Top o' the Morning

The plot of Top o' the Morning seemed like it had potential to be a good movie, but it just wasn't that fun. Bing Crosby had a few songs, but even those were forgettable. It wasn't funny, it didn't have much action, it wasn't a serious drama. An enjoyable movie should have at least one of those criteria, but this movie had none of them.

Richard Breen - with or without an 'L' wrote a couple of my favorite films - Pete Kelly's Blues, A Foreign Affair - plus several above average titles so it's strange to find his name on this leaden soufflé' but it was an early effort and everyone has to start somewhere. If you can accept the premise that someone did indeed steal the Blarney Stone leaving no trace then you may well enjoy this whimsey which relies on Crosby's charm. Burke and Van Heusen turned in a tuneful title song that may well be the best thing in it.

This was a very enjoyable movie. The plot sounds silly, but the script is quite witty and the characters are really well done. Barry Fitzgerald and Hume Cronyn are especially good as the police sergeant and his assistant. Bing Crosby plays Bing Crosby, but that's ok with me, since the songs in this one are lovely to listen to. The plot however, does turn surprisingly dark towards the end, but that's a minor point. I watched this on AMC so I'm sure it will play again sometime......if it's on, watch it......you won't be disappointed.