Leprechauns Gold
About Leprechauns Gold
Irish leprechauns hold their yearly gold-washing and sing as they work the stream. A kind-hearted one lets a child catch him so the pot of gold can pay off a mortgage. The finish turns to spooky magic.
Cast & crew
More about Leprechauns Gold
Bill Tytla and George Germanetti directed. Isadore Klein wrote the story. Paramount released the Noveltoon on October 14, 1949. The studio treated it as a sequel to The Wee Men (1947) and reused that short's opening-credit design.
Themes
Making
Winston Sharples composed the score. The cartoon is built as a run of songs around the gold-washing rather than a straight chase.
Reviews
Bob Lipton, writing on IMDb, complained about the stage-Irish accents and praised the early animation of the leprechauns' faces, including one assaying a piece of gold. He also noted gags and a spooky finish.
Look
Lipton singled out the drawn expressions on the leprechauns while they assay the gold.
Music
Winston Sharples wrote the songs and score. Jackson Beck, Gilbert Mack, and Mae Questel speak the parts.
Preservation
Public domain in the United States since 1977. NTA's television print keeps a silent opening card and does not black out the Technicolor notice.
Notes
- Jackson Beck voices the leprechaun leader. Gilbert Mack voices the other leprechauns, Paddy, and the town miser. Mae Questel voices Molly.
- An NTA television print uses a silent opening card, grouped with The Mite Makes Right (1948) and Hep Cat Symphony (1949).
- NTA missed the renewal. The short entered the U.S. public domain in 1977.
- Alternate title on some listings: Leprechaun's Gold.
Scenes
- The leprechauns wash gold in the stream and sing through the job.
- A close view of a leprechaun testing the quality of a piece of gold.
- One of them lets a child catch him so the gold can clear a mortgage.
Influenced by
- The Wee Men (1947), the Noveltoon this short follows
Also available
- DVD Noveltoons: Original Classics (Thunderbean Animation, 2012)
