Legend Series - Barry Fitzgerald “The Most Famous Man You’ve Never Heard Of”
When you say the name Barry Fitzgerald, I’d guess that 95% of people in this day and age would say they had no idea who he was, and when you show them a picture of his wrinkled Irish mug with that mischievous grin, still the same would say “nope, no clue”. He had a career that spanned 40 years. He was nominated for two best supporting actor awards, taking home the win for Going My Way. He has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, and yet like many people from the past, he’s been long forgotten.
There are some people where even the simple thought of them makes you laugh and smile. Fitzgerald fits that category to the t. Small, pug, wiry, and graced with the gift of the gab, Fitzgerald, though a man tiny in stature, had the uncanny ability to appear giant on the screen. In his most famous roles he was paired with the worlds biggest movie stars, and still the little Dubliner had the wit, wisdom, and charisma to often steal the show.
In The Quiet Man he plays Michaeleen O'Flynn, John Wayne’s right hand man. He’s a barfly with a tendency to drink pints of the black beer in the same manner in which he chats - quickly. Although he’s almost a foot smaller, Michaeleen serves as Sean Thornton (Wayne)’s most trusted confidant, his ally, and his best friend. You’ll often find him in the pub, talking “a little treason with his comrades”, surrounded by friends new and old who’s company is adored in the bar in the same way we as fans adore his presence in the movie.
In Going My Way, he plays Father Fitzgibon, an Iirsh born priest of a failing parish in Brooklyn. Bing Crosby’s young Father O’Malley is sent to take his place and advise on how to turn the parish of St. Dominic’s around. Little did O’Malley know that he’d become the student as opposed to the teacher. Father Fitz is old and slowing down, and when he learns the news that his time at St. Dom’s, a place and community he’s dedicated his life to, is coming to an end, it’s almost to much for him to bear. He leaves without saying anything one rainy night, wandering the streets, only to realize he has no other place to go and that there is no solace to be sought in the lonely streets of Brooklyn. When he returns to the rectory Father O’Malley greets him with a hug, a hot bowl of soup, and a warm whiskey. As O’Malley gets Father Fitzgibon settled in for the night, he opens a small wooden box on Fitz’s bureau. When he does, the soft tune of Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra begins to chime. Fitz tells O’M that his mother used to sing him that song every night, and that he hasn’t seen his mother, who’s back home in Ireland, in over 40 years. Crosby, as only Crosby can, captures the moment with a rendition of the Irish lullaby that would make any one who’s heard it think of someone far away. Although he is far from home and aging, in that moment the viewer can tell that Fitzgerald’s character is at peace with the life he has chosen and content with the sacrifices he had to make in devoting himself to a higher calling. That is peace of mind that every human being strives for, which is why it is so special.
In the end, Barry Fitzgerald never married. He never had children. He eventually moved back to Ireland where he lived alone in a Dublin apartment until his death at the age of 73. On the screen, he often played the role of everyone’s favorite teacher,sidekick, priest. In life, he lived and died in that same manner, on his own, but beloved and appreciated for simply being who he was and the laughs and lessons he was able to impart. With St. Patrick’s Day being a week away from today, let’s raise a glass of the memory of Barry Fitzgerald, truly one for the ages. A legend.
JH
