Finian’s Rainbow (1968)

VHS CASE/SIDE

Length of film:  141 Minutes

Rated: U

Genre: Family, Fantasy, Musical

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Starring: Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, Tommy Steele, Don Francks, Keenan Wynn, Barbara Hancock, Al Freeman Jr., Ronald Colby

IMDB Rank: 6.1/10

Part 1 Time:  89 Minutes

Part 2 Time:  52 Minutes

Where does the first part end? The community is told that gold is present on Finian’s land.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: “Come and get it, day,” sings the towns people.

First line of dialogue on the second part: “When the idle poor, become the idle rich” sings Finian McLonergan (Fred Astre).

How jarring is it when the first part ends? Minimal, Finian McLonergan and the towns people are alerted to gold being present in the area. Finian is not surprised by the news as he has already met OG the leprechaun (Tommy Steele). They celebrate together by singing.

Which part is better? For the most part the film and script have not aged well to today’s standards, with many racial and stereotypical undertones. The songs are catchy but mostly forgettable, which is why Finian’s Rainbow is not memorable when compared to other 1960’s musicals. Part one is given the advantage due to the musical scores and progression of the story.

Academy Awards:1969; Best Sound (Nominated), Best Music- Score of a Musical Picture Original or Adaptation (Nominated)

Other Awards: 1969 Golden Globes; Best Comedy or Musical Picture (Nominated), Best Comedy or Musical Actress (Nominated- Petula Clark), Best Comedy or Musical Actor (Nominated- Fred Astaire), Best Supporting Actress (Nominated- Barbara Hancock)