An underrated musical.
Finian's Rainbow (1968)
Runtime: 2 hrs 25 mins
Synopsis: Twenty years after its opening on Broadway, the musical FINIAN'S RAINBOW made its debut on film thanks to Francis Ford Coppola. The movie stars Fred Astaire as Irishman Finian McLonergan, who steals a pot of gold from the leprechaun Og (Tommy Steele) and, with his daughter Sharon (Petula... Twenty years after its opening on Broadway, the musical FINIAN'S RAINBOW made its debut on film thanks to Francis Ford Coppola. The movie stars Fred Astaire as Irishman Finian McLonergan, who steals a pot of gold from the leprechaun Og (Tommy Steele) and, with his daughter Sharon (Petula Clark), brings it to Rainbow Valley in the fictional southern state of Missitucky. Sharecropper Woody Mahoney (Don Francks) and the rest of the community of Rainbow Valley are fighting to keep their land and tobacco crop away from the creedy, racist hands of Senator Billboard Rawkins (Keenan Wynn) and his assistant, Buzz Collins (Ronald Colby). Og's magical pot of gold causes more trouble than good when Sharon's wish that the senator would know what it's like to be black comes true. The rest of the pot's wishes are quickly used up trying to undo the trouble. The hit song "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" is one of the highlights from the musical score. This was Fred Astaire's last full-length musical, and he is a delight to watch. [More]
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Starring: Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, Tommy Steele, Don Francks, Keenan Wynn
DVD Info
Release:
Mar 3, 2006
Reviews
Astaire gives a dignified performance as the Irish immigrant with the leprechaun's pot of gold, Clarke is good as his feisty daughter, and the songs are hugely enjoyable.
A light, pastoral fantasy with civil rights angles, underscored by comedy values.
One of many musical stinkers made during a decade infamous for them.
A marvelous evening right up to its last shot of Astaire walking away down a country road.
An inauspicious early Coppola film of a muscial that was already dated by the time the cameras rolled.


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