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Smiling Irish Eyes

1929 film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Smiling Irish Eyes
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Smiling Irish Eyes is a 1929 American sound (All-Talking) pre-Code Vitaphone musical film with Technicolor sequences.[1] The film is now considered a lost film. However, the Vitaphone audio discs still exist.[2]

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Plot

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Rory O'More (James Hall), a young Irish fiddler, is deeply in love with Kathleen O'Connor (Colleen Moore), for whom he has been composing music. During a quiet moment together as Rory plays his newest ballad, “Smiling Irish Eyes,” they are interrupted by Black Barney O’Toole (Tom O’Brien), Rory’s hot-tempered foreman at the peat bogs. Furious that Rory is idling, Barney smashes his fiddle and storms off with Kathleen’s beloved pet pig, Aloysius, intending to enter it in the County Fair.

Seeking justice, Rory and Kathleen approach the estate’s landlord, Sir Timothy Tyrone (Robert Emmett O’Connor), who is entertaining American guests. Rory is asked to play, and his performance is so moving that one guest encourages him to pursue a musical career in America. Enthralled by the idea, Rory begins to dream of a better life.

At the County Fair, chaos ensues when Kathleen accidentally breaks what she believes is a valuable vase and flees in panic. Meanwhile, the greased pig, Aloysius, escapes and races through the fairgrounds. Kathleen catches him—unaware of the contest—and wins the prize: twenty pounds. She gives the money to Rory to finance his trip to America.

In New York, Rory struggles, living in a rundown boarding house. Though he writes daily to Kathleen, he never sends the letters, determined to wait until he has good news to share. Two chorus girls—Frankie West (Betty Francisco) and Goldie Devore (Julanne Johnston)—hear him playing “Smiling Irish Eyes” through the thin walls and urge their producer to give him a shot. Rory is soon hired to perform in a theatrical revue.

Back in Ireland, Kathleen grows heartbroken from Rory’s silence. Seeing her despair, Granny O’More (Aggie Herring) pleads with Sir Timothy to help. Sir Timothy agrees, and Kathleen sets sail for New York, determined to bring Rory home. She locates the boarding house from his lone postcard, but he’s no longer living there. The landlady (Anne Schaefer) directs her to the theater.

Kathleen arrives backstage just in time to see Rory performing “Smiling Irish Eyes.” But when she sees another girl kiss him, she believes he’s been unfaithful. Crushed, she leaves a note for him and boards the next ship back to Ireland.

On her return, Kathleen is stunned to find her two uncles and Granny O’More preparing for a journey—Rory has sent them five hundred pounds to bring them all to America. She’s also handed the stack of unsent letters Rory wrote to her. Just then, Rory arrives in person. Kathleen confronts him about the woman at the theater, but Rory explains everything, including the kiss and the misunderstanding.

Reassured of his love, Kathleen forgives him. With hearts mended, Rory, Kathleen, Granny, and the family all depart for a hopeful new life in the Land of Promise—America.

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Cast

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Background

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Smiling Irish Eyes was Colleen Moore's first musical role, and only her first sound film. Produced by her husband at the time, John McCormick (1893-1961), the film featured Moore as Kathleen O'Connor, an Irish woman who follows her musician sweetheart Rory O'More (James Hall) to New York City.[3][4]

This film is similar to an earlier film Moore made for Samuel Goldwyn, Come On Over (1922), directed by Rupert Hughes. As in Smiling Irish Eyes, Colleen played an Irish girl whose betrothed crosses the ocean to start a new life in America before sending for her. In both films, the boyfriends do not send for her right away, in both she travels to America only to find the boyfriend seemingly besotted by another girl. In both, cases this is a misunderstanding. In Come On Over, Colleen's character reluctantly remains in America where she learns that her boyfriend is actually helping the father of the "other woman" quit drinking. In Smiling Irish Eyes, Colleen's character returns to Ireland, followed by the boyfriend, who convinces her back in Ireland that it was a misunderstanding. They marry and return to America. Following this film, Moore made another film directed by Seiter, Footlights and Fools (1929). This latter film also had Technicolor sequences, and is now considered a lost film, although the Vitaphone discs survive.

Soundtrack

  • "Smiling Irish Eyes" (Theme Song)
by Herman Ruby and Ray Perkins
Sung by Colleen Moore and James Hall
  • "A Wee Bit o' Love"
by Herman Ruby and Norman Spencer
Sung by Colleen Moore
  • "Then I Can Ride Home With You"
by Herman Ruby and Norman Spencer
Sung by Colleen Moore
  • "Old Killarney Fair"
by Herman Ruby and Norman Spencer
Sung by Colleen Moore

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