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Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery, Jimmy O'Dea, Kieron Moore ... see more see more... , Estelle Winwood , Walter Fitzgerald , Denis O'Dea , J.G. Devlin , Jack MacGowran , Farrell Pelly , Nora O'Mahony , Maureen Halligan , Nora O'Mahoney

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... read more read more... 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, Rovi

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13 critics

G, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Robert Stevenson

Release Date: January 1, 1959

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DVD Release Date: August 3, 2004

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Darby O'Gill and the Little People Janet Munro Janet Munro and Sean Connery Darby O'Gill and the Little People
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Flixster Reviews (488)

  • superclerk25
    September 9, 2007
    superclerk25
    I liked it when I was a kid. Seeing Connery so young is a little strange. The banshee in the movie was pretty scary when I was a kid and I think it still gives me a chill just thinking about it.
  • fb653545547
    April 29, 2012
    fb653545547
    Inconsequential Disney. Darby O'Gill doesn't come up in any list of Disney classics or fondly remembered films from the studio. Why? It's a little fantasy designed to cash in on a culture instead of telling a quality story. The biggest hurdle for the family audience is the t... read morehick accents of the main cast, while the somewhat plodding story tends to be an issue as well. It's not a badly made movie; it's just "meh." The forced perspective shots of the leprechauns, though, is a treat.
  • crazydannielle16
    November 2, 2007
    crazydannielle16
    Little known precious gem.
  • placeinthesun455
    December 16, 2010
    placeinthesun455
    a great little pot o' gold from the depths of the Disney vaults. light-hearted, funny, clever, and just a really well-made film. impressive special effects and a wonderful cast of characters--the feisty Albert Sharpe, the beautifully charming Janet Munro, and a brogued and singi... read moreng Sean Connery. for a movie featuring a character named King Brian of the Leprechauns, I can't believe I only recently discovered this movie. fun and enjoyable for the whole family.
  • kurtastbury
    June 30, 2010
    kurtastbury
    Walt Disney, you were a scary man indeed. This quote from your movie proves it.

    "My thanks to king Brian of Knocknasheega and his leprechauns." -- Walt Disney

    First of all, what is the movie about exactly? I have no idea. I just finished gaping at it for 93 minutes and I'm ... read moremore confused now than when I started. All I know for sure is that a twenty something Sean Connery is forced into a relationship he's not looking for by a trickster leprechaun with an ulterior motive. Then five seconds later everyone is kissing and gawking like it was meant to be. And, just when it looks like the good guys have lost, they haven't. Their savoir? Sheer stupidity. So what does that teach us exactly? Let me recant the tale to help you better understand my quandary.

    Darby O'Gill, resident leprechaun expert, is the caretaker of property for some important dude. The important dude decides Darby is too damn old and bony to keep up with all the work so he hires the young, grinning Sean Connery to replace him. The important dude gives Darby two weeks notice before he and his daughter have to move out of their rent free housing and into ... rent free housing that Darby doesn't like as much. IT'S A CATASTROPHIC TRAGEDY! Darby decides that he won't tell his daughter a word of it until after he's figured out the perfect way to tell her. One night he's walking along the countryside for no reason when his horse Cleopatra wanders up Mt. Knocknasheega. That just so happens to be where the leprechauns live. You see, Darby had an unfortunate encounter with the leprechaun king before. He wished for health, a good crop of potatoes, and gobs of gold. Then, being an idiot he wished for a 4th wish and lost all of his previous wishes. This time though it would seem that he is at the mercy of the leprechaun king. The king tells him that he can never leave the subterranean dwelling of the leprechauns. Upon hearing this news he gets all indignant, like the district 5 hockey team, stating the numerous times he's stood up for the rights of the little people. Somehow this conversation turns into Darby playing a Stradivarius violin like a fiddle for 3 solid minutes. Only he doesn't just play, he plays faster and faster until the little dancing leprechauns can't keep up anymore. They hop on their tiny mounts and leave the cave. Darby manages to barely get out before the front door hits him in the backside.

    Once home he gathers his effects and begins his rudimentary yet nefarious leprechaun subversion scheme. Success! With king Brian at his beck and call he can now contemplate his remaining two wishes. In the very next scene Sean Connery is singing away about his dear darl'n one and Katie brings him lunch. It MUST be love.

    Then Darby goes and fetches a hand me down church bell which was extremely difficult for some reason? This makes him the talk of the town, that and his leprechaun bag. Later that evening Darby is tackled by a wily Connery in a UFC heavyweight bout, uh I mean ... Connery thought Darby was a poacher. It is then and there that Darby blows his second wish by wishing that Connery could see king Brian. FACEPALM! King Brian tricks Darby and only reveals himself to be a rabbit. DAG!

    That same evening Darby says he won't wish his final wish until he can figure out how to make his girl happy. King Brian hatches a plan and pays a not so clandestine visit to a slumbering Sean Connery. He tries to talk Sean into marrying Darby's daughter Katie, seemingly without success.

    Then Sean takes king Brian's advice and takes Katie to the top of Mt. Knocknasheega. They deny their feelings for a bit and then, EUREKA, she kisses him in true Disney fashion. Just as everything seems to be going so well disaster strikes. Katie finds out about Sean taking her pappy's jerb and she aint so pleased about it. She slaps him right in his soup cooler and storms off into the night. This of course leads to her falling and knocking herself unconscious. Darby goes after her but he has to face the wrath of the Banshee as well as the stormy night. He and Sean find her but she's out cold so they take her home.

    Later on the DEATH COACH comes for Katie. Darby, being of sound mind and judgement, decrees that his final wish is to die in place of his daughter. How noble. Too bad he forgot about the 4th wish thing again! So he's riding along in the death coach when king Brian cajoles him into wishing his fourth wish causing all of them go away. Darby is flung from the flying coach with notable velocity and falls to earth like a meat magnet.

    The next day Darby is at the pub bragging about his DEATH COACH ride when Pony makes fun of him again. This time ol' Seanny boy is there to punch him right in the eye. This makes everyone laugh at Pony and Sean wins the affection of Katie. They ride off together singing the My Dear My Darl'n One song.

    The end. Aww.

    So what was the moral of that story I spoke of earlier? If you're dumb enough, long enough, eventually you win.

    What are my favorite quotes from this movie?

    Darby - "Watch out for poachers!" His advice to Sean Connery.

    King Brian - "It was presented to me by the emperor of the Italian faries in 1700. It's a Stradivarius." This was spoken as he describes the "fiddle" he gave to Darby.

    What are some interesting facts related to this movie?

    1. Sean Connery can sing?
    2. Albert Sharpe who plays Darby was born in EIGHTEEN EIGHTY FIVE!!! 1885! Imagine this, you're watching Back to the Future 3. You see the baby, William McFly. That is how old Albert Sharpe was. Is your mind blown yet?
    3. It makes popular the fourth wish limitation. I never knew about that.
    4. Banshees are harmless.
    5. When you die a stage coach from hell comes to pick you up like Enterprise rent-a-car.
    6. Leprechauns looks like rabbits to people who can't see them.
    7. It's ok to charge the church money to pick up hand me down church bells.
    8. Playing the fiddle can force leprechauns out of their home.
    9. It's possible to have a tough reputation and be named "Pony."
    10. Darby is an idiot.

    This is not Disney's worst movie by far. Should you watch this movie? Sure, why not. You probably have seen it before at some point, it is 51 years old after all. If not give it a shot, what have you go to lose besides 93 minutes?
  • Zibbs
    March 19, 2010
    Zibbs
    Connery's first flick - This is a delightful film made back in the day about an old man (not Connery) who wanted to capture and present a Leprachaun to his neighbors and prove that he wasn't insane. The plot thickens when Banshees try to steal his daughters life, and both this ol... read mored man and Connery won't have it! - Great family fun!
  • jam233
    February 1, 2010
    jam233
    Lavishly produced and it shows. Vivid art direction and cinematography, fine costumes, well edited and the special effects are terrific. Beautifully done. It is a bit slow on occasion, but overall the film is quite good.
  • Sheiob
    January 16, 2010
    Sheiob
    A cute little film. Albert Sharpe is fantastic as Darby O'Gill, and Sean Connery and Janet Munro have great chemistry. Things get a little weird towards the end, and the film gets over-ambitious with some of the special effects, but it's an enjoyable story.
  • JonnyMac78
    December 9, 2008
    JonnyMac78
    Great kids movie especially for irish american or irish people kids. Definately a st patty's day favorite to watch.
  • yarkamman
    February 7, 2008
    yarkamman
    Three fairy tale stories woven into one feature film focusing on the never-ending rivalry between a charmingly crotchety old Irish Bloke, and the KING of the Leprechauns! If that's not enough to convince you to see this film, bear in mind that a strapping young Sean Connery sings!

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Critic Reviews

A.H. Weiler
March 25, 2006
A.H. Weiler, New York Times

[An] overpoweringly charming concoction of standard Gaelic tall stories, fantasy and romance. Full Review

Douglas Pratt
March 10, 2008
Douglas Pratt, DVDLaser

The film presents a series of utterly charming moments, some magical and some down-to-earth but, considering the setting, equally utopian.

David Nusair
June 21, 2007
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...ultimately an entertaining (if all-too-slight) piece of work. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
April 30, 2007
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

One of the rare few family movies that should enchant both children and grown-ups. Full Review

Ken Hanke
March 14, 2007
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

I have to admit that by the second or third time I saw leprechauns depicted as magical by speeding up the film, I was hoping for someone to show up with a gun. Full Review

February 11, 2006
Time Out

For those of a sentimental turn, there is the delight of watching young Connery romancing the ineffably wholesome Janet Munro, a couple of years before things turned nasty for Commander Bond at Crab K... Full Review

John J. Puccio
September 25, 2004
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

It's a delightful movie filled with delightful characters, delightful scenery, and delightful special effects. Full Review

July 30, 2003
TV Guide's Movie Guide

This excellent fantasy romps through the folklore world of Ireland. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
August 19, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Frank Swietek
September 3, 2004
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion

No review available.

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Darby O'Gill and the Little People Trivia

Darby O'Gill and the Little Peopl... Trivia

  • Sean Connery shows us his lyrical voice singing with Janet Munro in ______.  Answer »
  • In Darby O'Gill and the Little People, who played Micheal?  Answer »
  • Who is the young actor in Darby O'Gill and the Little People?  Answer »
  • In the classic Disney movie, Darby O'Gill and the Little People, what was the Costa Bower that Darby feared?   Answer »
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