, Tobias, Ben Blue, etc. Perhaps to say the script is facile is to dismiss it too easily. It does have some wonderful moments — Morgan's killing the bass drum is a wonderful joke and Allgood's regretting her lost opportunity to say it first is a very nice piece of drama. The director makes sure everything is easy on the eye, the dances, music and above all the songs and sound are marvelous. - JHR writing as George Addison.

mark.waltz I couldn't tell you the last film to utilize black-face, but it was at least seven years after this colorful musical biography. You can't hide history, and it should be recalled with nostalgia if never done again outside the historical aspects that it did happen. The great American songbook began long before Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, the Gershwins and Rodgers and Hart. Before there was a legitimate Broadway, there was the minstrel show, and black-face, as shameful as it is today, was a major part of that. This is the typical pull yourself up from the bottom and rise to the top story of an American songwriter, and frankly, the story of Chauncey Olcott is probably based more upon legend than fact, but in the capable hands of Dennis Morgan, it's done very well. Arlene Dahl, a gorgeous redhead, plays his love interest, with Andrea King as the legendary Lillian Russell, helping Olcott and causing a strain between Morgan and Dahl.There are so many wonderful little ditties here, many still heard today, proving that good taste never dies even after its wounded a bit. The colorful costumes, energetic dance numbers and endearing corny comedy is the spark that lights this up. Some great comic character actors best known for their TV work to youngsters (George Tobias, "Bewitched") and William Frawley ("I Love Lucy") will give a sense of familiarity. Only one rose is needed here, as it's a rich, fat one, colorful and majestic.

John T. Ryan 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.

Dejael 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!