THE FIGHTING PRINCE OF DONEGAL - I saw this when a teenager back in 1966, maybe as a supporting feature. One of those Walt Disney adventures, made in England, like his Fifties films on ROB ROY and THE TUDOR ROSE, and the early 60s ones like GREYFRIARS BOBBY, THE THREE LIVES OF THOMASINA, IN SEARCH OF THE CASTAWAYS and THE MOONSPINNERS.
This one has Peter McEnery as Hugh O'Donnell, an Irish rebel fighting the English back then (that might have been a hot potato durng the "Troubles" years of the 1970s, hence it not being in circulation then) - and Susan Hampshire, plus a host of Irish players, including Marie Kean. It would be fun to see again at this remove, but does not seem available at all now.
OH DAD, POOR DAD, MAMA'S HUNG YOU IN THE CLOSET, AND I'M FEELING SO SAD .... was an oddball Sixties play, we never got a chance to see the movie, perhaps one of Roz Russell's over the top roles - we may never know now.
Another McEnery title I saw at the time has finally resurfaced: Jerzy Skolimowski's 1970 caper THE ADVENTURES OF GERARD, with Claudia Cardinale plus Jack Hawkins and Eli Wallach, it was a fun romp, as I recall, so more on that when the dvd arrives ...
Oh Dad, Poor Dad...is an almost complete hash of a film that I finally was able to track down thanks to YouTube. Roz and company give it the old college try and certainly plunge into the macabre feeling of the piece but its an inch from a total misfire.
ReplyDeleteI love Susan Hampshire in everything so The Fighting Prince of Donegal is one I'm going on the hunt for. I'll have to cast around for the other too, thanks for the mentions I love to find obscure titles. I've found many gems that way.
Thanks Joel. Susan is perfect too as the witch in the forest in Disney's Three Lives of Thomasina in 1964. She is mainly retired now. I am doing a career profile on Peter McEnery soon, once I re-see The Adventures of Gerard.
ReplyDeleteTHE FIGHTING PRINCE OF DONEGAL used to turn on television years ago but I never managed to catch it either in the cinema or on telly. Living next door to Donegal it might have been fun seeing how it was NOT filmed there. OH DAD is one of those movies you feel you need to see if only for that title and Ms Russell.
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