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Release dateJuly 28, 1929 (1929-07-28) (sound version)
September 22, 1929 (1929-09-22) (silent version) WriterThomas J. Geraghty (screenplay), Thomas J. Geraghty (story), Thomas J. Geraghty (titles)
78 rpm maurice elwin smiling irish eyes 1929
Smiling Irish Eyes (1929) is a Vitaphone All-Talking American musical film with Technicolor sequences. The film is now considered a lost film. However, the Vitaphone discs still exist.
Rory O'More leaves his sweetheart Kathleen O'Connor back in the old country while he travels to America to establish himself. He is a musician, and hopes to make it big. Kathleen grows tired of waiting and travels to America, only to find him on stage performing "their" song and kissing another woman. Kathleen returns to Ireland, followed by Rory, who explains everything. In the end they wed and return to America.
Cast
Colleen Moore - Kathleen O'Connor
James Hall - Rory O'More
Robert Homans - Shamus O'Connor
Claude Gillingwater - Michael O'Connor
Tom O'Brien - Black Barney
Robert Emmett O'Connor - Sir Timothy
Aggie Herring - Granny O'More
Betty Francisco - Frankie West
Julanne Johnston - Goldie Devore
Edward Earle - Ralph Prescott
Fred Kelsey - County Fair Manager
Barney Gilmore - County Fair Manager's Assistant
Charles McHugh - County Fair Manager's Assistant
Madam Bosocki - Fortune Teller
George 'Gabby' Hayes - Taxi Driver (as George Hayes)
Anne Schaefer - Landlady (as Ann Schaefer)
John Beck - Sir Timothy's Butler
Oscar Apfel - Max North
Otto Lederer - Izzy Levi
William H. Strauss - Moe Levi
David Thursby - Scotch Barker
Dan Crimmins - The Trouble Maker
Background
Smiling Irish Eyes was Colleen Moore's first musical role, and only her second sound film. Produced by her husband at the time, John McCormick (1893-1961), the film featured Moore as Kathleen O'Connor, an Irish woman who follows her musician sweetheart Rory O'More (James Hall) to New York City.
This film is similar to an earlier film Moore made for Samuel Goldwyn, Come On Over (1922), directed by Rupert Hughes. As in Smiling Irish Eyes, Colleen played an Irish girl whose betrothed crosses the ocean to start a new life in America before sending for her. In both films, the boyfriends do not send for her right away, in both she travels to America only to find the boyfriend seemingly besotted by another girl. In both, cases this is a misunderstanding. In Come On Over, Colleen's character reluctantly remains in America where she learns that her boyfriend is actually helping the father of the "other woman" quit drinking. In Smiling Irish Eyes, Colleen's character returns to Ireland, followed by the boyfriend, who convinces her back in Ireland that it was a misunderstanding. They marry and return to America. Following this film, Moore made another film directed by Seiter, Footlights and Fools (1929). This latter film also had Technicolor sequences, and is now considered a lost film, although the Vitaphone discs survive.
Soundtrack
"Old Killarney Fair"
by Herman Ruby and Norman Spencer
Sung by Colleen Moore
"Then I'll Ride Home with You"
by Herman Ruby and Norman Spencer
Sung by Colleen Moore
"A Wee Bit o' Love"
by Herman Ruby and Norman Spencer
Sung by Coleen Moore
"Smiling Irish Eyes"
by Herman Ruby and Ray Perkins
Sung by Colleen Moore and James Hall