Finian's Rainbow - Francis Ford Coppola

Finian's Rainbow is a difficult movie to write about. There are some great songs, and some great actors but in the midst of it are some really huge mis-steps. They may have worked back in 1969 when the film was first released but now they are totally wrong and difficult to watch.

Let me step back a bit. The show Finian's Rainbow was originally produced on Broadway in 1947, and played for over 700 performances. David Wayne won a Tony award in 1947 for his portrayal of Og (the leprechaun) and Michael Kidd won the same year for Choreography. Oddly, in 1948 it was nominated for best Conductor and Musical Director and Milton Rosenstock won. It was revived in 1955 at City Center (though not as an Encore as those didn't start till 1994). That 1955 production played 15 performances. Will Mahoney (playing Finian) was nominated for a Best Featured Actor at the 1956 Tony Awards. In 1960, another revival at City Center played 15 performances there, then transferred to the 46th Street Theater and played 12 more performances.  The most recent revival started previews on Oct 8, 2009, opened Oct 29th and played through Jan 17th. It was nominated for three Tony Awards - Best Revival, Best Actress (Kate Baldwin playing Sharon), and Best Featured Actor (Christopher Fitzgerald playing Og). The revival was also nominated for numerous other awards.

The show has music by Burton Lane, while the lyrics are by E.Y. Harburg, and Fred Saidy, and the book is by E. Y. Harburg. The story (and film) is about Finian (an Irish rogue played by Fred Astaire) who steals a pot of gold from a leprechaun named Og (played by Tommy Steele). Finian travels with his daughter Sharon (Petula Clark) to the fictional state of Missitucky so that he can bury the pot near Fort Knox and "grow" the gold. Og follows him (as losing the gold will eventually turn him human) and complications ensue when a racist and corrupt Southern Senator (Keenan Wynn) gets involved. Francis Ford Coppola directs the film and there are some really beautiful moments. The first dancing scene with Fred and Petula is during "Look to the Rainbow." Coppola knows enough to pull back and show all of Fred, and that is fantastic. Even though Fred isn't doing the large moves that he used to, he is still filled with grace. At the same time, there are certain moves that he and Hermes Pan (his choreographer) use often so those are here as well. While they are good moves, they don't have the same effect they may have from a younger Astaire.

The story has a really good intent. When Finian and Sharon arrive in Rainbow Valley, they discover a community made of white and black people, living together in harmony. Considering this was originally done in 1947, and filmed in 1969 - this was a pretty brave move. Then again, Harburg didn't seem to shy away from what he truly felt about social justice and equality. That is very commendable. This fits into the plot because the Senator tries to force the sharecroppers out of Rainbow Valley when he hears that there is gold there (the gold that Finian hid). He does this by telling them they are breaking the law by living with black people. Sharon is so offended by his bigotry that she states "I wish to God that you were black", not knowing that she is standing near the wish-granting pot of gold. The Senator becomes black and is chased off the land by the Sheriff. How this gets resolved - well, you'll need to watch the film to find out.

Now, I am not sure how the early stage productions handled this. I know that the 2009 revival had two men play the Senator - one white, and one black. The film, on the other hand, resorts to blackface. I have trouble watching some classic black and white films because of blackface. Sure I am willing to forgive it to some extent as they were made in the 1930's and '40's. However a film made in 1969 using blackface?? Totally unacceptable in my book.

That being said, the film is worth watching at least once. Not for the blackface, and certainly not for the very lame secondary plot about growing menthol tobaccco, but for the music and the performances. Fred is a classic and while there may be some missteps in this film, he is not one of them. Petula Clark is also very good. Tommy Steele...well, he may be good onstage but he is a bit big for the screen (if you know what I mean). All-in-all, most of the story and romance make up for the things I find difficult. And the score - Look to the Rainbow, How are things in Glocca Morra?, Old Devil Moon... so good.