“I Captured the King of the Leprechauns”

We don’t have impresarios in these days like there were in the ‘50s. We don’t even talk about the classic ones anymore. About the only one who comes up is Walt. There was no one quite as in the public eye. Week after week, Walt showed up in people’s homes, hyping things to them. Oh, it was in the guise of bringing them entertainment, and of course it did while he was at it, but also he was selling them on his movies and his theme park. And sometimes he went about it in the weirdest ways.

In 1959, the studio released Darby O’Gill and the Little People, which we’re not covering this month because we already have. (I’ve learned more Irish since then and can translate what my spellcheck thought I was writing that needed accents.) However, in order to promote it, he aired a curious little program on Walt Disney Presents, as it then was. It purported to be a look behind the scenes of the movie. However, it was explaining how Walt actually met with actual leprechauns in order to cast the leprechauns in his movie.

I mean it’s nonsense, of course. Jimmy O’Dea was credited on the posters as King of the Leprechauns, but Walt was working hard to sell an illusion, here. He really wanted people to believe they were genuine leprechauns. Most of the rest were uncredited in the movie, but let’s be fair; most of the casts of a lot of movies were uncredited in those days. I doubt there was anyone over the age of about seven who believed him, but they didn’t have to believe in order to accept the mystery. That wasn’t really the point.

Irish mythology is a deep, dark subject. A lot of it is really not appropriate fodder for a Disney movie. Then again, neither is a lot of Greek mythology, including Greek mythology that they made a Disney movie out of, so what do I know? This isn’t as sanitized as a lot of people think, either, though the American view of leprechauns doesn’t have a ton in common with their Irish counterpart. King Brian is closer to it than the twee little bouncing creatures that you see in St. Patrick’s Day decorations.

Alfred Hitchcock went out of his way to prevent people from finding the books his assorted movies were based on. Screwing the writers while he was at it, by the way. I assume the guys playing leprechauns were paid a reasonable wage, inasmuch as anyone in a similar role would be in those days. Yes, it’s kind of stupid that Walt pretended they were real leprechauns. No, I doubt anyone fell for it. Yes, it’s kind of a silly special. But you know what? That’s okay. Sometimes, you’re allowed to just be silly.