Rooney (film)

Rooney
Directed by	George Pollock
Screenplay by	Patrick Kirwan
Based on	novel Rooney by Catherine Cookson
Produced by	George H. Brown
Starring	John Gregson Muriel Pavlow Barry Fitzgerald
Cinematography	Christopher Challis
Edited by	Peter Bezencenet
Music by	Philip Green
Production company	George H. Brown Productions
Distributed by	Rank Organisation
Release dates	24 March 1958 (1958-03-24) (London, England)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Rooney is a 1958 British comedy film directed by George Pollock and starring John Gregson, Muriel Pavlow and Barry Fitzgerald. The screenplay was by Patrick Kirwan based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Catherine Cookson.

Plot

The film depicts the life of James Ignatius Rooney, a Gaelic sportsman at the weekends, and a Dublin rubbish collector during the week.

Cast

• John Gregson as James Ignatius Rooney
• Muriel Pavlow as Maire Hogan
• Barry Fitzgerald as Grandfather
• June Thorburn as Doreen O'Flynn
• Noel Purcell as Tim Hennessy
• Marie Kean as Mrs. O'Flynn
• Liam Redmond as Mr. Doolan
• Jack MacGowran as Joe O'Connor
• Eddie Byrne as Mickey Hart
• Philip O'Flynn as Paddy Ryan
• Harold Goldblatt as Police Inspector
• Pauline Delaney as Mrs. Wall
• Godfrey Quigley as Tom Reilly
• Irene Browne as Mrs. Manning ffrench
• Joan Phillips as Sheila O'Flynn

Production

Clive Donner said he was offered the job of directing the film after having made his feature debut with The Secret Place (1957) but he turned it down.

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Rooney begins quite promisingly: a jaunty theme-song is heard over the credits, the Dublin locations are well presented and the central situation has a gentle charm. With the entrance of the hero into the snobbish O'Flynn household, however, the film takes on an undesirably mawkish tone. A livly quartet of comic Irish dustmen (Eddie Byrne, Philip O'Flynn, Jack MacGowan, Noel Purcell) plus Barry Fitzgerald's crusty ancient provide the story's firmest assets."

Picturegoer wrote: "Raise your hat to your dustman, he's a man in a million. This gentle, kindly comedy, as homely as stout and Irish stew, sets out to prove that where there's muck – there's a lot of laughs."

Bosley Crowther in The New York Times gave the film a mixed review though he added that, "we must say, John Gregson goes at the title role of the happy young bachelor dustman with a lively good nature and comic will."

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "good", writing: "Irish fable has realistic backgrounds, some charm."

Tony Sloman in the Radio Times gave the piece three out of five stars, calling it "really quite charming."

Allmovie found the film "Stronger on characterisation than plot," noting that "The film is at its best when the camera roams around the misty streets of Dublin, and at its worst when it pauses for sentiment."

Box office

Kinematograph Weekly listed it as being "in the money" at the British box office in 1958.

External links

• Rooney at IMDb