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COMING INTO CLOVER

Presented by Coolidge Corner Theatre at Coolidge Corner Theatre

February 9, 2009

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Hosted by Brian O'Donovan of WGBH Radio's A CELTIC SOJURN Come join us for an evening of music, song, and silent film as we trace the evolution of cinematic representations of Ireland and the Irish in early American cinema. From the birth of the medium in 1895 until the full emergence of the so-called Hollywood system in 1917, these images underwent a fascinating evolution with the crude "stage Irish" stereotypes of Paddy and Bridget steadily giving way to a more positive and diverse set of representations beginning in the early- to mid-teens. These films tell the story of the Irish in America: of their lonely exile from famine and persecution; of their struggle to gain acceptance in a hostile New World; and of their eventual success, becoming the first outsider ethnic group to realize the American promise of success and prosperity regardless of race, color or creed. They tell the story of Irish-America's "coming into clover" - a story that speaks not only to those who entered the U.S. though the gates at Ellis Island in years past, but also to today's immigrants who continue the struggle to win their share of the American dream. Rarely-seen silent films will be screened with live musical accompaniment and interspersed with turn-of-the-century Irish-American songs as host Brian O'Donovan and a selection of historians and early cinema scholars take us back to the early days of film and Vaudeville for this unique evening's entertainment.