Reception
The preview screening was positive. [1] Initial reviews in The New York Times [7] and Variety [2] regarded the film as a well-made if uninventive example of stage Irish slapstick and sentimentality.
Screenings in cities with large Irish-American communities were soon disrupted by protests against perceived anti-Irish sentiment, especially scenes of women drinking and fighting. Some protests were spontaneous, others orchestrated by organizations like the Ancient Order of Hibernians. A second round of protests alleged anti-Catholic sentiment, including mocking depictions of Saint Patrick's Day, the sign of the cross, and the crucifix. [8] Some saw the film as a Jewish Hollywood attack on Catholicism, others an attack on the Al Smith presidential campaign. [9] Patrick Ford's The Irish World newspaper condemned the film for portraying the Irish as "drunken, vulgar and indecent". [10]
The backlash surprised the studio, which pointed out that the novelist, producer and stars all had Irish heritage. [1] Producer Eddie Mannix consulted Irving Thalberg, Will H. Hays and Jason Joy about how to respond. Repeated cuts were made in response to specific complaints. Intertitles were changed, the opener from "Goat Alley is a section where a courteous gentleman always takes off his hat before striking a lady" to "This is the story of the Callahans and the Murphys … both of that fast-fading old school families to whom the world is indebted for the richest and rarest of wholesome fun and humor". Marion suggesting changing the title to The Browns and the Jones. [1] Amid continued protests, the film was withdrawn from circulation.
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