Noel Purcell Movies

Henry Devere Stacpoole's lyrical novel The Blue Lagoon was rather chastely filmed in 1921. The 1949 remake is a tad more explicit, though it's hardly as racy as the 1980 Brooke Shields version. Two British children, Emmeline (Susan Stranks) and Michael (Peter Jones), are shipwrecked on a tropical island in the company of kindly old salt Paddy Button (Noel Purcell). Eventually, Paddy dies, leaving Emmeline and Michael, now attractively grown up and played by Jean Simmons and Donald Houston, all alone. Their relationship, more along the lines of brother and sister in their youth, blossoms into love, and then passion. Emmeline has a baby, and the two live as common-law husband and wife, content in their solitude..until.. Filmed in lush Technicolor, The Blue Lagoon was considered fairly exotic and somewhat risque back in 1949, though by current standards the film is a model of decorum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this Irish comedy, the rivalry between the free state and Ulster is chronicled. The story centers around a handyman who fixes the car of two criminals and subsequently gets involved with them after his bag gets mixed up with theirs. Theirs contains stolen jewels and the crooks are eager to retrieve it. The mechanic doesn't figure it out until later. When he does, he realizes that the crooks are his neighbors in disguise. He then enlists the aid of a town cop. Meanwhile cops on both the Northern and Southern border attempt to find the robbers. A romance between a pub owner's daughter falls in love with a man from one side while her father, for whom the handyman is now working, attempts to marry her to a man from the other side. At the film's end, it is the town cop who solves the case and gets the bonny lass. ~ Sandra Brennan, 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