My Irish Molly
My Irish Molly is a 1938 British musical film directed by Alex Bryce and starring Binkie Stuart, Tom Burke and Maureen O'Hara shot at Welwyn Studios with footage of Ireland.[1][2] The screenplay concerns a young orphan who runs away from her mean-spirited guardian to live with her aunt. O'Hara appeared in the film under her real name of Maureen FitzSimmons.[3] The film was released in the US in 1940 under the title My Little Molly with scenes of Binkie Stuart removed due to Maureen O'Hara being given top billing due to her American popularity.
| My Irish Molly | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Alex Bryce |
| Produced by | John Argyle |
| Written by | Alex Bryce John Argyll Ian Walker W.G. Fay (additional diaglogue) |
| Starring | Binkie Stuart Maureen O'Hara Phillip Reed Tom Burke |
| Music by | Guy Jones |
| Cinematography | Ernest Palmer |
| Edited by | F.H. Bickerton |
Production company | John Argyle Productions |
| Distributed by | Associated British Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
In a rural village in Ireland, Molly Martin, an adorable young moppet has been ordered to live with her Aunt Hannah. Molly prefers to live with her other Aunt, the kind widow Mrs O'Shea, the sister of Hannah. Mrs O'Shea's daughter Eileen is in love with Sonny Gallagher who seeks his fortune in New York City as a taxi driver.
An American writer named Bob and his photographer Chuck are guests of the O'Sheas as they write travel stories on Ireland illustrated with Chuck's photographs. When Chuck sends a photograph of Molly to New York she is selected to be the poster girl of an American company named Shamrock. Accompanying Molly is Eileen who seeks to find Sonny who is hiding from her due to his losing his job and being unable to find another one. Sonny returns to Ireland to set things right with Molly, her two Aunts, and Eileen, who has fallen in love with Bob.
Cast
- Binkie Stuart – Molly Martin
- Tom Burke – Sonny Gallagher
- Phillip Reed – Bob
- Maureen O'Hara – Eileen O'Shea
- Maire O'Neill – Mrs. O'Shea
- C. Denier Warren – Chuck
- Maureen Moore – Hannah Delaney
- Franklin Kelsey – Liam Delaney
- Leo McCabe – Corney
Soundtrack
- Danny Boy (traditional)
- Sung by Thomas Burke
- Eileen Allanagh (traditional)
- Sung by the cast
- 'I'll Be Off to Tipperary in the Morning
- written by Billy O’Brien and Raymond Wallace
- Sung by Thomas Burke
- Farmyard Frolics
- written by Christine Makgill
- Sung by Binkie Stuart
- Kathleen Mavourneen
- written by Frederick Crouch with lyrics by a Mrs. Crawford[4]
References
- MacKillop, James (1999). Contemporary Irish Cinema: From The Quiet Man to Dancing at Lughnasa. Syracuse University Press. p. 277. ISBN 978-0-8156-0568-3.
- Little Miss Molly, retrieved 26 September 2019
- Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 562. ISBN 978-1-55783-551-2.
- https://www.tcd.ie/irishfilm/showfilm.php?fid=57477