(Joe Dowling’s article appeared in the Irish Times, 6/18.)
AS GABRIEL BYRNE continues his missionary role as advocate for Irish culture abroad, it is refreshing to be reminded that this country’s impact on the American film industry did not begin with Colin Farrell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Throughout Hollywood’s golden era Irish actors were a regular part of Tinseltown and, in some cases, were among its highest earners.
This well-written account of the Irish in Hollywood threads together the lives and careers of some of the most notable theatrical emigres who contributed both to the Abbey Theatre’s glory days and, subsequently, to the development of American film. Adrian Frazier makes a compelling case that the Irish theatrical revival of the early years of the 20th century was continued in Hollywood films through the determination of one of the greatest film directors of that era, John Ford.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2011/0618/1224299108462.html
View Hollywood Irish on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Irish-Revival-Hollywood-Frazier/dp/1843511819/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308873540&sr=1-1