When Irish Eyes Are Smiling: An Irish Parade of Stars (DVD)
This My Music special presents a nostalgic journey back to the 1950s and 1960s with long-unseen footage of beloved performers singing some of the greatest songs from and inspired by Ireland. The program appropriately opens on the streets of Dublin with the legendary crooner Bing Crosby offering a pair of Irish standards, Molly Malone and McNamara's Band. Actor Robert Mitchum teams with the Ames Brothers for the tender Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ra (An Irish Lullaby). Flame-haired film beauty Maureen O'Hara delivers a touching version of Look to the Rainbow from Finian's Rainbow and joins Rosemary Clooney for a rousing It's a Great Day for the Irish. The folk side is represented by the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem as well as songbird Judy Collins and one of Ireland's most long-lived ensembles, the Dubliners. The program concludes with a pair of emotional favorites (Danny Boy, The Fields of Athenry) by tenor Frank Patterson. Other popular performers on the program include Carmel Quinn, Pat O