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Little Nellie Kelly (1940)

Afraid his daughter will die in childbirth as his wife did and afraid that he'll have to take care of himself if his daughter became caretaker to someone else, an Irishman forbids his daughter Nellie to marry so young.

Nellie (Judy Garland) falls for Jerry Kelly (George Murphy), a man of ambition and hope--and one who wants to leave Ireland to make a better life in America. Torn between her father and the man she loves, Nellie must make the decision to marry Jerry or stay in Ireland with her father (Charles Winnger). So starts the pull between the two men, as all of them immigrate to America to find a better life.

One of the lesser known Garland vehicles, this film has a depth and charm that differs from the Garland/Rooney films that preceeded this release and has more of a story line than many of her other musicals as it's quite character driven. Only one of George M. Cohan's made the soundtrack, but the Irish American patriotism remains true.

Garland Performances

Saint Patrick was a Gentleman
Music and lyrics unknown
Performed by Judy Garland

A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow
Music and lyrics by Roger Edens
Performed by Judy Garland and then reprised as a swing number by Garland as Nellie the younger.

It's a Great Day for the Irish
Music and lyrics by Roger Edens
Performed by Judy Garland and Douglas McPhail

Singin' in the Rain
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Sung and danced by Judy Garland

Nellie Kelly, I Love You
Music and lyrics by George M. Cohan
Sung by Judy Garland, Douglas McPhail, George Murphy, and Charles Winninger (sung first by Douglas McPhail and chorus)

Recordings

It's a Great Day for the Irish
Recording Date: December 18, 1940
Label: Decca

A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow
Recording Dates: December 18, 1940
Label: Decca

Reviews

-- to be added --

Availability

This title is out of print, but often available from the Amazon.com Marketplace.

Resources

Little Nellie Kelly on IMDb

Fast Facts

According to George Murphy's autobiography, Murphy and everyone on set during Garland's death scene were in tears.

Lines to Remember

Nellie: What have I done? What must you think of me?
Dennis: I think you're marvelous.

Nellie: Have you ever suffered that horrible thing
Of having your hostess ask you to sing?
And just because you're so polite
You mumble through your teeth, "Alright!"
And suddenly a deathly gloom
Descends upon the entire room
And the whispering gallery starts to ring
With "Hold your hats, she's gonna sing!"

Well, here I am with great regret
An innocent victim of etiquette
I'm going to sing but not for long
And though it's old, it's a lovely song!

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