User Reviews

Surely there are few enterprises in the history of film musical comedy stranger than this one. Sure, "Finian's Rainbow" is a wonderful musical, with Burton Lane's best music and some of Yip Harburg's cutest and wittiest lyrics. But it's a musical from 1947, and this film was made in the late 60s. Add to the mix the elder statesman if film musicals Fred Astaire and then give him a director in Francis Ford Coppola who is hip and energetic and young enough to maybe be his grandson, and you have a strange brew.

The movie is actually very enjoyable in my opinion. Everyone in all the books on Astaire, musicals, or Coppola that I've read has tried to come up with explanations for its failure, but I think that the film just isn't quite compelling enough and must have seemed very stale to audiences at that time. The quaint devices that Harburg uses to make his progressive ideas easier for the audience to swallow had already become a bit ridiculous by the late 60s. For example, here we have a very intelligent and well-educated black man, played by Al Freeman Jr., and that's not something you see every day in a 60s film, much less in the 40s. But his job is to create a new kind of mentholated cigarette. So you demolish one stereotype but play games with another.

Nevertheless, the racial element of the play presents some of the film's most amusing and interesting episodes, centered around the racist Senator played by Keenan Wynn. Good old Keenan, he's one of my favorite actors and I've just accidentally seen him in 3 movies just this week. The guy worked a LOT. I thought he was very funny here in his scenes with Al Freeman Jr. and Tommy Steele. The role allows him to show off his great range.

On a certain level of course the film is a vehicle for Astaire, and it is indeed a very nice send-off in some ways. But you're still yearning for a really solid dance number from the great man as the credits roll. The one time it really looked like he was cutting loose, Coppola foolishly kept the camera angle in a medium shot so we couldn't even see his feet. As a result, this was the first Astaire movie I ever saw and I went away from it years ago thinking that Tommy Steele was a better dancer than Fred Astaire.

Steele himself might have been sort of annoying, but the role demands a lot of whimsy and I think Steele did a very good job. Petula Clark looks, sounds, and generally performs great in her role; she sounds just like Ella Logan on the OC album when she sings "Glocamora." But she and Don Francks seem quite a bit old to be the ingénue couple, which might have contributed to the film's lack of friction at the box office. But his voice is fantastic, and once you get used to his horrendous hairpiece he's a joy to watch. He and Clark duet very nicely on "Old Devil Moon", although the distinctively late 60s "lounge" style instrumental arrangement is quite bizarre (Burton Lane meets Burt Bacharach?).

I am not a fan of Coppola's direction here. Not only does he fail to get the best of Astaire's dancing, but all the group dance scenes (choreographed by the great Hermes Pan) seem dead in the water for some reason. There's a feeling of forced joyousness to the picnic scenes, like a second-rate version of the picnic in "Pajama Game." In the middle of "Devil Moon" he puts the camera directly overhead of the actors, a good example of showy direction that adds nothing to the feel of the scene. There's even a few scenes where it seems like it wasn't blocked correctly; it's stuff that his mentor Roger Corman wouldn't even do. Perhaps Coppola was intimidated by the whole studio apparatus on his first real big job (not making a movie for Corman or with the AIP studio head's mistress, that is). When the Francks character is arriving, he treats us to a stunning zoom shot through a train and out of the caboose. But why? The shot makes it seem as if something very dramatic is about to happen, but nothing really materializes to justify it. Unfortunately Coppola himself never really outgrew his tendency towards pointless stylistic flourishes, and it's painfully discordant with such a quaint show as this one.

But all in all in my opinion the film is a winner. It's very funny, the songs are great, and there's just enough moments of genuine joy to justify the running length.

Fred Astaire was 69 years old when he left Glocca Morra as Finian McLonergan to put down roots in America. In "Finian's Rainbow," he gives us his swan song as a hoofer. It's nothing like the dazzling, sometimes complicated, yet always seemingly effortless routines he delighted audiences with through the mid-1950s. But, the lighter, softer footwork here still exudes the magical touch of the master of dance.

Astaire is joined by a superb cast for this fantasy musical that also departs from the usual stage settings for Astaire routines. Here, the dancing, songs, and story take place mostly in the outdoors of the village of Rainbow Valley and its nearby woods. Finian has come with his daughter, Sharon, to plant the pot of gold he snatched at the end of a rainbow in Ireland. He came to bury it in Missitucky which is near Fort Knox. Planted next to America's gold deposit, the pot is sure to grow - or so thinks Finian. And he wants to get his gold buried before the leprechaun that is in pursuit catches up to him. Petula Clark is superb as Sharon and Tommy Steele is fantastic as Og, the leprechaun.

In Rainbow Valley, they are welcomed by the townsfolk and join in their party after helping stave off the sheriff's attempt to auction off the village property for back taxes. Senator Billboard Rawkins wants to acquire all the land. Don Francks plays Woody Mahoney, who soon woos Sharon. A movie newcomer, Barbara Hancock, plays Susan the Silent. She is a ballerina in her first part in a movie, and she dances her heart away in this film. Keenan Wynn plays Senator Rawkins. Al Freeman Jr. Plays Howard, a researcher and partner with Woody in a project to develop a menthol tobacco plant. All of these lead characters and supporting actors are backed up by a troupe of dancers and singers who perform or support some wonderful musical and dance routines in the film.

The story and music come from a book by E. Y. "Yip" Harburg and Fred Saidy. Harburg wrote the lyrics for all of the songs and Burton Lane wrote the music. "Finian's Rainbow" was first made into a staged musical on Broadway in 1947. Five of the songs became hit tunes that year. The most popular and well known number was "How Are Things in Glocca Morra." Ella Logan first sang it on stage in the 1947 musical. The other four hit tunes were "Old Devil Moon," "If This Isn't Love," "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love," and "Look to the Rainbow." Columbia Records was the first recording studio to issue an album with all the songs from a musical. The music of Finian's Rainbow was also the first LP issued by Columba, in 1947. The original Broadway production ran for 725 performances. But it took 20 years before a movie studio would take on the project. Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the beginning of the end of racial segregation of all kinds, a story like that of Finian's Rainbow was considered too hot to handle beyond the Broadway stage.

The story and film have aspects that take segregation head-on. They also have considerable humor that mock race stereotyping. Most of this is done with humor that people today can appreciate and enjoy. In that regard, the film strikes an historical chord for its portrayal of racial bigotry and prejudice that still prevailed well past the middle of the 20th century in America.

While the name Yip Harburg may not be recognizable to most people in the 21st century, a lot of his tunes are well known today and likely will be long into the future. Harburg wrote the lyrics for all 18 of the songs in "The Wizard of Oz." "Over the Rainbow" won the 1939 Oscar for best original song and became Judy Garland's theme song. It became one of the most enduring standard songs for movies through the 20th century. Harburg's original songs or reprisals of his tunes have been in 385 movies through 2015.

The movie does have some unique and some odd things about it. One that is both of these is its series of scenes in the opening while the credits are running. The scenes are beautiful panoramas mostly of scenic or historic places in America. They show Finian and Sharon (or their stand-ins) walking over hills, through fields, down steep mountain trails, and high above vistas that show many American trademarks. We see the Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco, Monument Valley in Arizona, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, the Rocky Mountains or Cascade Mountains, a boat ride on the Everglades, and more. While the scenery is excellent, it also doesn't make sense. Finian came from Ireland and started walking across America from the West Coast? Zigzagging up and down across country?

Even with its hit songs, and an overall entertaining production, "Finian's Rainbow" doesn't have the punch that the more elaborate musicals have had. Still, the mythical Glocca Morra will likely live on from the tune itself. And the movie is a fine and fitting end of the musical film productions of a great cinema dancing legend and, as it turns out, the near end of musical films by the top British female singer of record. Astaire appeared in just a few more non-musicals and Clark sang in only two more films. But we all can still enjoy the dancing and singing of Fred Astaire and Petula Clark in the number of their recorded works that will be available for decades to come.

The cynical world of the late 60's didn't really want the number of sweet movie versions of Broadway musicals that they were producing, and "Finian's Rainbow" was no exception. While it may not have been an absolute disaster at the box office (and broke Warner Brothers the way "Hello, Dolly!" did 20th Century Fox), it wasn't the hit the studio must have expected. However, it is still a fabulous movie and holds up a lot better than some of the film versions of shows released during this time.

Take a look at Fred Astaire while he dances to "Look to the Rainbow" with a group of kids he meets in Rainbow Valley, located near Fort Knox where his Irish character has come to bury a pot of gold he has stolen from the leprechaun, Og (Tommy Steele). Astaire, then 69, starts off slow, and as the music pumps up begins to swing his bag around, lifting the bag high up in the air, twisting and turning as if he was a 20-year old. This is a rare moment in a movie where you want to start cheering with joy as a living legend shows what he's made of and the results of the discipline he's held onto for over half a century. Even 8 years later, dancing with Gene Kelly in "That's Entertainment Part II", Mr. Astaire still could move better than most people half his age. While he's top billed (and definitely the lead, as the character is the film's protagonist), the bulk of the movie's running time goes to his on-screen daughter, Sharon (played beautifully by Petula Clark) and the leprechaun, Og. Tommy Steele is a performer who is not for everybody's taste, and some of his character's humour seems to be really outdated. But overall, he's quite likable. In regards to Clark, what other singer/actress in 1968 could have done this role? Shani Wallis, perhaps, but Clark proves here she is more than a singer and brings her acting roots (she was a star in British films in the 1950's) to American audiences. When she breaks out into "How Are Things in Glocca Mora?", she gets the audience in the palm of her hand. And getting to sing the beautiful "Old Devil Moon" with her on-screen love interest, Woody (a slightly wooden Don Francks), she holds onto them.

Most of the Broadway score is intact, save "Necessity", and is sung beautifully. Some people may find offense in the racist character Keenan Wynn plays, but he's played as a parody of real-life racists to show how ridiculous they are. Try not to laugh as the black scientist (Al Freeman Jr.) slowly shuffles towards Wynn with his bromo seltzer after Wynn's right hand man tells Freeman he doesn't shuffle enough like the old fashioned black servants they were used to. Wynn's agony and Freeman's glee are a joy to behold. In this storyline, I was slightly disappointed by the fact that Wynn's character, who is wizened up after briefly being turned into a black man, doesn't turn around and fire the bigoted staff he controls once he gains true wisdom and looses his prejudices. "The Begat" (Wynn's song with the black gospel singers he meets up with) is a true show-stopper, even though it really doesn't move the plot forward at all.

Sadly, a wonderful Broadway revival only a few years ago didn't catch on with audiences even though critics loved it, but this film is as faithful a record as Hollywood could possibly do. I think Francis Ford Coppolla did an amazing job directing this film, and should be proud of his accomplishments. It is beautiful to look at, wonderful to listen to, and sentimental in the way it utilizes the magnetic Astaire almost 50 years after his Broadway debut.

I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I saw this film. I always loved Fred Astaire and Petula Clark. I also vaguely remember having a favorable impression of Tommy Steele from my childhood.

The first few minutes were quite amazing, cinematography-wise, and we get to hear the first of about 3 (maybe 4) outstanding Broadway songs ("Look to the Rainbow," How Are Things in Glocca Morra" "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love"). After that, this Titanic sinks quickly.

The plot, if there is one, is a rambling mess about Finian, who stole the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and stupidly thought it would "multiply" if he buried it somewhere near Fort Knox. Ooookay. Then we have the bizarre racist story-line which has no connection with the music.

Next, we are bouncing back and forth between Fred and Petula and Tommy and Don Francks as "Woody" (horrid! -- we kept taking bets for when his toupee was going to come flying off) and Keenan Wynn as "The Senator" and poor lonely "Silent Susan" (Barbara Hancock, a gifted dancer, yes, but otherwise...)

It was impossible to know who to root for or care about and so we just sat and laughed and made jokes about Don and Fred's toupees.

It was amazing to see how incredibly well Fred could still dance; at the same time, he looked like he was exhausted and about ready to drop dead (even though he hung on for nearly 20 more years). So, yes, Fred was entertaining when he was dancing. Otherwise, he and everyone else (especially Tommy Steele, who redefines "over the top" every time he screams "Doom and gloom!") seemed to be lost in the flotsam and jetsam of what, I imagine, had some impact as a Broadway musical in the 1940s. By the time they brought it to the screen (directed, inexplicably, by Francis Ford Coppola), it was way too late for anyone to care. It seems woefully out of date and out of touch.

Again, the three songs mentioned above were superb examples of fine songwriting, but the rest is a slogfest and a jaw-dropper. There are moments of unexpected hysterical laughter (but not for any reasons the filmmaker intended) and the will-he-won't-he-lose-his-wig betting contest you'll be having, but otherwise... run for the hills ... just not the ones that Finian's Rainbow floats over.

While Fred Astaire would dance and sing one more time in That's Entertainment, Part 2, and would give his final acting performance in Ghost Story, in this one would he do all three for the last time. Before I review the movie proper, I have to note that I previously watched this on VHS in a pan-and-scan version that wasn't always flattering. I have now watched a letterboxed version on the Dailymotion site but, unfortunately, the synchronization was often off by several minutes resulting in silence in the last 7. I also watched the last sequence-of several chronological ones uploaded there-on the same site with perfect sync but now it was full screen, the print wasn't as good, and it was interrupted by a commercial. Ugh! Still, despite all that, I managed to mainly understand where certain dialogue exchanges and musical numbers were fit in and highly enjoyed the performances of not only pro Astaire but also Petula Clark, Don Francks, Tommy Steele, Keenan Wynn, Al Freeman, Jr. who does a hilarious spoof of a stereotypical "shufflin' Negro" butler, and Barbara Hancock whose dancing is divine which makes her mostly silent character have a nice personality, among others in the fine cast. Many of Wynn's lines and his changing from white to Negro was quite funny especially since he's not made to look really foolish by doing that appallingly old-fashioned burnt cork appearance of minstrel days but more authentic like though he still looks like a white man pretending to be black. The songs, by E.Y. Harburg and Burton Lane, are fun and romantic and pleasingly sung by the cast. Perhaps the story, a mix of blarney, whimsy, and social satire, dates it in modern times but it's still entertaining enough. And it's wonderful seeing Astaire give it one more try in his old age. So on that note, I recommend Francis Ford Coppola's Finian's Rainbow. P.S. It's interesting to note for "Dallas" fans that two actors that played Digger Barnes were involved in different productions of this musical: Wynn-the second Digger-here and David Wayne-the first one-as Og in the original Broadway version for which he won a Tony. P.P.S. I just finished the other sequence of uploaded videos I mentioned on DailyMotion. Enjoyed it more despite the lesser print, no letterboxing, and the interrupted commercials.