''Abie's Irish Rose'' is a 1946 American
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
A. Edward Sutherland based
on a play by
Anne Nichols
Anne Nichols (November 26, 1891 – September 15, 1966) was an American playwright best known as the author of ''Abie's Irish Rose''.
Biography
Anne Nichols was born in obscure Dales Mill, in Wayne County, Georgia, Wayne County, Georgia (U.S. s ...
. The film stars
Michael Chekhov
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chekhov (russian: Михаил Александрович Чехов; 29 August 1891 – 30 September 1955), known as Michael Chekhov, was an American actor, director, author and theatre practitioner. He was a nephew o ...
,
Joanne Dru
Joanne Dru (born Joan Letitia LaCock;Known as Joan Lacock in th1930 United States census/ref> January 31, 1922 – September 10, 1996) was an American film and television actress, known for such films as '' Red River'', ''She Wore a Yellow Ribbo ...
, Richard Norris,
J. M. Kerrigan,
George E. Stone
George E. Stone (born Gerschon Lichtenstein; May 18, 1903 – May 26, 1967) was a Polish-born American character actor in films, radio, and television.
Life and career
Stone was born Gerschon Lichtenstein in Łódź, Congress Poland, into ...
, Vera Gordon, and
Emory Parnell
Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career.
Early years
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Parnell trained as a musician at Morningside ...
. The film was released on December 27, 1946, by
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
. It was a remake of
the 1928 film that was based on the 1922 play
Abie's Irish Rose
''Abie's Irish Rose'' is a popular comedy by Anne Nichols, which premiered in 1922. Initially a Broadway play, it has become familiar through repeated stage productions, films and radio programs. The basic premise involves an Irish Catholic girl ...
by
Anne Nichols
Anne Nichols (November 26, 1891 – September 15, 1966) was an American playwright best known as the author of ''Abie's Irish Rose''.
Biography
Anne Nichols was born in obscure Dales Mill, in Wayne County, Georgia, Wayne County, Georgia (U.S. s ...
. The film drew criticism for stereotyping and additional cuts were made after complaints.
Plot
Stationed in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, the Jewish American soldier Abie Levy falls in love with a young Irish Catholic lady, Rosemary Murphy, and they get married. Their families are not informed, and when the time comes for Rosemary to return to the United States, the only thing Abie tells his father Solomon is that he has met a girl and is in love.
Solomon takes a liking to Rosemary, but assumes she shares the same faith. A wedding is planned, no one else yet told that the couple are already husband and wife. The bride-to-be's father, Patrick Murphy, arrives, under the false impression that his daughter intends to wed an Irish Catholic man named McGee.
Once the truth is revealed, neither father is on speaking terms with the children or each other. A year goes by and Rosemary gives birth. Family friends, the Cohens and an Irish priest, coax the grandfathers into finally making a visit. A baby boy, given the name Patrick Levy, promptly delights Patrick Murphy but disappoints Solomon, at least until the baby's twin sister, Rebecca, is also brought into the room. Rebecca being his late wife's name, Solomon is pleased, and the families finally come together.
Cast
*
Michael Chekhov
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chekhov (russian: Михаил Александрович Чехов; 29 August 1891 – 30 September 1955), known as Michael Chekhov, was an American actor, director, author and theatre practitioner. He was a nephew o ...
as Solomon Levy
*
Joanne Dru
Joanne Dru (born Joan Letitia LaCock;Known as Joan Lacock in th1930 United States census/ref> January 31, 1922 – September 10, 1996) was an American film and television actress, known for such films as '' Red River'', ''She Wore a Yellow Ribbo ...
as Rosemary Murphy Levy
*
Richard Norris (1922–2005) as Abie Levy
*
J. M. Kerrigan as Patrick Murphy
*
George E. Stone
George E. Stone (born Gerschon Lichtenstein; May 18, 1903 – May 26, 1967) was a Polish-born American character actor in films, radio, and television.
Life and career
Stone was born Gerschon Lichtenstein in Łódź, Congress Poland, into ...
as Isaac Cohen
*
Vera Gordon
Vera Pogorelsky Gordon (June 11, 1886 – May 8, 1948) was a Russian-born American stage and screen actress.
Early life
Vera Pogorelsky was born in Ekaterinoslav, Russia, on June 11, 1886, the daughter of Boris Pogorelsky and Teigan Nemirovsky. ...
as Mrs. Cohen
*
Emory Parnell
Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career.
Early years
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Parnell trained as a musician at Morningside ...
as Father John Whalen
*
Art Baker as Rabbi Jacob Samuels
*
Eric Blore
Eric Blore Sr. (23 December 1887 – 2 March 1959) was an English actor and writer. His early stage career, mostly in the West End of London, centred on revue and musical comedy, but also included straight plays. He wrote sketches for and appe ...
as Stubbins
*
Bruce Merritt as Rev. Tom Stevens
*
Roy Atwell
John Leroy "Roy" Atwell (May 2, 1878 – February 6, 1962) was an American actor, comedian and composer, known for playing characters that mis-deliver their lines or stammer, most notably Doc from Walt Disney's classic Snow White and the Seven Dwa ...
as Dick Saunders
*
Eddie Parks
''The Girl with All the Gifts'' is a science-fiction novel by M. R. Carey, published in June 2014 by Orbit Books. It is based on his 2013 Edgar Award-nominated short story ''Iphigenia In Aulis'' and was written concurrently with the screenplay ...
as Gilchrist
*
Vera Marshe
Vera Marshe (July 15, 1905 – March 25, 1984) was an American film and television character actress.
Biography
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 15, 1905. She began her career by appearing in a number of short films during the 30 ...
as Mrs. Edna Gilchrist
*James Nolan as Policeman
*
Charlie Hall as Hotel Porter
*Harry Hays Morgan as Hotel Clerk
See also
* ''
The Cohens and Kellys
''The Cohens and Kellys'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Harry A. Pollard and starring Charles Murray, George Sidney, Kate Price, and Jason Robards Sr. The film is the first of the ''Cohens and Kellys'' film serials. The f ...
'': A film with a similar plot
* ''
Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corp.''
References
External links
*
1946 films
American black-and-white films
1940s English-language films
Films directed by A. Edward Sutherland
United Artists films
1946 comedy films
American comedy films
Religious comedy films
Films set in London
1940s American films
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