Mildly Entertaining Yet Forgettable Musical Comedy Short

I caught this musical comedy short on TCM.

A singing Irishman graduates from a cheesy Police School in Ireland and heads to New York City in order to join the NYPD, leaving his fiancée behind. He arrives on St. Patrick's Day, watches the parade, gets into some trouble, gets a couple of big surprises, and yet still finds a happy ending in an unexpected way. The plot is actually fairly thin for a two-reeler because the meat of the short is the singing and dancing numbers.

Morton Downey sings several songs, including two duets with Andrea Marsh and a fantasy production with leggy dancing girls on scooters. In between stock footage shots of the actual St. Patrick's Day parade we get some tap dancing policemen, dancing Irish ladies, and a rather amusing slapstick comedy routine from the little known Vaudeville group Smith, Rogers & Eddie. Most of the comedy in the non-musical sections is good natured fun poked at Irish Policeman stereotypes.

Personally, I'm not a fan of crooners, so I didn't care for the songs, but I thought the dancing and comedy segments were enjoyable. One's enjoyment of this short probably depends a lot on whether or not one likes old musicals in general and crooning in particular.

From the "I Didn't Know That" department... Morton Downey is the father of the late 80's trash TV talk show host Morton Downey Jr., and there's a good facial resemblance.

Overall... mildly entertaining yet forgettable...

The comedy genre refers to a category of entertainment that aims to amuse and entertain audiences by using humor, wit, and comedic situations. Comedies are created with the primary intention of eliciting laughter and providing lighthearted enjoyment. They encompass a wide range of styles, tones, and themes, appealing to various tastes and audiences.

Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

The musical genre features stories that combine music, singing, dancing, acting, and often spoken dialogue to tell a story or convey a narrative. Musicals incorporate various elements of drama, music, and choreography to create a cohesive theatrical experience that engages audiences on multiple levels.

Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)

The romance genre features the theme of romantic relationships and emotional connections between characters. These stories focus on the development of love, desire, and intimacy between protagonists, often exploring the challenges, conflicts, and triumphs that arise in their relationships.

Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

A singing Irishman graduates from a cheesy Police School and heads to New York City to join the force, leaving behind his fiancée.

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Broadway Brevities (1935-1936 season) #1: Dublin in Brass

Dublin in Brass

Photos

Top Cast9

User reviews3

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed