My Wild Irish Rose is the fictionalized musical biopic of Chauncey Olcott, the Irish-American tenor who was popular around the late 1800s and well after the turn of the century. Olcott was not only a world renowned vocalist but also a composer, having written for example, the title song of this movie. The screenplay was written by his widow Rita and the picture was released in 1947 approximately 15 years after Olcott's death.
Olcott is played by Dennis Morgan who despite his excellent voice and good looks was an unremarkable actor who never achieved stardom like a luminary in musical theater cinema such as Bing Crosby.
Morgan is completely bland as Olcott which probably has a lot to do with the maudlin script. None of the characters here have any depth-we learn virtually nothing about say (for example) their political views or life outside the theater.
The narrative follows Olcott's rise to Broadway stardom. He's helped along the way by the famed singer/actress Lillian Russell (Andrea King)-Russell is depicted as effervescent and optimistic, making it clear to Olcott that theirs is a platonic relationship.
There is a very unfortunate segment in the film which proves just how dated the film is. For part of his career, Olcutt was part of a traveling minstrel show performing with other actors in black face. One cringes as one watches these scenes fraught with racism and how even "progressive" Hollywood was utterly clueless toward racial issues back then.
Aside from the entertaining musical numbers (primarily) consisting of Irish romantic ballads, My Wild Irish Rose focuses on Olcott's courtship and eventual marriage to Rose Donovan (featuring the attractive Arlene Dahl-still alive today as of this writing). The courtship machinations are intended as comedy as the plot focuses on Rose's father John (Alan Hale Sr.) mistaking Olcott for someone else (as Olcott earlier used a stage name) and trying to prevent the famed crooner from ending up with his daughter.
The story wraps up with Olcott featured as the worthy successor to the famed Irish singer William J. Scanlan (William Frawley of I Love Lucy fame) who graciously retires, passing the mantle on to his younger protégé.
My Irish Wild Rose is so lightweight with characters so buffoonish and sentimental that the only reason to watch this is for the music. That's the bottom line.
Olcott is played by Dennis Morgan who despite his excellent voice and good looks was an unremarkable actor who never achieved stardom like a luminary in musical theater cinema such as Bing Crosby.
Morgan is completely bland as Olcott which probably has a lot to do with the maudlin script. None of the characters here have any depth-we learn virtually nothing about say (for example) their political views or life outside the theater.
The narrative follows Olcott's rise to Broadway stardom. He's helped along the way by the famed singer/actress Lillian Russell (Andrea King)-Russell is depicted as effervescent and optimistic, making it clear to Olcott that theirs is a platonic relationship.
There is a very unfortunate segment in the film which proves just how dated the film is. For part of his career, Olcutt was part of a traveling minstrel show performing with other actors in black face. One cringes as one watches these scenes fraught with racism and how even "progressive" Hollywood was utterly clueless toward racial issues back then.
Aside from the entertaining musical numbers (primarily) consisting of Irish romantic ballads, My Wild Irish Rose focuses on Olcott's courtship and eventual marriage to Rose Donovan (featuring the attractive Arlene Dahl-still alive today as of this writing). The courtship machinations are intended as comedy as the plot focuses on Rose's father John (Alan Hale Sr.) mistaking Olcott for someone else (as Olcott earlier used a stage name) and trying to prevent the famed crooner from ending up with his daughter.
The story wraps up with Olcott featured as the worthy successor to the famed Irish singer William J. Scanlan (William Frawley of I Love Lucy fame) who graciously retires, passing the mantle on to his younger protégé.
My Irish Wild Rose is so lightweight with characters so buffoonish and sentimental that the only reason to watch this is for the music. That's the bottom line.