Murphy’s Town Hall Cinema Athenry 52 16th December 1947 – Ziegfeld Girl, a 1941 MGM Musical was screened in the Hall at 8.30pm by O Smith Cinema Show (source: Hall Journal). It stars James Stewart, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper, Eve Arden and Philip Dorn. A short MGM Comedy film titled, Poetry of Nature (1939), narrated by Pete Smith was also shown, as a supporting programme. 19th December 1947 – The Firefly, a 1937 MGM Musical starring Jeanette MacDonald, Allan Jones and George Zucco was screened in the Hall at 8.30pm by O Smith Cinema (source: Hall Journal, also Connacht Tribune 13th December 1947, page 11). NB: The screenplay was based on Rudolf Friml’s 1912 Comedy Operetta of the same name. A supporting 1945 MGM Comedy short titled, Guest Pests, narrated by Pete Smith was also shown. 23rd December 1947 – Block-Heads, a 1938 MGM Comedy starring Laurel & Hardy was screened in the Hall by O Smith at 8.30pm (source: Hall Journal, also Connacht Tribune 20th December 1947, page 9). NB: This Feature would be screened again on 9th January 1949 and on 2nd May 1973, as the support feature. Running Time is 57 minutes approx. IMDb provides the following plot summary for this movie: “Stan, who has remained faithfully at his World War I post for twenty years, finally comes home where his best friend, Ollie, takes him in, thus allowing him to discover the many conveniences of the modern world.” 28th December 1947 – Lost in a Harem, a 1944 MGM Comedy starring Abbott & Costello with Marilyn Maxwell and Douglas Dumbrille was screened in the Hall by O Smith Travelling Cinema at 4.30pm and again at 8.30pm (source: Hall Journal, see also Connacht Tribune 27th December 1947, page 7). 30th December 1947 – Night Must Fall, a 1937 MGM Drama was screened in the Hall by O Smith Travelling Cinema at 8.30pm (source: Hall Journal, see Connacht Tribune 27th December 1947, page 7). Directed by Richard Thorpe, it stars Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell and May Whitty. NB: Screenplay adapted from Emlyn Williams’ 1935 play, which had been performed in the Hall in February 1940, by Anew McMaster’s Company and then again in May 1944, by Carl Clopet. See also 24th April 1966 for screening of the 1964 version of this story. Volume 2 will pick up the story from the first Hall screening in January 1948 Above: Wanda Wiley in 1926 Comedy Short, Yearning For Love The images used herein are primarily derived from the Murphy Family Collection, supplemented by the Authors’ own personal collection & other available Fair Use sources (No © claim is made on ownership of original image content).
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