Little Nellie Kelly
Little Nellie Kelly is a 1940 American musical-comedy film based on the stage musical of the same title by George M. Cohan which was a hit on Broadway in 1922 and 1923. The film was written by Jack McGowan and directed by Norman Taurog. Its cast included Judy Garland, George Murphy, Charles Winninger and Douglas McPhail. The film is notable for containing Judy Garland's only on-screen death scene, but she re-appears in the film as the daughter of the character who died. Plot. In Ireland, Jerry Kelly (George Murphy) marries his sweetheart Nellie  Noonan (Judy Garland) over the objections of her ne'er-do-well father Michael Noonan (Charles Winninger), who swears never to speak to her again, even though he reluctantly accompanies the newlyweds to the U.S., where Jerry becomes a policeman, and all three become citizens. Michael continues to hold his grudge against Jerry, even when Nellie dies short after giving birth to her daughter, also named Nellie. Years later, Jerry is now a captain on the police force, and little Nellie (also played by Judy Garland) has grown up as the spitting image of her mother. When Nellie becomes enamored of  Dennis Fogarty (Douglas McPhail), the son of Michael's old friend Timothy Fogarty (Arthur Shields), the squabbling between Nellie's father and grandfather intensifies; Michael objects to the romance, and finally leaves home because of it. Eventually, the three generations are reconciled, and Nellie and Dennis remain a couple. Songs. Judy Garland sings a swing version of "Singin' in the Rain" more than 10 years before Gene Kelly famously sang it in his film "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) as well as sings several newer songs, including the traditional "A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" sung partly in Irish-Gaelic . There are also two production numbers, one set at the New York City Policeman's Ball and the other written by Roger Edens. In the latter, Garland sings "It's A Great Day for the Irish" while marching in New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade. This song became one of Garland's bigger hits. Songs cut from the film include "Rings on Your Fingers and Bells on Your Toes" (used in Garland's later film "Babes on Broadway", 1941), "Danny Boy" and "How Can You Buy Killarney". Production. After the success of "The Wizard of Oz" (1939 ), the film was a "test" by MGM to evaluate both Garland's audience appeal and her physical image. It was rumored at the time that George M Cohan sold the rights expressly as a vehicle for Garland. The film gave 18-year-old Garland the opportunity to grow up as she is in the first half of the picture set in Ireland, in which she plays Nellie Noonan, the mother of Little Nellie Kelly. Although called "a bit of Blarney", overall the film was well-received. Critics noted Garland "gets prettier with each picture". Box office. According to MGM records , the film earned $968,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $1,078,000 in other markets, resulting in a profit of $680,000. Home media. The film was released on DVD on March 15, 2011.