Copyright 27 December 1947 by Warner Bros Pictures, Inc. A First National picture. New York opening at the Strand: 24 December 1947. U.S. release: 27 December 1947. U.K. release: 27 December 1948 (sic). Australian release: 27 January 1949 (sic). 9,115 feet. 101 minutes.SYNOPSIS: When William Scanlan's voice fails on tour, Chauncey Olcott agrees to dub his singing from hidden positions on the stage. Eventually, Scanlan's voice cracks to such an extent that he can no longer deliver his lines. One St Patrick's night in Boston, Olcott substitutes for Scanlan on stage. After a near-riot, Olcott is accepted by the crowd after he sings "A Little Bit of Heaven". At this point, Scanlan himself walks on stage to give Olcott his blessing. Olcott continues with the tour, triumphing in such shows as Mavourneen, Sweet Inniscarra and The Carey Fair.NOTES: Heindorf and Steiner were both nominated for an Academy Award for Scoring of a Musical Picture, losing to Alfred Newman's "Mother Wore Tights".Although it didn't make the top ten, "My Wild Irish Rose" was a huge box-office success, despite unenthusiastic, even condemnatory reviews.COMMENT: A feast of green for lovers of old Erin and old-time minstrel shows. Visually, the screen is so flooded with various shades of green, by film's end all other colors have virtually been extinguished. Aurally, the producer supplies such a fulsome musical program, he scarce has room for his story. Not that I'm complaining. No, sirree! There's more than enough humor left to float a dozen rounds of Irish laughter, enough tears to move all but the flintiest Anglo hearts. Especially moving is the scene in which Scanlan, played by William Frawley — his finest performance ever! — gives young Olcott his watch.The only area in which film-lovers will feel short-changed lies in the direction of Miss Arlene Dahl. Now I am not a fan of the blandly doll-like Dahl, so it doesn't worry me that her part has been cut to ribbons and that she is outclassed and out-acted almost right off the screen. With fine players like Alan Hale, Andrea King, George O'Brien, Ben Blue and the aforesaid William Frawley on hand, who needs a spiritless Kewpie doll?OTHER VIEWS: Superlative sound recording really does justice to this account of Irish tenor Chauncey Olcott, superbly enacted by Dennis Morgan who was never in better voice than in this feast of Irish song and dance. Musical number succeeds musical number with each one more lavish than the one before, until finally mind and heart can bear the strain no longer. True the story is pretty facile, but who cares when it serves so admirably as a peg on which such a musical feast is imposed? Beautifully photographed and costumed, lavishly produced, with a wonderful array of character actors including Emmett Vogan (doctor), Grady Sutton ("sick" minstrel), Andrew Tombes (bogus bartender) and Hale, Tobias, Ben Blue, etc. Perhaps to say the script is facile is to dismiss it too easily. It does have some wonderful moments — Morgan's killing the bass drum is a wonderful joke and Allgood's regretting her lost opportunity to say it first is a very nice piece of drama. The director makes sure everything is easy on the eye, the dances, music and above all the songs and sound are marvelous. - JHR writing as George Addison.

I couldn't tell you the last film to utilize black-face, but it was at least seven years after this colorful musical biography. You can't hide history, and it should be recalled with nostalgia if never done again outside the historical aspects that it did happen. The great American songbook began long before Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, the Gershwins and Rodgers and Hart. Before there was a legitimate Broadway, there was the minstrel show, and black-face, as shameful as it is today, was a major part of that. This is the typical pull yourself up from the bottom and rise to the top story of an American songwriter, and frankly, the story of Chauncey Olcott is probably based more upon legend than fact, but in the capable hands of Dennis Morgan, it's done very well. Arlene Dahl, a gorgeous redhead, plays his love interest, with Andrea King as the legendary Lillian Russell, helping Olcott and causing a strain between Morgan and Dahl.There are so many wonderful little ditties here, many still heard today, proving that good taste never dies even after its wounded a bit. The colorful costumes, energetic dance numbers and endearing corny comedy is the spark that lights this up. Some great comic character actors best known for their TV work to youngsters (George Tobias, "Bewitched") and William Frawley ("I Love Lucy") will give a sense of familiarity. Only one rose is needed here, as it's a rich, fat one, colorful and majestic.

"My Wild Irish Rose", attributed to Chauncy Olcott, is one of the most popular, and my favorite, song commonly done by Barbershop quartets. This film is a story of his life, an Irish immigrant in the 1890s with a beautiful tenor voice, determined to make it big on stage. If this film is an accurate account, then he did very well indeed.Dennis Morgan stars as Olcott, and was 39 when the film was released in 1947, a veteran in the movies. His co-star, Arlene Dahl was 23, in her first film, played his love interest, Rose Donovan, who he supposedly wrote the song for. I don't recall seeing any of her other films, but she sure was beautiful as a 23-year-old.The movie is just one uplifting 100-minute pleasure to watch. Loaded with songs, and near the end a medley of Irish stage productions, including the title song. Dennis Morgan, with his great smile and great singing voice, is just perfect as Chauncy Olcott. His song to his mother, near the end, after she expressed remorse for not having believed in him, brough tears to my eyes. This is such a fine movie, any rating under "7" should be considered bogus. I give it a strong "8" of 10.

The music is wonderful; the cast is a delight; the story is charming (not a word that one hears much today!) - so why is this movie not on home video? Dennis Morgan, to quote Lillian Russell, sings 'beautifully'. This film is a gem and is one of the best musicals made. Ben Blue is hilarious, and Arlene Dahl is stunning as Rose. This movie is a joy to see. If you have never seen it - and I had not until last year - check it out when next it comes on TCM. It is better for you than 99.99999% of the idiocy on TV or at the movies.