''Three Wise Fools'' is a 1946 film directed by

Edward Buzzell Edward Buzzell (November 13, 1895 – January 11, 1985) was an American film actor and director whose credits include '' Child of Manhattan'' (1933); ''Honolulu'' (1939); the Marx Brothers films '' At the Circus'' (1939) and '' Go West'' (1 ...

and starring

Margaret O'Brien Angela Maxine O'Brien (born January 15, 1937) is an American film, radio, television, and stage actress, and is one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Beginning a prolific career as a child actress in feature ...

, Lionel Barrymore,

Lewis Stone Lewis Shepard Stone (November 15, 1879 – September 12, 1953) was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was best known for his portrayal of Judge James Hardy in the studio's popular ''Andy H ...

, Edward Arnold, and Thomas Mitchell. It is somewhat loosely based on the 1918

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

play of the same name by Austin Strong and Winchell Smith, which had also been adapted to film in 1923, in a silent version directed by

King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...

. This version is different in several respects from the original play and earlier film, changing some characters and plot elements, notably introducing a group of small supernatural people, referred to at times as " fairies," "

pixie A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas ar ...

s" or "

leprechaun A leprechaun ( ga, leipreachán/luchorpán) is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. ...

s," who live in an ancient tree on an American estate.

Harry Davenport Harry Davenport may refer to: * Harry Davenport (actor) (1866–1949), American film and stage actor * Harry Davenport (footballer) (1900–1984), Australian footballer * Harry J. Davenport (1902–1977), Democratic Party member of the U.S. House ...

, who plays one of those beings, known as "The Ancient," was one of the lead characters in the 1918 play.

Plot

The story is told as a flashback, narrated by a "fairy" named "The Ancient," who sits at the base of an ancient tree that is home to these creatures. The young ones do not believe in the existence of humans, so The Ancient tells a story about the power of belief. In 1870, Rena Fairchild, a young American woman, is courted by three men: Richard Gaughnt, James Trumbell, and Theodore Findley. She is swept off her feet, however, by a dashing Irishman, "the O'Monahan," and goes with him to Ireland, but not before the O'Monahan, insulted by her suitors, pronounces a "blessing" on the three, prophesying that each will achieve their materialistic dreams. Forty years later, the three men live together in a large house. They have had great success in their respective careers - medicine for Gaughnt, the law for Trumbell, and banking for Findley - but are not especially well-liked in their community. They donate some land to the local university, not out of generosity, but to improve their public image. Young girl Sheila O'Monahan, the orphaned granddaughter of the recently deceased Rena, arrives, accompanied by longtime family servant Terence Aloysius O'Davern, and informs the three men that they are supposed to take her in as an adopted goddaughter. Initially rejecting her, the three men discover they have made an embarrassing mistake: the land they donated actually belongs to Sheila, Rena's sole surviving descendent and heir. They take Sheila and O'Davern into their household, without telling her why they changed their minds. Sheila believes in Irish magic and the supernatural beings said to live in the old tree on Rena's land, invoking them at times in Gaelic. Her devotion to the old men themselves begins to win over Gaughnt and Trumbell, though Findley looks for ways to steal back the deed. When they inform Sheila about their plans to build an amphitheater on the land and she learns that it would involve cutting down the tree, she rejects their plan. Findley hires a troop of performing

midget Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a medical term like "dwarfism", a medical condition with a number of ca ...

s to pose as the "pixies" and to pretend that the tree is dying and that they are leaving. When Sheila eventually discovers the hoax with O'Davern's help, her faith in people, as well as her faith in pixies, is lost. She runs away to a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

, announcing her intention to become a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

to the

Mother Superior An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

. Meanwhile, Gaughnt chains himself to the old tree to prevent its being cut down, and is joined by Trumbell. After being confronted by the Mother Superior, the three men, now remorseful, join Sheila near the tree and announce that they can now see the "little people" themselves, although only Sheila actually sees them. The three warmly decide to adopt her, and the tree is preserved.

Cast

as Sheila O'Monahan * Lionel Barrymore as Dr. Richard Gaughnt *

as Judge James Trumbell * Thomas Mitchell as Terence Aloysius O'Davern * Edward Arnold as Theodore Findley * Ray Collins as Judge Watson *

Jane Darwell Jane Darwell (born Patti Woodard; October 15, 1879 – August 13, 1967) was an American actress of stage, film, and television. With appearances in more than 100 major movies spanning half a century, Darwell is perhaps best remembered for her p ...

as Sister Mary Brigid *

Charles Dingle Charles Dingle (December 28, 1887 – January 19, 1956) was an American stage and film actor. Early life Dingle was born December 28, 1887, in Wabash, Indiana. His father was John Crockett Dingle, and he was said to be a descendant of Davy ...

as Paul Badger *

as The Ancient * Henry O'Neill as Prof. Horace Appleby *

Cyd Charisse Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer. After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilit ...

as Rena Fairchild *

Warner Anderson Warner Anderson (March 10, 1911 – August 26, 1976) was an American actor. Early years Anderson was born to "a theatrical family" in Brooklyn, New York, March 10, 1911.Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. ...

as The O'Monahan *

Billy Curtis Billy Curtis (born Luigi Curto; June 27, 1909 – November 9, 1988) was an American film and television actor with dwarfism, who had a 50-year career in the entertainment industry. Career The bulk of his work was in the western and science ficti ...

as Dugan *

Olin Howland Olin Ross Howland (February 10, 1886 – September 20, 1959) was an American film and theatre actor. Life and career Howland was born in Denver, Colorado, to Joby A. Howland, one of the youngest enlisted participants in the Civil War, an ...

as Witness (uncredited)

Reception

The film was savagely reviewed in ''

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 ...

'' by resident film critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

, who described the adaptation as "

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

ning" the original play with "quasi-

Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically ...

mores Mores (, sometimes ; , plural form of singular , meaning "manner, custom, usage, or habit") are social norms that are widely observed within a particular society or culture. Mores determine what is considered morally acceptable or unacceptable ...

," so that "it oozes the most egregious sentiment and drips verbal lollipops." The film earned $1,633,000 in the US and Canada and $463,000 elsewhere, causing a loss of $66,000.

References

External links

* * * * {{Edward Buzzell 1946 films 1946 comedy-drama films American comedy-drama films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films about orphans Films directed by Edward Buzzell Films scored by Bronisław Kaper Films set in 1870 Films set in 1910 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films