Too many fans seem to be blown away

Perfect cast and a good story

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Years ago, I read James Cagney's autobiography. In it he talked about 'the Irish mafia'--a group of very close friends he had on and off camera. This is a rare case where all four members of this group were together in the same film--Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Frank McHugh and Allan Jenkins (fine, I don't think Jenkins was Irish--but he was still a member of this group of friends). It looks like the friends had a lovely time making the film but it is an awfully lightweight and rather brainless film. Enjoyable...but brainless.Ma O'Hara (Mary Gordon) has three grown sons that live with her: Danny (Cagney), Pat (O'Brien) and Mike (McHugh). While Pat and Mike respectable jobs, Danny, the youngest, is a bit of a dreamer and hopes to make his fortune managing boxers. However, he has nothing to show for his efforts and Ma is hoping he'll soon follow in his brothers' footsteps.Into this family come two people. First, a brainless boxer named 'Carbarn' (Jenkins)--and he's the least likely looking boxer I can recall having seen in film. Second, Pat brings home Lucille (Olivia de Havilland) and plans on marrying her. However, they barely know each other and Pat is seriously premature. To make it worse, Lucille has already met Danny...and is quite interested. So what's to become of all these characters? Well, it all comes to a head at one of the most ridiculous boxing matches on film where a first-time fighter gets to fight the champ!!! The whole picture is ridiculous and mindless...but also kind of fun. It's a turn your brain off and enjoy sort of time-passer. Agreeable but very, very slight due to the fluff-like plot that never seems the least bit real. What saves it is the likability of the actors...period.

So it's St. Patrick's Day, and something tells me to go through my unviewed stack of Jimmy Cagney films. I get to "The Irish In Us" and figure it's got to be cosmic serendipity, there's no question that this is the one for today. This 1935 film offers all the elements of an early Warner Brothers flick set in New York City, and an opening scene gets things going as Ma O'Hara (Mary Gordon) uses the old clothesline transfer to send a stick of butter to her neighbor across the way. Living in The City back then was probably pretty cool, it certainly played on screen as a 'good old days' kind of memory.The title of the picture never even gives a hint that it's going to be a boxing story built around a romance, which itself is built around a rivalry between a pair of brothers, with a third brother thrown in for good measure. You couldn't ask for a better Irish trio than Pat O'Brien, Cagney, and Frank McHugh as the O'Hara's, and since it was a '30's era First National Picture, they found a way to get Allen Jenkins involved as well, as a moniker challenged fighter named Carbarn Hammerschlog, by way of Hershkowitz. Jenkins' bit consists of swinging away wildly any time he hears a bell ring, and that happens just enough times not to wear out it's welcome.The main story though, has to do with Lucille Jackson (Olivia DeHavilland) coming between Pat (O'Brien) and Danny (Cagney), which forces Ma O'Hara to use all her motherly skills to keep the family from falling apart. There's really no question how all this will turn out, except for the result of the boxing finale which would be virtually impossible. I mean, even Rocky Balboa didn't win his first title fight, and he was ripped from a training regimen that would have put Danny and Carbarn into intensive care. I guess simpler times called for simpler solutions.You know, I couldn't help thinking how much this picture resembled an East Side Kids flick from the same era. Cagney could have been Leo Gorcey's Muggs, O'Brien would have been Bobby Jordan's Danny, and I never realized how much of a resemblance there was between Allen Jenkins and Huntz Hall until he did his slapstick thing here. The East Siders also did a fair amount of boxing themed pictures, so from that perspective it isn't too much of a stretch.It's too bad the film isn't available commercially; mine is from a private collector as are many of Cagney's earliest pictures. It's worth trying to catch it on one of the cable channels, most notably Turner Classics when they get into a Cagney riff. Come to think of it, they might have done that today, but I haven't checked. As a final thought, Frank McHugh and Allen Jenkins made quite a few pictures between them supporting Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. For an interesting switch from a boxing format to one involving professional wrestling, catch the pair in a 1938 Bogart picture called "Swing Your Lady". Once again, not available commercially, but it's worth it to catch Bogey in his goofiest role.

Irish in Us, The (1935) *** (out of 4) James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh play brothers in this lightweight Warner comedy/drama. Cagney and O'Brien have a falling out after Cagney steals his girl (Olivia de Havilland) and this leads to various problems, which comes full on during a boxing match. This film really doesn't offer anything new in the various teamings of Cagney and O'Brien but there's enough charm here to make the film worth watching. Cagney and O'Brien always work well together and that's true here as the two make for some nice laughs and fighting. McHugh and Allen Jenkins add nice comic support in their roles and it seems Allen's character, a boxer who goes nuts when he hears a bell, was inspired by The Three stooges short Punch Drunk. de Havilland is also very good here in her supporting role. The film ends on a ten or fifteen minute boxing match, which is shot very nice, although it does lead to a rather hokey ending.

"The Irish in Us" is a fine Cagney venue. He is surrounded by a good supporting cast with Pat O'Brien (Patrick O'Hara), Frank McHugh (Mike O'Hara) and Allen Jenkins (Carbarn Hammerschlog). Olivia de Havilland (Lucille Jackson) gives a solid and steady performance in only her second movie of her career. Veteran actress Mary Gordon (Ma O'Hara) lends a strong presence as the tough but caring Irish mother. The chemistry between the two women is very believable. The boxing scene between Harvey Parry (Joe Delancy), the champ and Cagney is non-stop action packed and shows Cagney at his best. I highly recommend this movie for all.