Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)

A wily old codger matches wits with the King of the Leprechauns and helps play matchmaker for his daughter and the strapping lad who has replaced him as caretaker.

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Lawrence Edward Watkin, H.T. Kavanagh (suggested by "Darby O'Gill" stories)

Stars:

Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery

Won 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Albert Sharpe	...	Darby O'Gill
Janet Munro	...	Katie O'Gill
Sean Connery	...	Michael McBride
Jimmy O'Dea	...	King Brian
Kieron Moore	...	Pony Sugrue
Estelle Winwood	...	Sheelah Sugrue
Walter Fitzgerald	...	Lord Fitzpatrick
Denis O'Dea	...	Father Murphy
J.G. Devlin	...	Tom Kerrigan
Jack MacGowran	...	Phadrig Oge
Farrell Pelly	...	Paddy Scanlon
Nora O'Mahoney	...	Molly Malloy (as Nora O'Mahony)

Storyline

Darby O'Gill seems to be as full of blarney as any old codger in Ireland, but the stories of leprechauns he tells at the pub are true. In fact, he and the tiny King Brian, ruler of The Little People, are friendly adversaries, continually out-foxing each other. Darby needs a bit of magical help from the wily King when Lord Fitzpatrick replaces him as caretaker with the handsome, strapping young Michael from Dublin. Michael falls in love with Darby's beautiful daughter Katie, which is all right with Darby, but the lad has a rival in a local ruffian, the son of a devious widow who wants her boy to be the caretaker. King Brian's supernatural assistance is necessary to make everything come out all right, but the sneaky leprechaun won't play matchmaker without a fight. Finally, real trouble comes in the form of the Banshee, and Darby will need all his quick wits to save his daughter from the wicked spirit.

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Plot Keywords:

forced retirement | cave | pipe | bell | fistfight | 

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Taglines:

WALT DISNEY SPINS MOTION PICTURE MAGIC! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jimmy O'Dea and the other actors who played leprechauns were not given any screen credit, nor did Walt Disney allow any other material to be published about them in the marketing for this movie. Disney's intention was to give the illusion he was using real leprechauns for the filming. Disney even went so far as to film "The Magical World of Disney (1954)" season five, episode six, "I Captured the King of the Leprechauns", in which he and Darby (Albert Sharpe) manage to corner King Brian and convince him to participate in this movie along with his people.

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Goofs

When Darby pretends to take a drink from the mug and pours the liquor back into the jug, he spills much of it, leaving a large stain around the jug neck. When the jug is next seen, less than a minute later, the neck is completely dry.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Katie O'Gill: Come in, Mrs. Sugrue!
Sheelah Sugrue: Katie, darlin'! Can you lend me the loan of a small pinch o' tea; I'll pay ye back Thursday.
Katie O'Gill: Ye can have it an' welcome.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits: My thanks to King Brian of Knocknasheega and his Leprechauns, whose gracious co-operation made this picture possible. - Walt Disney

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Alternate Versions

After the modest returns during its first run, it was felt that younger viewers had trouble understanding the thick Irish accents. The film was redubbed, replacing some of the Irish with English and softening the Irish accents, for reissues.

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Connections

Featured in The Magical World of Disney: I Captured the King of the Leprechauns (1959)

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Soundtracks

Pretty Irish Girl
by Lawrence Edward Watkin & Oliver Wallace
Performed by Sean Connery and Janet Munro

User Reviews

Generally shies away from treacle...and Albert Sharpe is wonderful

Until "Mary Poppins" came along, I don't think Hollywood took Walt Disney seriously as a live-action movie producer. James Baskett received a special Oscar for "Song of the South", as did Hayley Mills in 1960 for "Pollyanna". However a great many performances in Walt's early output deserved a more substantial recognition, such as James Robertson Justice in "The Sword and the Rose" and Albert Sharpe in this film. Playing storytelling Irish codger Darby O'Gill, Sharpe is charming spinning tall tales in a quaint village, capturing himself a real live leprechaun and being rewarded with three wishes before the little King is freed. Colorful outing for older children and nostalgic adults, relying less on sugary sentiment and doting tots than on old-fashioned whimsy. Sean Connery has a nice romance with Janet Munro (who is always a pleasure) and the special effects, particularly near the end, are quite marvelous. **1/2 from ****

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Irish

Release Date:

22 June 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Little People

Filming Locations:

Albertson Ranch, Triunfo, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1