Jimmy O'Dea Movies

Father Carey (Nigel Patrick) is a priest who must decide whether or not an amnesia victim (Aldo Ray) is responsible for the murder of the alcoholic Irish writer Mulcahy (William Bendix) in this routine thriller. The question posed to Carey is whether or not the murderer acted on the word of God when the writer asked the Almighty to strike him dead. Father Carey comes to believe the killing was masterminded by Johnny's sweetheart Miss Floyd (Yvonne Mitchell). The small Irish village is put under public microscope with the murder and the sensational trial. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Baby boomers who may not remember the plot particulars of Walt Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People nonetheless retain fond memories of Disney's publicity campaign, which included an episode of the producer's weekly TV series, wherein the actor playing leprechaun king Brian (Jimmy O'Dea) was passed off as a genuine little person. One look at Darby O'Gill itself and one is willing to believe Disney's subterfuge. The story, based on the writings of H.T. Kavanagh, involves one Darby O'Gill (Albert Sharpe) an Irish tall-tale spinner who works as a caretaker. On the night that he is replaced by a younger man (Sean Connery), Darby heads home to tell his daughter Katie (Janet Munro) that he has lost his job. En route, he stumbles into the underground leprechaun kingdom, thanks to the intervention of King Brian, who wants to save Darby the shame of telling his daughter about his job. Advised that he will never be able to leave the land of the leprechauns, Darby escapes, and Brian follows. Because he stays above ground until dawn, Brian loses his powers and becomes the property of Darby, who won't let the leprechaun go until he grants three wishes. Brian tricks Darby out of the first two wishes, but is honor-bound to grant the third: that Darby's daughter Katie be wed to the handsome new caretaker. Before this can happen, Katie is seriously injured. As she lies comatose, the Death Coach descends from the sky to gather her to the heavens. Darby rapidly alters his third wish and begs that he be taken in Katie's place. Brian saves Darby's life by tricking him into making a fourth wish, which immediately cancels the first three. The young caretaker wins Katie on his own merits, and Darby has a whole new slew of stories with which to regale the villagers. The principal drawing card of Darby O'Gill and the Little People is its special effects, the most famous of which finds a life-sized Darby O'Gill fiddling away as hundreds of tiny leprechauns dance about him. Even in this era of computerized "F/X," few films have been able to duplicate the sublimely convincing visual magic -- and the effortless charm -- of this 1959 Disney effort. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dick Barton (Don Stannard) investigates the northern village of High Glen, where every living thing has suddenly died without any apparent explanation. Autopsies reveal that the brains of the victims were all shrunken -- literally dehydrated -- but there is no known scientific process that would explain how this could happen. Barton must not only determine the cause, but also its connection, if any, to the mysterious Mr. Fouracada (Sebastian Cabot) and the murder of Crespin, a British agent who was returning from Prague with news of a plot against England. While Barton is investigating the first tragedy, another village is destroyed, making it imperative that he tie up the ends of the case before more people die -- and figure out what the connection of all of it may be to a traveling fair that was seen in the vicinity of both villages before they were wiped out. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

An Irish fellow is determined to become a singing radio star. Unfortunately, fate seems to be determined to thwart him at every turn in this comedy. The trouble begins when he leaves his Irish village to go to a British radio station where he believes he is going to get his big chance to sing. Unfortunately, he soon discovers that he is to be a contestant in a spelling bee. This enrages him and he winds up throwing a major fit on the air. The resulting publicity lands him a talent agent who believes that the recent press will make the Irishman a singing star. It is not to be, and the agent loses his job. He and the Irishman end up drowning their sorrows, commandeering a sports broadcast where their drunken comments and shenanigans inspire the station to hire them as comedians. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this early film from director Sir Carol Reed, Edmund Gwenn stars as Joe Higgins, a hardworking tugboat captain who is ecstatic when he learns that he has won a lucrative soccer pool. To celebrate, Higgins quits his job and invites all his pals to the local tavern for a wingding. But during the party, the validity of the Liverpudlian captain's win comes into question. Star Gwenn would later be remembered by most movie lovers for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Kris Kringle in 1947's Miracle on 34th Street. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Set sometime during the 19th century, Blarney deals with the exploits of Irish prizefighter James Carabine (Ralph Graves). Aspiring to become the greatest bare-knuckle boxer in the world, Carabine stows away on a boat bound for America. On the verge of being discovered, our hero is rescued by another immigrant, Peggy Nolan (Rene Adoree), who pays for his fare. Instead of displaying gratitude, Carabine gives Peggy the heave-ho at the first opportunity, the better to dally with vixenish concert singer Marcalina (Paulette Duval). But when Carabine is defeated in his first bout by champion Blanco Johnson (Malcolm Waite), the fickle Marcalina shifts her loyalties to the champ. With the help and support of the still-loyal Peggy, Carabine gets back on his professional feet and defeats Johnson in a return match, whereupon he realizes that Peggy was the right girl for him from the outset. Based on a true story, Blarney more than lives up to its title by playing fast and loose with the facts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide