The unlikely but winning combination of
Petula Clark (Sharon McLonergan) and
Fred Astaire (Finian McLonergan) co-starred alongside
Tommy Steele (Og, the Leprechaun) in the celluloid adaptation of Finian's Rainbow (1968), which was derived from the 1947 Broadway show. Under the direction of Francis Ford Coppola, the brilliant production numbers were carefully crafted for the silver screen. While certainly not at his peak,
Astaire provides many of the film's finest moments and his natural chemistry with
Clark is evident on the wistful "Look to the Rainbow" and the spirited "When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich."
Steele's performance of "When I'm Not With the Girl I Love" is equally memorable and includes some of the picture's best cinematography. The era in which it was created was perceptively worked into the racial meta text, such as the prominence of the made-up Southern state of Missitucky and the unmistakable biases of
Keenan Wynn's (Judge Rawkins) character. At the heart of the project is the music by Yip Harburg of The Wizard of Oz (1939) fame and
Burton Lane, who had scored Royal Wedding (1951) and Babes on Broadway (1941). [The 2004 CD edition of the original motion picture soundtrack augmented the previous release with the opening "Overture" and the concluding "Exit Music," featuring
the Warner Bros. Orchestra, which also accompanies
Clark's "Entr'acte (Look to the Rainbow)." An added bonus on the disc is the outtake "Necessity" as sung by
Brenda Arnau, who played an unnamed sharecropper in the movie. The song was cut, but has been restored here.] ~ Lindsay Planer