Boy, this is about as Irish as it gets: accents, terminology that is foreign to most other people but fun to hear, leprechauns, pots of gold, three wishes (no more),other magic, Irish jigs and a few songs, lush countryside with plenty of green.....and a lot of good-natured blarney. It's old-fashioned, innocent fun, with a love story thrown in the mix.

The latter involves a very young-looking Sean Connery. It's a shock to see him when he was in his late '20s, and even more of a shock to hear him sing, too! Three years later, Connery hit the jackpot (acting, not singing) playing James Bond in "Dr. No," and the rest is history.

In this Walt Disney film, he plays "Michael McBride" who winds up falling for "Katie O'Gill." The latter is played by Janet Munro, a pretty woman who had the opposite screen success of Connery. After staring in a few of these Disney movies in which she played wholesome girls, she did an about-face and played unhappy and edgy characters and that, it turned out, was a poor choice. Alocholism then led to the tragic misfortune of contracting a fatal illness which killed her at the age of 38.

The lead character, "Darby O'Gill," is played very convincingly by Albert Sharpe. He was definitely the "character" of the story.

This movie is a nice, feel-good film filled with a laughing horse, the good guys winning over the bad, a few dramatic moments, singing and dancing "little people," and an assortment of Irish delights. I think kids would still like this film, even though it's dated with the special-effects, but that's to be expected. After all, the film is almost 50 years old. It has a pleasant feel to it and should still entertain folks today.

Until "Mary Poppins" came along, I don't think Hollywood took Walt Disney seriously as a live-action movie producer. James Baskett received a special Oscar for "Song of the South", as did Hayley Mills in 1960 for "Pollyanna". However a great many performances in Walt's early output deserved a more substantial recognition, such as James Robertson Justice in "The Sword and the Rose" and Albert Sharpe in this film. Playing storytelling Irish codger Darby O'Gill, Sharpe is charming spinning tall tales in a quaint village, capturing himself a real live leprechaun and being rewarded with three wishes before the little King is freed. Colorful outing for older children and nostalgic adults, relying less on sugary sentiment and doting tots than on old-fashioned whimsy. Sean Connery has a nice romance with Janet Munro (who is always a pleasure) and the special effects, particularly near the end, are quite marvelous. **1/2 from ****

For me this is one Disney's best and perhaps one of the more underrated live-action classics. It is a film that makes me smile and happy every time I see it. The special effects are marvellous and hold up surprisingly well today, for me only the banshee is a disappointment, but compared to the rest that's relative. The scenery is absolutely lovely and captured by some splendid cinematography, and the music is always delightful and catchy in how it sticks in your head, and I mean this in a good way. There is also a sweet and imaginative story and witty and charming dialogue. The acting is great, Albert Sharpe is wonderful and Janet Munro is good value. Sean Connery, before the time of James Bond, is dashing and likable, his singing is not great as such but I also don't mind it. In conclusion, this little film is a sheer delight. 10/10 Bethany Cox