Announcing The Luck o’ the Irish Blogathon!

Maureen O’Hara

The top o’ the morning to you, colleens and lads! As regular readers of PEPS know, our main focus here is the Motion Picture Production Code and its enforcement for twenty years by the Production Code Administration, which was headed by Joseph I. Breen from 1934 to 1954. Both the Code’s principle author, Martin J. Quigley, and its greatest enforcer, Mr. Breen, were proud Irish-Americans, which prompted filmmakers to frequently include Irish characters and themes in their stories in hopes of gaining Mr. Breen’s favor. It didn’t work, but it resulted in a lot of enjoyable blarney!

Lucille Ball

According to Joe Breen’s grandson Jack Benton, there were two “tribes” in classic Hollywood, the Jews and the Irish. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the official Irish holiday, we are hosting The Luck o’ the Irish Blogathon. This is a chance for writers to celebrate all things Irish in movies. Since St. Patrick’s Day is on Wednesday this year, we are making the blogathon a long weekend event, beginning on Wednesday, March 17, and ending on Sunday, March 21. We can’t wait for you to join us for this five-day celebration of Hibernian Hollywood!

The classically Irish James Cagney with Joan Leslie, his co-star of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Here are the guidelines of topics which are appropriate for this blogathon, along with examples in parentheses:

• Movies with an Irish theme (The Irish in Us, Going My Way)
• Movies set in Ireland (The Top of the Morning, The Quiet Man)
• An overview of an Irish actor’s career and life (James Cagney, Maureen O’Hara, etc.)
• A review of a particular film starring an Irish actor (Pat O’Brien, Gene Kelly), overseen by an Irish director (Leo McCarey, John Ford), or presented by an Irish producer (John Ford, Leo McCarey)
• An article about the life, career, or an individual film involving any member of the film industry of Irish descent (screenwriters, costumers, PCA members, etc.)
• Any other concept related to Ireland in Hollywood of which you can think!

Olga San Juan

If you would like to join this fest of shamrocks and blarney, please scroll down to review the rules:

1. There is no limit on duplicates, since we are interested in different opinions.
2. Writers can contribute as many articles as they choose.
3. If you are interested in joining, please leave a comment below and specify your topic.
4. If you want to join this blogathon but don’t have a website, you can still join! Email us your article, and we will publish it here on PEPS for you.
5. Please use the beautiful banners below, which Rebekah made, to help us promote this blogathon!
6. Don’t forget to include a poster and the link to the roster in your posts!

Gene Kelly in Take Me Out to the Ballgame (1949)

Henry Blair in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Pat O’Brien, James Cagney, and George Brent in The Fighting 69th (1940)

Barry Fitzgerald

James Cagney

Maureen O’Hara

Leo McCarey

Joseph I. Breen

The Roster so Far:

1. Tiffany Brannan of PEPS – The Irish in Us (1935)

More Coming Soon!

June Haver

The luck o’ the Irish be with you until March!

Please join our three other upcoming blogathons!

The 2nd Happy Holidays Blogathon!

The Sunset Boulevard Blogathon!

and

The Unhappy Valentines Blogathon!

Follow us to bring back the Code and save the arts in America!

We are lifting our voices in classical song to help the sun rise on a new day of pure  entertainment!

Only the Code can make the sun rise on a new day of pure entertainment!