Finian's Rainbow (unfinished film)

Last updated

Finian's Rainbow was an incomplete 1954 animated feature film, being an adaptation of the musical Finian's Rainbow . It began production in 1954 directed by John Hubley. The crew included Art Babbit, Bill Tytla and Paul Julian.

Among the cast were Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Louis Armstrong, Barry Fitzgerald, Jim Backus and David Burns plus David Wayne and Ella Logan from the original Broadway production. [1]

The film ran into difficulty due to Hubley and Harburg's refusal to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The film was abandoned. [2]

Some recordings survive along with several sketches. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Finians Rainbow</i> 1947 musical with book by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane

Finian's Rainbow is a musical with a book by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane, produced by Lee Sabinson. The original 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances, while a film version was released in 1968 and several revivals have followed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burton Lane</span> American composer and lyricist (1912–1997)

Burton Lane was an American composer and lyricist primarily known for his theatre and film scores. His most popular and successful works include Finian's Rainbow in 1947 and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever in 1965.

Jim Norton is an Irish stage, film and television character actor, known for his work in the theatre, most notably in Conor McPherson's The Seafarer, and on television as Bishop Brennan in the sitcom Father Ted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hubley</span> American film director, producer, and screenwriter (1914–1977)

John Kirkham Hubley was an American animated film director, art director, producer, and writer known for his work with the United Productions of America (UPA) and his own independent studio, Storyboard, Inc.. A pioneer and innovator in the American animation industry, Hubley pushed for more visually and emotionally complex films than those being produced by contemporaries like the Walt Disney Company and Warner Brothers Animation. He and his second wife, Faith Hubley, who he worked alongside from 1953 onward, were nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wayne</span> American actor (1914–1995)

David Wayne was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning over 50 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheyenne Jackson</span> American actor and singer

Cheyenne David Jackson is an American actor and singer. His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles, as well as film and television roles, concert singing, and music recordings.

"How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" is a popular song about a fictional village in Ireland, with themes of nostalgia and homesickness. It was introduced by Ella Logan in the original 1947 Broadway production of Finian's Rainbow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Logan</span> Scottish-American actress and singer

Ella Logan was a Scottish-American actress and singer who appeared on Broadway, recorded and had a nightclub career in the United States and internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manhattan (song)</span> Original show tune by Rodgers and Hart; from the 1925 musical revue "The Garrick Gaieties"

"Manhattan" is a popular song and part of the Great American Songbook. It has been performed by the Supremes, Lee Wiley, Oscar Peterson, Blossom Dearie, Tony Martin, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Mel Torme, among many others. It is often known as "We'll Have Manhattan" based on the opening line. The music was written by Richard Rodgers and the lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the 1925 revue Garrick Gaieties. It was introduced by Sterling Holloway and June Cochran.

"If This Isn't Love" is a popular 1946 song composed by Burton Lane with lyrics written by E. Y. Harburg. The song was published in 1946 and introduced by Ella Logan and Donald Richards the following year in the Broadway musical Finian's Rainbow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Fitzgerald (actor)</span> American actor and singer

Christopher Cantwell Fitzgerald is an American actor and singer. He is known for his role as Boq in the musical Wicked, Igor in the musical Young Frankenstein, and Ogie Anhorn in the musical Waitress. He earned Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and Tony Award nominations for his performances in Waitress and Young Frankenstein and won the Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in Waitress.

<i>Finians Rainbow</i> (1968 film) 1968 US musical fantasy film by Francis Ford Coppola

Finian's Rainbow is a 1968 musical fantasy film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Fred Astaire and Petula Clark. The screenplay by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy is based on their 1947 stage musical of the same name. An international co-production of Ireland and the United States, the film follows an Irishman and his daughter who steal a leprechaun's magic pot of gold and emigrate to the U.S., where they become involved in a dispute between rural landowners and a greedy, racist U.S. senator.

Fred Saidy was an American playwright and screenwriter.

"Old Devil Moon" is a popular song composed by Burton Lane with lyrics by Yip Harburg for the 1947 musical Finian's Rainbow. It was introduced by Ella Logan and Donald Richards in the Broadway show. The song takes its title from a phrase in "Fun to Be Fooled", a song that Harburg wrote with Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for the 1934 musical Life Begins at 8:40.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Repertory Theatre</span> Off-Brodway theatre

The Irish Repertory Theatre is an Off Broadway theatre founded in 1988.

Warren Carlyle is a British director and choreographer who was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He received Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Director of a Musical for the 2009 revival of Finian's Rainbow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Baldwin</span> American singer

Katherine Baldwin is an American singer and actress known for her work in musical theater. She received a Tony Award nomination for her work in the 2009 Broadway revival of Finian's Rainbow. She also co-starred opposite Bette Midler, David Hyde Pierce, and Gavin Creel in the Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!, for which she received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle award nominations for her work as the saucy millineress Irene Molloy. Baldwin continued with the production until it closed in August 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Sharpe</span> Irish actor (1885–1970)

Albert Sharpe was a Northern Irish stage and film actor.

Thérèse "Tissa" David was a Romanian-born American animator of Hungarian ethnicity, whose career spanned more than sixty years.

Finian's Rainbow is a 1947 musical.

References

  1. Deck Is Stacked Against Broadway By Philip K. Scheuer Special to the Los Angeles Times. The Washington Post and Times-Herald (1959-1973) [Washington, D.C] 26 December 1967: C7.
  2. "John Canemaker. "Lost Rainbow". "Print" March/April 1993". Michaelspornanimation.com. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
  3. Jones, Kenneth (March 2, 2010). "An Animated Finian's Rainbow?". Playbill.