Fighting Father Dunne ** (1948, Pat O’Brien, Darryl Hickman, Charles Kemper, Una O’Connor) – Classic Movie Review 8893

Director Ted Tetzlaff’s 1948 drama Fighting Father Dunne stars Pat O’Brien as crusading priest Father Peter J Dunne, who is fighting for a home for poor orphan St Louis newsboys in 1905, in this well-meaning but soppy real-life heart-tugger, telling a real-life story.

Even O’Brien, who specialised in this kind of role, doesn’t command quite his normal conviction. Darryl Hickman, though, is surprisingly effective as Matt Davis, a young killer who finally sees the light, and Una O’Connor shines as Miss O’Rourke. And Tetzlaff’s direction is crisp and efficient.

Also in the cast are Charles Kemper, Arthur Shields, Harry Shannon, Joe Sawyer, Anna Q Nilsson, Ruth Donnelly, Lester Matthews, Ellen Corby, Donn Gift, Myrna Dell,James Nolan, Billy Cummings, Billy Gray, and Frank Ferguson. Forties child actor Eric Roberts appears as Monk in the last of his five films.

Fighting Father Dunne is directed by Ted Tetzlaff, runs 95 minutes, is made and released by RKO Radio Pictures, is written by Martin Rackin and Frank Davis, from a story by William Rankin, is shot in black and white by George E Diskant, is produced by Jack J Gross (executive producer) and Phil L Ryan, and is scored by Roy Webb, with Art Direction by Albert S D’Agostino and Walter E Keller.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8893

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