View source for Darby O'Gill and the Little People

{{short description|1959 film by Robert Stevenson}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Darby O'Gill and the Little People
| image          = Darby_o_gill_and_the_little_people.jpg
| caption        = [[Film poster]] by [[Reynold Brown]]
| director       = [[Robert Stevenson (director)|Robert Stevenson]]
| producer       = [[Bill Anderson (producer)|Bill Anderson]]<br>[[Walt Disney]]
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Darby O'Gill]]''|[[H. T. Kavanagh]]}}
| writer         = [[Lawrence Edward Watkin]]
| starring       = [[Albert Sharpe]]<br>[[Janet Munro]]<br>[[Sean Connery]]<br>[[Jimmy O'Dea]]<br>[[Kieron Moore (Irish actor)|Kieron Moore]]<br>[[Estelle Winwood]]<br>[[Walter Fitzgerald]]
| cinematography = [[Winton Hoch]]
| music          = [[Oliver Wallace]]
| editing        = Stanley Johnson
| studio         = [[Walt Disney Pictures|Walt Disney Productions]]
| distributor    = [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Distribution]]
| released       = {{Film date|1959|6|24|Dublin|ref1=<ref name="afi">{{cite web |url=http://catalog.afi.com/Film/52861-DARBY-O'GILL-AND-THE-LITTLE-PEOPLE?sid=ea785045-2a8d-4147-869b-00f58fc66d5c&sr=5.568237&cp=1&pos=0#3 |title=Details |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=November 16, 2018}}</ref>|1959|6|26|Los Angeles|ref2=<ref name="afi" />}}
| runtime        = 93 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         =
| gross          = '''Original release''':<br>$2.6 million (est. US/ Canada rentals)<ref>"1959: Probable Domestic Take", ''Variety'', 6 January 1960 p 34</ref><br>'''1969 re-release''':<br>$2.3 million  (US/ Canada rentals)<ref>"Big Rental Films of 1969", ''Variety'', 7 January 1970 p 15</ref>
}}
'''''Darby O'Gill and the Little People''''' is a 1959 American [[fantasy film|fantasy]] [[adventure film]] produced by [[Walt Disney Pictures|Walt Disney Productions]], adapted from the ''Darby O'Gill'' stories of [[Herminie Templeton Kavanagh]]. Directed by [[Robert Stevenson (director)|Robert Stevenson]] and written by [[Lawrence Edward Watkin]], the film stars [[Albert Sharpe]] as O'Gill alongside [[Janet Munro]], [[Sean Connery]], and [[Jimmy O'Dea]]. It was released on Walt Disney Home Video via video cassette in October 1981.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/157660714/|title=Disney Films on Cassette|publisher=[[Albuquerque Journal]]|date=October 23, 1981|page=69}}</ref>

==Plot==
Darby O'Gill and his daughter, Katie, live in Rathcullen, a small [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] town, where Darby is the caretaker for Lord Fitzpatrick's estate. Darby continually tries to catch a tribe of [[leprechaun]]s, particularly their king, Brian Connors.

Lord Fitzpatrick retires Darby, replacing him with a young [[Dublin]]er named Michael McBride. Darby begs Michael not to tell Katie he has been replaced, and he reluctantly agrees. While chasing a ''[[púca]]'' disguised as Fitzpatrick's horse Cleopatra, Darby is captured by the leprechauns and taken to their mountain lair, Knocknasheega. Brian has brought Darby there to live with him, as he has come to respect and care for Darby, even as an adversary. He must also prevent Katie from learning that he lost his job and that Darby cannot leave Knocknasheega.

Darby tricks the leprechauns into opening the mountain and leaving by playing "The Fox Chase" on Brian's [[Stradivarius]] violin. Darby escapes and, expecting Brian to pursue him, later engages him in a drinking game with a jug of ''[[poitín]]'', allowing him to capture the leprechaun at sunrise when his magic has no effect. Since Darby has caught him, Brian grants him three wishes. Brian tries to trick Darby into making additional wishes, but Darby recalls that wishing for a fourth forfeits them all from their previous encounter. Darby's first wish is for Brian to stay by his side for two weeks or until Darby runs out of wishes. Darby tries to show Michael the King while he's trapped in a sack, but Michael sees only a rabbit; Darby accidentally wishes that Michael could see Brian, which the fairy king grants with the caveat that "He does see me, he sees me as a rabbit."

Pony Sugrue, the town bully, decides to try to take Michael's new job and Katie for himself. Pony's mother, Sheelah, tells Katie about Darby's retirement, causing Katie to confront Darby and Michael angrily. When Cleopatra got loose again, Katie chased her to Knocknasheega. Darby later finds Katie fallen at the bottom of a cliff and stricken with a deadly fever. A [[banshee]] appears and summons the [[Dullahan]] on a [[Death Coach|death coach]] to transport Katie's soul. Brian sadly grants Darby's third wish to take Katie's place. Inside the death coach, Brian consoles Darby, then, to save him, tricks him into wishing he would have Brian's company in the afterlife. This counts as a fourth wish, and Brian voids all his others. Darby is freed from the death coach and returns to Katie, who makes a full recovery. Michael later confronts and humiliates Pony at the pub. Michael and Katie fall in love with Darby's approval.

==Cast==
{{castlist|
* [[Albert Sharpe]] as Darby O'Gill
* [[Janet Munro]] as Katie O'Gill
* [[Sean Connery]] as Michael McBride
* [[Jimmy O'Dea]] as King Brian
* [[Kieron Moore (Irish actor)|Kieron Moore]] as Pony Sugrue
* [[Estelle Winwood]] as Widow Sheelah Sugrue
* [[Walter Fitzgerald]] as Lord Fitzpatrick
* [[Denis O'Dea]] as Father Murphy
* [[J. G. Devlin]] as Tom Kerrigan
* [[Jack MacGowran]] as Phadrig Oge (King Brian's adjutant)
* Farrell Pelly as Paddy Scanlon
* [[Nora O'Mahoney]] as Molly Malloy
}}

==Production==
[[Walt Disney]] conceived the film during a trip to Ireland with the [[Irish Folklore Commission]] in 1947.<ref>Tony Tracy, 'When Disney Met Delargy: Darby O'Gill and the Irish Folklore Commission', Béaloideas: Journal of the Irish Folklore Society, Vol. 78, 2010 pp 50-59.</ref> The following year, Disney announced he would make a film titled ''Three Wishes'', based on a script from Watkin about an Irishman battling a leprechaun, which was to involve both live action and animation, but the script was never produced.<ref>{{cite news|title=Looking at Hollywood|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date= 30 March 1948|page= 19}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=HOLLYWOOD DOSSIER|newspaper=New York Times|date= 6 February 1958|page= X7}}</ref> Disney took a second trip to Ireland in 1956 and announced a new film that October, ''The Three Wishes of Darby O'Gill'', based on Kavanagh's 1903 book ''Darby O'Gill and the Good People'', retaining Watkin as writer. Disney studied Gaelic folklore for three months at the Dublin Library and received input from {{lang|ga|[[seanchaí|seanchaithe]]}} (traditional storytellers) while developing the film.<ref name="LATimes1957">{{Cite news|title=Walt Disney Plans Irish Fantasy Film|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date= 28 October 1957|page= C14}}</ref> During casting in London in February 1958, the film's title became ''Darby O'Gill and the Little People''.<ref name = "NYT1958">{{cite news|title=M-G-M SIGNS IVES TO BE 'BIG DADDY'|newspaper=The New York Times|date=21 January 1958|page= 34}}</ref>

[[Barry Fitzgerald]] was Disney's first choice to play both Darby and Brian.<ref name="LATimes1957" /> Sharpe and O'Dea were instead cast in the lead roles after Disney spotted O'Dea in a pantomime.<ref>{{cite news|title=Disney Gets Leprechaun King in Ireland|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date= 26 February 1958|page= b4}}</ref> Munro was cast in March after Disney signed her for a five-year contract, while Connery was borrowed from [[20th Century Fox]], where he was then under contract.<ref>{{cite news|title=You'll Love Janet Munro!: Bright-Eyed British Film Beauty Has Everything, Including a Long Term Disney Contract|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune |date=13 July 1958|page= f30}}</ref> ''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' was Connery's first leading role.  Filming started on the Disney backlot in May 1958, though some location work was done at Albertson Ranch in the [[San Fernando Valley]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Disney Courts Little People: Leprechauns Overrun Studio as 'Darby O'Gill' Is Created|last=Scheuer|first= Philip K.|newspaper= Los Angeles Times|date= 12 May 1958|page= C9}}</ref>

Munro and Connery sing a duet in the film titled "Pretty Irish Girl",<ref name="youtube">{{YouTube|v9Ununqs4jM|Duet between Connery and Munro}}.</ref> apparently dubbing over vocals by [[Brendan O'Dowda]] and [[Ruby Murray]],<ref>"Gifted Irish tenor linked with Percy French", ''The Irish Times'', 2 March 2002</ref><ref name="youtube2">{{YouTube|1Rt1MFFuX8s|O'Dowda-Murray recording}}.</ref> which was released in the UK as a single in 1959. A demo of Connery singing the song solo was included in the 1992 compilation ''The Music of Disney: A Legacy of Song''.<ref name="45cat">[http://www.45cat.com/record/jar163&c=43659#43659 45 cat] 45 cat collectors catalog listing of record.</ref>

[[Dell Comics]] produced a comic book adaptation of the film in August 1959.<ref>{{gcdb issue|id=15306|title=Dell Four Color #1024}}</ref><ref>{{comicbookdb|type=issue|id=313753|title=Dell Four Color #1024}}</ref>

==Reception==
Writing for ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[A. H. Weiler]] praised the cast, but described Connery as "merely [[tall, dark, and handsome]]", and called the film an "overpoweringly charming concoction of standard Gaelic tall stories, fantasy and romance".<ref>[https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B04E5DF1F3CE63BBC4953DFB1668382649EDE ''New York Times'' Review]. Retrieved September 23, 2008</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called the film a "rollicking Gaelic fantasy" with "meticulously painstaking production" and "a gem" of a performance from Sharpe, though Connery was called "artificial" and "the weakest link in Robert Stevenson's otherwise distinguished direction".<ref>{{cite journal |date=April 29, 1959 |title=Darby O'Gill and the Little People |journal=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=6}}</ref> Charles Stinson of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote: "Being a Disney product, it is as technically perfect a job as can be had; the Technicolor, the camera work, the special effects, the Irish music and all are a rich feast for anyone's eye and ear."<ref>Stinson, Charles (June 27, 1959). "'Darby O'Gill' Rich in Irish Atmosphere". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. p. 11.</ref> ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' called the special effects "brilliantly executed" but found that "all attempts at Irish charm seem pretty synthetic, a notable exception being the playing of Jimmy O'Dea, who makes King Brian the most likeable and beguiling leprechaun yet to appear on the screen."<ref>{{cite journal |date=July 1959 |title=Darby O'Gill and the Little People |journal=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |volume=26 |issue=306 |page=87}}</ref>

[[Leonard Maltin]] praises the film in his book ''The Disney Films'', calling it "not only one of Disney's best films, but [also it] is certainly one of the best fantasies ever put on film."<ref>{{cite book |title=The Disney Films |last=Maltin |first=Leonard |author-link=Leonard Maltin |year=2000 |publisher=Disney Editions |isbn=978-0-7868-8527-5 |pages=416}}</ref> In a later article, he included it among a list of outstanding lesser-known Disney films.

The film has a 100% rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 15 reviews, with an average grade of 7 out of 10.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/darby_ogill_and_the_little_people/ |title=Darby O'Gill and the Little People |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref>

Munro won the 1960 [[Golden Globe]] for New Star of the Year for her performance in the film.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/darby-ogill-and-little-people|title=Darby O'Gill and the Little People}}</ref>

===Box office===
According to ''Kinematograph Weekly'' the film performed "better than average" at the British box office in 1959.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Josh|last=Billings|magazine=Kinematograph Weekly|title=Other better-than-average offerings|date=17 December 1959|page=7}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Irish mythology]]
* [[List of films featuring miniature people]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|http://movies.disney.com/darby-o-gill-and-the-little-people}}
* {{IMDb title|0052722}}
* {{TCMDb title|72263|Darby O'Gill and the Little People}}
* {{AFI film|52861}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|darby_ogill_and_the_little_people}}
*[https://archive.org/details/variety214-1959-04/page/n405/mode/1up? Review of film] at ''Variety''
{{Robert Stevenson}}

[[Category:1959 films]]
[[Category:1959 children's films]]
[[Category:1950s fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:American children's adventure films]]
[[Category:American children's fantasy films]]
[[Category:American films with live action and animation]]
[[Category:American fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:American romantic fantasy films]]
[[Category:Walt Disney Pictures films]]
[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films about father–daughter relationships]]
[[Category:Films adapted into comics]]
[[Category:Films directed by Robert Stevenson]]
[[Category:Films produced by Walt Disney]]
[[Category:Films set in Ireland]]
[[Category:Films shot in Ireland]]
[[Category:Films scored by Oliver Wallace]]
[[Category:Leprechaun films]]
[[Category:Films using stop-motion animation]]
[[Category:Films about royalty]]
[[Category:1950s American films]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy adventure films]]