Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Ever heard your parents say "They just don't make (insert any product here) like they used to,"? Well, I'm a parent now, and I'm saying it. They just don't make kids films like they used to. I can rattle off a list as long as my arm of some of the best family films of the last half century and most of them don't even come out of my generation. No, those actors of long ago really knew how to work; they had to walk uphill to the set both ways.

Darby O'Gill and the Little People is just such a movie. It is based on the stories of H.T. Kavanagh and was released by Disney in 1959 . Though it didn't do well in theaters then, time has increased its allure over the years. My mom introduced my sister and I to this wonderful classic, and I just introduced my son to it last weekend.

We begin by meeting Darby, played very believably by Albert Sharpe. He is the caretaker of a large estate, a fiddler and local tale teller. He also imbibes quite a bit at the local tavern which compromises the validity of said tales. One day he learns that he is to be replaced as caretaker by a younger man, Michael McBride, played by a relatively unknown, yet incredibly handsome actor named Sean Connery. On the way home to tell his daughter, spitfire Katie, played by Janet Munro, he falls down a well and finds himself in the realm of the Leprechauns which is presided over by King Brian of Knocknasheega.

King Brian intends for Darby to stay, but Darby has other plans. After granting Darby 3 wishes, unwillingly, King Brian bamboozles Darby out of two wishes, but Darby is smart enough to ask for a loving and successful marriage for Katie and Sean Connery. Of course, Katie and Connery are both bullheaded and there is a tussle with the town bully, yet somehow love prevails.

This is not where the action ends, however! Death arrives to claim a soul, and will not leave without one. This is heralded by the arrival of the Banshee, and it is quite terrifying for younger kids. You'll have to watch for yourself to see how this one ends, but, to be sure, even King Brian couldn't have asked for a better finale.

This movie has several classifications, but true to Disney form, there is singing. Sean Connery is involved in some of it, and though others may not find it a plus, I loved it. What a looker, too. King Brian and Darby even engage in a friendly musical duel, where they have to come up with rhymes until the other runs out of them! Here's one that King Brian made up:

Singin's no sin, and drinkin's no crime. If you have one drink only, just one at a time!"

Remembering that this movie was made in 1959, it has some pretty amazing special effects. The Banshee is probably what most will remember, a dark, haunting, howling figure coming from the hills, but I remember the leprechauns. Those dancing little happy men who party like it's 1999 all of the time. My favorite part of the whole movie is when they went underneath the mountain into the domain of the leprechauns. It's so magical and nothing really looks too fake. They just don't make movies anymore like this. It's like a legend or a fairy tale come to life.

Vital Stats

Rated: G
Running Time: 90 minutes
Directed by: Robert Stevenson
Released: 1959, 1977

*Note*: Disney no longer sells this video, but you may be able to find it at your local retailer!

Give this classic movie a try. I guarantee you'll love it so much that you will be forced to talk with a nice Irish brogue for hours after the movie has ended!



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8