User Reviews

I have to confess some disappointment in Little Nellie Kelly. Not that I was disappointed with the performances of Judy Garland and the rest of the cast. But I was actually hoping to see an adaption of some kind of George M. Cohan's musical comedy that ran 276 performances during the 1922-23 season on Broadway. But other than the title song and another number, this is not what ran on Broadway at the time. Pity because I would like to have seen just what a George M. Cohan musical comedy was all about. Other than the straight drama/mystery Seven Keys To Baldpate none of Cohan's work was ever brought to the sound screen.

I'm surprised that this film is not run as often as The Quiet Man in and around St. Patrick's Day every year. The story has Judy Garland playing a mother and daughter. Mother marries George Murphy over in Ireland to the distress of her father Charles Winninger. After all of them emigrate to America, Judy dies giving birth to Judy. So the young girl is raised by her father and maternal grandfather.

Which wasn't easy to do because Winninger and Murphy quarrel rather stupidly and don't speak to each other even though they're living in the same household. If it wasn't for the fact that Winninger is helping to raise Garland his granddaughter by staying at home, Murphy would have and should have thrown him out years ago. Winninger is just plain allergic to work.

In the scenes he's in Winninger's a lovable loafer and really steals everything he's in. Barry Fitzgerald must not have been available though his brother Arthur Shields is in the film as the father of Douglas MacPhail that the younger Garland falls for. Winninger is playing a part Barry would normally have been cast in. He and Garland clicked so well that they were cast as father and daughter again in Ziegfeld Girl the following year.

The soundtrack is an odd mix of Cohan's songs, Irish ditties, and some new numbers and for Judy, a revival of Singing In The Rain which producer Arthur Freed coincidentally enough wrote the lyrics for. However her best number is with Douglas MacPhail, It's A Great Day For The Irish which she made a Decca record of as a solo backed by The Wearing Of The Green. It's a more modern version of the same type of song as MacNamara's Band.

Judy's worldwide legion of fans will love Little Nellie Kelly. Still it might have been nice to have one of George M. Cohan's musicals done in some fashion.

Not a great movie, by any means, but with judicious use of your fast forward button, you can enjoy a delectable performance by Judy Garland, both as actress and singer.

Up to this point in her career--with the exception of "The Wizard of Oz"- -Judy Garland had been playing second fiddle to Mickey Rooney pretty much non-stop. Now, without him, she comes into her own, and becomes the belle of the ball.

The rest of the cast is mildly appealing, with the exception of Charles Winninger. He plays a man so selfish that everyone else's indulgence of him seems astounding.

My advice: fast forward to Judy as young Nelly Kelly.

Not my favorite Judy Garland film but still it's my favorite singer from that era of the movies. It was funny and worth watching

Judy Garland and the whole cast was awesome and yes it Well worth watching, James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 11/2020

George M. Cohan's famous musical comedy of the early 1900's became Judy Garland's first young adult movie role after her role as pre-teenager Dorothy Gale in "The Wizard of Oz". It was also her best role and best performance, second to "Oz", prior to "Meet Me in St. Louis". The story tells of a feisty young Irish lass, Nellie Noonan, who falls in love with a handsome Irish cop, Jerry Kelly (George Murphy), then moves to America. Her pig-headed Irish father, Mike Noonan (Charles Winnger), follows, in spite of the fact that he hated seeing his beautiful little girl get married and leave him. When Nellie gives birth to a little girl, tragedy strikes, leaving Jerry and Mike to pick up the pieces and raise Little Nellie Kelly together.

Little Nellie is equally as feisty as her mother, but is modernized and very American. She has the affection of many local boys, most especially Dennis Fogarty (Douglas MacPhail), a clean-cut young lad who has the approval of Jerry, but not Grandfather Mike who wants to keep Nellie all to himself. Nellie triumphs by singing in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, and later at a huge party.

During her teenage years, perky Judy Garland appeared mostly opposite the sometimes too energetic Mickey Rooney; MGM always seemed to consider her not as glamorous as their other young stars, Ann Rutherford and Lana Turner, but in "Little Nellie Kelly", she is the epitome of confidence and youthful joy and happiness. There are no down-putting ballads here, like "In Between", "I'm Nobody's Baby", and "But Not For Me" from the Rooney films. For example, as the older Nellie Kelly, she delivers a very poignant "A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow", later reprised by the younger Nellie in a swing version. In the St. Patrick's Day parade, she leads the chorus in the production number "It's a Great Day For the Irish!" with a confidence her characters lacked in the Rooney films. Then, at the party, she sings a swinging version of the decade old standard "Singin' in the Rain", with special introduction lyrics added just for Judy. Later, Judy herself is serenaded by her admirers in the George M. Cohan song from the original show, "Nellie Kelly, I Love You!". While it is obvious that the play's story was somewhat altered to modernize it for the early 40's, it still retains Cohan's charm. Judy also lost the nervous gestures she was forced to use in the Rooney films and acts with grace and confidence.

Charles Winninger is amusing as the lovable but hard-hearted grandfather, especially in a sequence where he stirs up a union struggle when Little Nellie tries to get him to work at a construction site; George Murphy goes from young romantic hero to proud and loving father without blinking an eye; The future senator is totally at ease here, and is quite likable. Douglas MacPhail went from second lead in "Babes in Arms" to Garland's love interest, singing "Nellie Kelly, I Love You" with his surprisingly mature deep voice. The rest of the cast is fine too, in much smaller roles, most notably familiar character actress Almira Sessions in the brief role of baby Nellie's nurse.

A minor movie for Garland/Dorothy, living at Ireland she decides to marry with Jerry Kelly (George Murphy) against the will of his jealous father, they came to America bringing in tow the odd father, there she sadly died at first pregnancy, his daughter survives and grow up, Dorothy plays a double role, Dorothy didn't get in same level of the splendor, the picture caught by an ultra nationalism that sounds shallow, they describe America as a perfect world, like a paradise, pure propaganda, who gave a survival time to the movie certainly was Charles Winninger who steal the show and became the movie more palatable to us, for grandpa performance I'm willing to increase my grade that was 6.5 to 7, thanks Charles you are the body and soul of this average musical!!!

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First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

As others have commented, the film does (on its face) have things to (potentially) enjoy: Judy's singing, Arthur Freed's handiwork, Cohan's songs, and a possible musical and comic look at Irish immigrants in New York. But in almost every way the film stiffs. Judy climbs from the wreckage (as usual) unscathed: her freshness and energy nearly making the film and songs rise to the level of entertainment. But George Murphy is the complacent stiff, the songs are mostly mediocre at best (except for a jazzy "Singin' In The Rain' by Judy), and worst of all "Grandpa" is a character who - although meant to be curmudgeonly and adorable in his irascibility - comes off as almost criminally abusive, ruining his daughter's one leap at married bliss, and doing a good number on his grand-daughter's as well. The actor in that role (the usually reliable Charles Winninger) gives an unlikeable and near one-note performance which constantly grates, until the viewer wants to strangle him. This may or may not have been purposeful, but - in terms of making the film (a light musical affair) bearable to watch - it is a disaster. You feel both aggravated by Grandpa's insistent hostility towards the happiness of others, and put off by the passivity of others toward his ugly and pointless behavior over the course of years. I don't think this is the stuff of light entertainment, but of a psychological essay. Grandpa's just a jerk...

It is true that every now and then you will find an unheralded film to be undeserving of its anonymity. This is not one of those cases: the film drags along, forgettable song after forgettable song, stiff actor after stiff actor, sentimental stereotype after sentimental stereotype, and all made worse by that horrible Irish stew pot of a Grandpa. This one can be skipped without feeling cheated.

George M. Cohan has the last laugh on me. His hit Broadway musical Little Nellie Kelly was adapted into a film in 1940, and I almost turned it off. Judy Garland with an Irish accent? Charles Winninger as her stubborn, unreasonable, ridiculously Irish father? I thought I was in for 98 minutes of silliness. It turns out, Little Nellie Kelly almost made me cry! It's a very touching story, a perfect movie to rent on St. Patrick's Day or Father's Day.

Charles Winninger is extremely stubborn and protective over his only child, Judy Garland. When George Murphy wants to court her, Charles forbids it. When she and George marry, he practically disowns her. He's going to seem outrageous at that part of the movie, and you'll think to yourself, "I hope he doesn't have a big part in the movie." Well, he does have a big part in the movie. Don't let the silly title fool you; this is a heavy family affair. It shows how fathers cope with the transition from daughter to woman, and the impact a stubbornness or hatred can have on the younger generation.

I don't want to tell you too much more about the plot, but I recommend you rent it if father-daughter movies make you cry. You won't believe it at the start, but Charles becomes a relatable character, and when George becomes a father himself, he gives a very good performance. Judy gets less irritating as the film progresses, and during the title song, she gets dolled up and dressed in a gorgeous gown by Dolly Tree, looking prettier than she's ever looked.

So, call your dad and invite him over for lunch and a movie. Even if you don't cry, I guarantee he will!

When the film begins, Nellie (Judy Garland) is living with her father, Michael (Charles Winninger), in Ireland. Inexplicably, Michael is against Nellie marrying Jerry Kelly (George Murphy)--and the reason for this is never explained in the film. Soon after Jerry and Nellie marry, they head to America--and Michael follows (even though he vowed never to leave Ireland). Then, Michael moves in with them--though this makes no sense. Michael refuses to talk to Jerry and is a nasty old b--, I mean, 'jerk'.

Later, Nellie dies during childbirth--and still Michael won't talk to Jerry---yet he continues to live with him! The child, also called Nellie, grows up to be...Judy Garland!! Yes, Judy plays both her mother and daughter--a bad Hollywood cliché. And, during all this time, STILL Michael won't talk to Jerry--yet is allowed to live with them. Considering all the divisiveness caused by Michael, the film made no sense--Jerry SHOULD have thrown the old jerk out long ago. Oh, and did I mention that Michael refuses to get a job and doesn't work for decades?! Overall, he's a terribly written and completely unsympathetic character who seemed to take pleasure in ruining his daughter's and granddaughter's lives. He really needed to be written better--a serious weakness in the film AND people in the film shouldn't have put up with his abusiveness. He should have been written as a lovable grouch--instead he comes off as a nasty creep who you want to see get hit by a bus or beaten to death by all the people this nightmare of a character insults during the course of the film!!!

It's a shame because Winninger's boorish character completely overpowers Garland's nice performance. At only 18, she is very poised--especially when playing the mother. And, while I didn't love the song selection, she did a great job. This film didn't seem to hurt her career any--but it SHOULD have been a much better showcase for her amazing talents, not a showcase for poor writing and a hateful character.

By the way, although it didn't hurt the film any, George Murphy's Irish accent was amazingly absent. With a name like Murphy, you'd have thought he could have done better. Additionally, on a sad note, Judy's love interest later in the film, Dennis (Douglas McPhail), killed himself just a few years after making this picture. He had an incredible voice.

Grandpa, Charles Winninger, just should've toned it down a notch. He didn't have to become totally mild mannered. If he was to just be more of a lovable grouch type instead of totally bitter and abrasive, this film would've been a 10. Judy Garland herself was a 10++. She was wonderful in this film. In both roles, as Nelly Kelly sr. and Nelly Kelly Jr. In Ireland in 1922, Nelly sr. is in love with George Murphy, and accepts his marriage proposal and they marry. Grandpa is completely steamed up about this and wants nothing to do with George. As miserable and unpleasant Grandpa is though, he still holds an unconditional love towards his daughter, Nelly Sr. and his granddaughter, Nelly Jr. calling them both "the apple of me eye". One of the reasons Grandpa is so bitter towards George is that he is just so overprotective of his daughter. But there is no reason for him to try and stop them from falling in love and being happy. And there is no reason for him to continue to have such a high level of hatred towards George. Anyway, George and Nelly Sr., with grandpa in tow, sail ship to America, New York. Nelly sr. gives birth to a daughter, but sadly Nelly sr. dies from complications of giving birth. The daughter is named Nelly Kelly jr., in honor of her mother. Judy's death scene actually brought out tears in me. I don't shed tears in films that easily, but with Judy Garland, in this film and in "Me and my gal", I have formed a couple tears. In many of her movies I get somewhat close to that level. Judy is just so beautiful and sweet and charming with a voice from heaven. She is like, almost ethereal. Judy sings " A pretty girl milking her cow". She sings it twice, once as Jr. and once as Sr. She sings it beautifully, especially as Nelly Sr. during a very heartwarming scene near the beginning of the film with her adding a little Irish gaelic to the song. She is just so pure, charming, and wonderful here talking about believing in the stars, kissing and falling in love with George for the first time. Judy is a true angel. She also sings "Singing in the rain" and "Its a great day for the Irish", both as Nelly Jr., wonderfully. We see a montage as little Nelly is growing up. We see a few photographs of Nelly jr. as a child during the montage. Im quite sure that these were real photos of Judy, Frances Gumm as a child. In the present, well 1942, Judy as Nelly jr., is stunning and pretty when she's grown up. She meets and falls in love with Douglas Macphail. She's passionate and romantic with a lovely voice, just like her mother. The title song at the end with Judy on the dance floor is also wonderful. This film is just pure Hollywood golden age magic.

Irish-accented Judy Garland (as Nellie) ignores the objections of lazy father Charles Winninger (as Michael "Mike" Noonan) and marries ambitious George Murphy (as Jerry Kelly). The trio immigrate to the United States and become citizens. The years pass quickly and center stage switches to identical singing daughter "Nellie" (also played by Ms. Garland). She is attracted to Irish import Douglas McPhail (as Dennis Fogarty). History repeats itself when Mr. Winninger strongly objects to granddaughter Garland's courtship...

For most of this film, Winninger's character displays an intense hatred for his son-in-law. His other traits include laziness and drunkenness. This character is so relentlessly unflattering, the hopeful ending does not count for much. There is little Winninger can do with the script, but he manages. The real main attraction is Garland, who gets to emote and sing. Her incredible voice shines throughout, but especially on the amazing highlight "A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" and the MGM standard "Singin' in the Rain".

***** Little Nellie Kelly (11/22/40) Norman Taurog ~ Judy Garland, Charles Winninger, George Murphy, Douglas McPhail

Judy Garland stars as the titular Nelly in this lackluster shell of a film. In fact, she plays two roles-mother and daughter. As such, she portrays both wife and daughter to her costar, George Murphy, which makes for a rather awkward transition.

The real problem is the plot, which has a one-note conceit-the stubbornness of her father (and grandfather). One reviewer called him a "lovable loafer", but I found him tiresome and annoying. I doubt anyone could tolerate such a boor in real life. Besides controlling his daughter/granddaughter in the name of love, his one goal in life is inebriation.

I have to mention the ending, which is unrealistic and contrary to the essence of the entire film, effectively undermining all that has gone before. When people criticize Hollywood endings, they are talking about endings like the one that was tacked on to this failure.

Fortunately, Judy Garland followed this film with many notable successes.

Not one of Judy Garland's finest hours. In fact, while none of the film's faults lie with her (she is the reason to see it) 'Little Nellie Kelly' is one of her worst films and one of the few films of hers that is a one-or-two-time watch only.

There are good things about 'Little Nellie Kelly'. It is a very competently made film visually, immaculately photographed and the costume and production design are attractive enough. While a couple of them are inconsequential to the story (in a film that is more a comedy drama than a musical), the songs are still very pleasant with a real sense of whimsy, energy and pathos. Coming off best are "Singing in the Rain", "It's a Great Day for the Irish" and "A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" (which Garland would send up later on in her life frequently).

Best of all is Garland, who is a sheer delight in a sometimes playful but always touchingly sincere performance that shows a lot of maturity compared to her earlier roles. Regarding her singing, as always, praises are endless, beautiful tone, sincere phrasing and musicality, a playful energy and poignant emotion. Douglas McPhail also sings beautifully.

Of the cast however, Garland is the only one who either really registers or halfway impresses. McPhail sounds great but lacks charisma as an actor. George Murphy is both bland and stiff, while Charles Winninger has the single most obnoxious character (a type that he played frequently in and specialised in, except all were far more likable than here) of his entire career and he fails to bring any positive attributes whatsoever to it so much so that it jars with everything else and unbalances everything too.

'Little Nellie Kelly's' script is also weak, too much excessive corn and cutesiness and the mawkish sentimentality also gets too much. The characters, with the sole exception of Garland (which is testament to how good a performer she was) are stereotypes that are either passive in accepting the grandfather's mistreatment of everybody or annoying to an unbearable degree with the grandfather coming out on top. Story-wise, it shines with Garland on screen but falls flat everywhere else, the first portion also drags with a real unsettled feel to almost everything but Garland. The direction is undistinguished.

Overall, worth seeing for Garland, the production values and the songs (Garland being the best thing about it) but with everything else not coming off well 'Little Nellie Kelly' is a near-miss. 4/10 Bethany Cox

This is the first time I have seen Little Nellie Kelly. I loved Judy's performance as both mother/daughter, granted it is an old Hollywood cliche but Judy makes it work. It is also nice to see these early Judy films and to see her magic. George Murphy is very stiff in his role, but he always was stiff in everyone of his roles...and Charles Winninger's character is terrible...there is no need for his continual bad attitude...and I hated the scene when he tries to start trouble with the union...I highly recommend seeing this film to see Judy.....

Little Nellie Kelly (1940) boasts Judy Garland singing "Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" but is otherwise as bland as unsalted butter. What might have been an OK little MGM film is ruined by the ceaselessly repulsive character played by Charles Winninger. No one could have made this odious daddy palatable. I guess we're supposed to find the character an Irish imp, but instead we' find a shiftless, lying, boasting a-hole drunkard who ran his wife into an early grave, treats his daughter like a plow mule, and uses his granddaughter like a slave ... all for his own selfish purposes. While he despises the George Murphy character as husband/father to the Garland dual role mother/daughter, he sponges off him for 20 years and even stalks them to New York after they bail Ireland. When all else fails, he fakes a heart attack to get his way. His "redemption" in the finale is unbelievable and unsatisfying. Try watching this one without screaming DIE, DIE at the screen.

Co-stars include Arthur Shields, Rita Page, James Burker, Forrester Harvey, Charles Halton, Almira Sessions, Barbara Bedford, George Watts, and the back of John Raitt's head for about 2 seconds (intern in the hospital).

Along with Winninger's irk, we also get the smirk of icky Douglas McPhail as the singing boyfriend.