''Broth of a Boy'' is a 1959

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

George Pollock Field Marshal Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet (4 June 1786 – 6 October 1872) was a British Indian Army officer. He first saw action at the Battle of Deeg and at the Siege of Bhurtpore during the Second Anglo-Maratha War before taking part i ...

and starring Barry Fitzgerald,

Harry Brogan Harry Brogan (5 May 1904 – 20 May 1977) was an Irish actor often in comic roles. He was part of the Abbey Theatre from 1939 - 1976. 1939–1976: Abbey Theatre Harry Brogan was active in Irish theatre and a permanent member of the Abbey The ...

and

June Thorburn Patricia June Thorburn Smith (8 June 1931 – 4 November 1967) was a popular English actress whose career was cut short by her death in an air crash. Early life Thorburn was born in Karachi, then part of British India. She was the eldest ...

. It is an adaptation of the 1956 play ''The Big Birthday'' by

Hugh Leonard Hugh Leonard (9 November 1926 – 12 February 2009) was an Irish dramatist, television writer, and essayist. In a career that spanned 50 years, Leonard wrote nearly 30 full-length plays, 10 one-act plays, three volumes of essay, two autobiograph ...

. The film involves the efforts of a British

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon ...

to create a documentary about the birthday of an Irish supercentenarian, but the cantankerous old man is unwilling to cooperate with him.

Plot

Whilst holidaying in Ireland, British TV producer Randall (Tony Wright) comes across a village celebrating the birthday of the oldest man in the world, Patrick Farrell (Barry Fitzgerald). Thinking Farrell's 110th birthday would make an ideal subject for a BBC documentary, Randall seeks to persuade him to agree to being filmed. However, Farrell proves difficult, is an old codger, cantankerous and disreputable, and will cooperate only if he can exploit the situation for his own ends.

Cast

* Barry Fitzgerald ... Patrick Farrell *

... Willie * Tony Wright ... Randall *

... Silin Lehane * Eddie Golden ... Martin Lehane * Maire Keane ... Molly Lehane *

Godfrey Quigley Godfrey Quigley (4 May 1923 – 7 September 1994) was an Irish film, television and stage actor. He appeared in Stanley Kubrick's films ''A Clockwork Orange'' and ''Barry Lyndon''. Biography Quigley was born in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, ...

... Desmond Phillips * Bart Bastable ... Clooney *

Dermot Kelly James Dermot Kelly (21 April 1917 – 25 November 2004) was an Irish sports shooter. He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and c ...

... Tim * Cecil Barror ... O'Shaughnessy * Josephine Fitzgerald ... Mrs. O'Shaughnessy * Philip O'Flynn ... Father Carey * Dennis Brennan ... Bolger * Bill Foley ... Connolly
Annie D'Alton
... Miss O'Toole * T. P. McKenna ... Minor role * Paul Farrell ... Barman *

Christopher Casson Christopher T. Casson (20 March 1912 – 9 July 1996) was an English-born actor who became a citizen of Ireland in 1946. His work included stage, screen, radio and television roles. His portrayal of a Church of Ireland canon in the long-runni ...

... Judge

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' wrote, "Although the idea bristles with lively possibilities and Mr. Fitzgerald and the Abbey Theatre players who surround him do as much as they can with it, "Broth of a Boy" only generates mild chuckles and a guffaw or two"; and ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' bemoaned the "Bad script, acting, and direction"; whereas '' Allmovie'' applauded "a pleasant, easygoing satire of exploitive journalism--a target that is as viable today as it was in 1959"; and

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

also found the film "quietly effective."

References

External links

* 1959 films 1959 comedy films Irish comedy films 1950s English-language films English-language Irish films Films directed by George Pollock Films with screenplays by Patrick Kirwan Irish films based on plays Films set in Ireland Films about birthdays Films about old age Films about television people {{1950s-comedy-film-stub