Little Nellie Kelly
Little Nellie Kelly | |
---|---|
Fredrick Y. Smith | |
Music by | Roger Edens William Axt |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Loew's, Inc. |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $718,000[1] |
Box office | $2,046,000[1] |
Little Nellie Kelly is a 1940 American musical-comedy film based on the stage musical of the same title by George M. Cohan which was a hit on Broadway in 1922 and 1923.[2] The film was written by Jack McGowan and directed by Norman Taurog. Its cast included Judy Garland, George Murphy, Charles Winninger and Douglas McPhail.
The film is notable for containing Judy Garland's only on-screen death scene, but she re-appears in the film as the daughter of the character who died.
Plot
In Ireland, Jerry Kelly (George Murphy) marries his sweetheart Nellie Noonan (Judy Garland) over the objections of her ne'er-do-well father Michael Noonan (Charles Winninger), who swears never to speak to Jerry again, even though he reluctantly accompanies the newlyweds to the U.S., where Jerry becomes a policeman, and all three become citizens. Michael continues to hold his grudge against Jerry, even when Nellie dies shortly after giving birth to her daughter, also named Nellie.
Years later, Jerry is now a captain on the police force, and little Nellie (also played by Judy Garland) has grown up as the spitting image of her mother. Michael dotes on his granddaughter but is embarrassed when she sings in public at the police department parade (It's a Great Day for the Irish). He uses a supposed weak heart, for which he takes a tot of whiskey from a medicine bottle, to get his way with little Nellie and to avoid work. When Nellie becomes enamored of Dennis Fogarty (Douglas McPhail), the son of Michael's old friend Timothy Fogarty (Arthur Shields), the conflict in the home intensifies. Jerry is happy for her, but Michael objects to the romance, and when Nellie, encouraged by her father, finally stands up to him, he leaves home.
Eventually, the three generations are reconciled, and Nellie and Dennis remain a couple.[3][4][5]
Cast
- Judy Garland as Nellie Noonan Kelly and as Little Nellie Kelly
- George Murphy as Jerry Kelly
- Charles Winninger as Michael "Mike" Noonan
- Douglas McPhail as Dennis Fogarty
- Arthur Shields as Timothy Fogarty
- Rita Page as Mrs. Mary Fogarty
- Forrester Harvey as Moriarity
- James Burke as Police Sergeant McGowan
- George Watts as Mr. Keevan, NYC Bar Owner
Songs
Judy Garland sings a swing version of "
Songs cut from the film include "Rings on Your Fingers and Bells on Your Toes" (used in Garland's later film Babes on Broadway, 1941), "Danny Boy" and "How Can You Buy Killarney".
Production
After the success of
Box office
According to MGM records, the film earned $968,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $1,078,000 in other markets, resulting in a profit of $680,000.[1]
Home media
The film was released on DVD on March 15, 2011.
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ^ "Little Nelly Kelly". IBDB.com. Internet Broadway Database.
- ^ TCM Full synopsis
- ^ Erickson, Hal Plot synopsis (Allmovie)
- ^ Bubbeo, Daniel Plot summary (IMDB)
- ^ Little Nellie Kelly Archived 2006-06-18 at the Wayback Machine at the Judy Garland Database
External links
- Little Nellie Kelly at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Little Nellie Kelly at IMDb
- Little Nellie Kelly at the TCM Movie Database
- Little Nellie Kelly at AllMovie
- Little Nellie Kelly at the Judy Garland Online Discography
- Irish in Film