Gaelic Gary G. writes in to say:
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, could you please share a few stories about my favorite Disney fantasy film, “Darby O’Gill and the Little People?”
Well … What I always found intriguing about this Robert Stevenson movie is how long Walt Disney Productions had this project in development.
Back in the early summer of 1946, the studio’s PR staff began inviting prominent entertainment reporters of the day like Thomas F. Brady of the New York Times and Hedda Hopper of the Los Angeles Times to come tour the lot. So that Brady & Parsons could then get the story out about how Disney was bouncing back. That as tough as the War years may have been on the studio, the Mouse Factory now had a full slate of projects in production and/or development.
Copyright 1959 Walt Disney Productions
While Brady’s version of his studio visit has the best factual info (EX: It’s kind of intriguing to see — if the studio’s staff had actually been able to meet Walt & Roy’s admittedly overly-optimistic production schedule — “Peter Pan” would have been released in 1948, “Cinderella” in 1949 and “Alice in Wonderland” in 1950), Hedda’s account is the most colorful, the most fun to read. Here’s a few excerpts:
About once a year, when life begins to close in upon me, I grab my feathered bonnet and take off for the never-never land — known locally as Walt Disney’s studio — just to see what cooks in that world of fantasy that we all dream of as children.
With most of the staff home from the war and Walt himself freed from his government work, the studio is at an all time production high. Disney has enough work in progress to keep him on the hop for five years.
The old maestro himself was not in a gilt office surrounded by call-buttons and secretaries. I found him perched upon a box in a soundstage, wearing an old sweater and slacks of last year’s vintage. If I hadn’t known Walt, I’d have sworn he was one of the prop men.
Hedda goes on to describes how she watched one of the live-action scenes for “Fun & Fancy Free” being shot. With Edgar Bergen reading a bedtime story to his ventriloquist dummies Charlie McCarthy & Mortimer Snerd as well as to Disney contract player Luana Patten.
When the scenes in the can, Charlie throws up his hands and says “Whoopee! We got a take.” And the technicians begin to shift the props around for another scene.
That’s what I mean about visiting Disney. You never realize where reality leaves off and fantasy sets in. That’s exactly how Walt wants it. More and more, he’s combining real people with the creatures of his imagination for his films.
This is actually one of the main reasons that Walt had invited Hedda on the lot. He wanted to talk up how Disney Studios would soon begin making more pictures like the then-titled “How Dear to My Heart.” Which — while it did feature some animation — this Hamilton Luske & Harold D. Schuster movie was 90% live action.
That said, Walt obviously knew that the movie-going public mostly associated his studio with animation. Which is why he then made sure to feed Hedda some juicy tidbits about all the animated features that Disney then had in production. Juicy quotes like:
Walt considered the original Peter Pan a bit too sugary for this modern day; so he’s toughening him up, making a real boy of him.
The most ambitious project Disney has ahead is “Alice in Wonderland.” He told me that he was having story troubles with that one. I expressed surprise, because it’s one of the best known and most beloved children’s stories in the English language.
“That’s just it,” said Walt. “It has too much. And when you deal with such a popular classic, you’re laying yourself wide open to the critics.”
He turned down two versions of the story, and even went so far as to steep himself in the period during which “Alice” was written and to analyze its author. He assured me, however, that the film would follow the Carroll story closely.
Luana Patten will be Alice. I couldn’t think of a happier choice.
Which — as all you Disney history buffs already know — is wrong. For it was Kathryn Beaumont who eventually wound up voicing the title role of that July 1951 release. As for Ms. Patten … She joined the long list of big name performers that Walt Disney almost cast as Alice. Among them screen legends Mary Pickford & Ginger Rogers.
Anywho … Getting back to Ms. Hopper’s June 1946 visit to Walt Disney Studios … As Hedda is wrapping the interview, she asks if he has anything else in development. And Disney off-handedly mentions that he’s …
” … sending a team of artists this summer to Ireland to gather material for yet another feature. It’s called tentatively “The Little People” and will deal with all the leprechauns, banshees, and other supernaturals that Irish fantasy has created.”
So that’s how far “Darby O’Gill” dates back. At least ’til 1946. Mind you, it would take another 11 years (and two additional research trips to the old sod) before Walt finally felt that his leprechaun project was in good enough shape to finally proceed with production.
Copyright 1959 Walt Disney Productions
So — to spread the news about this ambitious new live-action feature — Disney once again reached out to Ms. Hopper. And in her October 28, 1957 column, Hedda wrote:
Walt Disney’s plan to make the Irish story to end all such has taken shape in “The Wishes of Darby O’Gill.” Walt hopes to star Barry Fitzgerald in the dual role of Darby, a feisty old gent (as well as) Brian, king of the little people, an etheral and treacherous mite. (O’Gill tricks King Brian) into granting him three wishes. What Darby does with them makes fascinating adventure.
Disney’s script is based in part of the stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh, but owes much to three months research in the Emerald Isle by Lawrence E. Watkin, one of Walt’s top writers. Watkin studied Dublin library’s vaste collection of Gaelic folklore and spent hours with the Shanachies, the professional storytellers.
Did you catch that mention in there about how Walt wanted Academy Award-winner Barry Fitzgerald to play both the title role of the film as well as King Brian? The way I understand it, Fitzgerald (Probably best known for his scene-stealing performances on “Going My Way” and “The Quiet Man“) was extremely flattered when Disney offered him this dual role. But given that this Dublin-born performer was 69 and in failing health at the time (Barry would actually pass away just a few years later in January 1961), he just didn’t feel like he was up to this acting challenge. So Fitzgerald reluctantly passed on the project.
As a result, Walt then had to go with his back-up choice. Which was Albert Sharpe, a veteran performer who (back in the late 1950s, anyway) was probably best known for playing the title role in the original Broadway production of “Finian’s Rainbow.”
FYI: Remember how Barry Fitzgerald reportedly turned down “Darby O’Gill” because he thought he was just too old & in too poor health to play this part? Fitzgerald was born in March of 1888. Whereas Sharpe was born in April of 1885. Thereby making Albert three years old than Barry!
Copyright 1959 Walt Disney Productions
Though — to be fair here — Sharpe wasn’t sent the same script that Fitzgerald had received. By then, Disney had decided that the roles of Darby O’Gill and King Brian shouldn’t be played by the very same elderly actor. Which is why Walt then split this dual role, casting Sharpe as Darby and Irish comedian Jimmy O’Dea as the wily leprechaun king.
Anyhow … Though the trades in February of 1958 ran several stories stating that Disney would be soon begin shooting the now-titled “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” on location in Ireland … Walt ultimately opted to shoot this entire motion picture in Southern California. With the scenes set in the village of Rathcullen being filmed on the lot, while all of the sequences set in the abandoned abbey were shot out at the Albertson Ranch.
Mind you, Disney tried to make up for not filming any of “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” on the old sod by holding the movie’s world premiere in Dublin. And this being the very first time that Walt Disney Productions had ever held the premiere for one of its films outside of the United States … Well, this auspicious occasion called for plenty of pomp & circumstance.
How so? Once their plane landed in Dublin, Walt & Lillian were greeted by six pipe bands. And the very next morning, Disney met with Sean T. O’Kelly, the president of Ireland. Who then joined Walt at a special early morning screening of “Darby O’Gill” which was attended by hundreds of under-privileged children who had been recruited from Dublin-area hospitals & orphanages.
In the end, after spending all those years nuturing his “Little People” project, I’m told that the old Mousetro was somewhat disappointed by the lackluster response moviegoers gave to “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” back on June of 1959. I’ve also heard that Disney (on more than one occasion) expressed his regrets that he hadn’t been able to persuade Barry Fitzgerald to appear in this film. That Walt supposedly felt that Barry’s name recognition would have given more people a good enough reason to give Disney’s leprechaun movie a try. Which would have boosted “Darby” ‘s box office.
Speaking of Barry Fitzgerald … If you’re an old-time movie who longs to see this charming old scene-stealer up on the silver screen again, have I got a film festival for you!
Next month, the 2007 Newport Beach Film Festival will be honoring the 100th anniversary of John Wayne’s birth with “Ten Decades of ‘The Duke’ : The Official John Wayne Centennial Celebration.” Produced in collaboration with the Wayne family as well as the Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau, this seven day long event (Which will be held April 21 – 28) will be highlighted by special screenings of some of John’s most memorable movies. This include Wayne’s Academy-Award winning turn in 1969’s “True Grit,” his inspiring turn in John Ford’s 1956 classic, “The Searchers” and — of course — that St. Paddy’s Day perennial, 1952’s “The Quiet Man.”
In the weeks ahead, I’ll be sharing even more information about this sure-to-be-fun film festival … But all of you “Quiet Man” fans out there who grown tired of seeing that John Ford classic strictly on the small screen … Now’s your chance to see this movie as it was originally meant to be seen. So be sure to circle April 21 – 28 on your calendars, okay?
Beyond that … You folks have a great St. Patrick’s Day weekend, okay?