''Little Nellie Kelly'' is a 1940 American musical-comedy film based on the stage musical of the same title by

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

which was a hit on Broadway in 1922 and 1923. The film was written by Jack McGowan and directed by

Norman Taurog Norman Rae Taurog (February 23, 1899 – April 7, 1981) was an American film director and screenwriter. From 1920 to 1968, Taurog directed 180 films. At the age of 32, he received the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Skippy'' (1931). He i ...

. Its cast included

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

George Murphy George Lloyd Murphy (July 4, 1902 – May 3, 1992) was an American dancer, actor, and politician. Murphy was a song-and-dance leading man in many big-budget Hollywood musicals from 1930 to 1952. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild fro ...

Charles Winninger Charles J. Winninger (May 26, 1884 – January 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals. Life and career Winninger was born in Athens, Wisconsin, the son of Rosalia (Grassler) and Franz 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 (

) marries his sweetheart Nellie Noonan (

) over the objections of her ne'er-do-well father Michael Noonan (

), 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 Arthur Shields (15 February 1896 – 27 April 1970) was an Irish actor on television, stage and film. Early years Born into an Irish Protestant family in Portobello, Dublin, Shields started acting in the Abbey Theatre when he was 17 years old ...

), 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.

Cast

as Nellie Noonan Kelly and as Little Nellie Kelly *

as Jerry Kelly *

as Michael "Mike" Noonan * Douglas McPhail as Dennis Fogarty *

as Timothy Fogarty * Rita Page as Mrs. Mary Fogarty *

Forrester Harvey Forrester Harvey (27 June 1884 – 14 December 1945) was an Irish film actor. From 1922 until his death year Harvey appeared in more than 115 films. He was credited for about two-thirds of his film appearances, but some of his roles were un ...

as Moriarity * James Burke as Police Sergeant McGowan * George Watts as Mr. Keevan, NYC Bar Owner

Songs

Judy Garland sings a swing version of " Singin' in the Rain" more than 10 years before Gene Kelly famously sang it in his film '' Singin' in the Rain'' (1952) as well as sings several newer songs, including the traditional " A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" sung partly in Irish-Gaelic. There are also two production numbers, one set at the New York City Policeman's Ball and the other written by

Roger Edens Roger Edens (November 9, 1905 – July 13, 1970) was a Hollywood composer, arranger and associate producer, and is considered one of the major creative figures in Arthur Freed's musical film production unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the "go ...

. In the latter, Garland sings " It's A Great Day for the Irish" while marching in New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade. This song became one of Garland's bigger hits. 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 '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939), the film was a "test" by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

to evaluate both Garland's audience appeal and her physical image. It was rumored at the time that

George M Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

sold the rights expressly as a vehicle for Garland. The film gave 18-year-old Garland the opportunity to grow up as she is in the first half of the picture set in Ireland, in which she plays Nellie Noonan, the mother of Little Nellie Kelly. Although called "a bit of Blarney", overall the film was well-received. Critics noted Garland "gets prettier with each picture".
Little Nellie Kelly
'' at the Judy Garland Database

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.

Home media

The film was released on DVD on March 15, 2011.

Notes

External links

* * * * *
Little Nellie Kelly
' at the Judy Garland Online Discography

{{Arthur Freed 1940 films 1940 musical comedy films 1940 romantic comedy films American black-and-white films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films 1940s English-language films Fictional portrayals of the New York City Police Department Films about Irish-American culture Films about the New York City Police Department Films based on musicals Films based on works by George M. Cohan Films directed by Norman Taurog Films produced by Arthur Freed Films set in Ireland Films set in New York City Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1940s American films