The Comic Critic's Review of "Darby O'Gill and the Little People"

 Darby O’Gill and the Little People was featured regularly on the weekly television show The Wonderful World of Disney. I’ve seen it so many times I’ve lost count. It’s a perfect family movie, or at least I thought so when I was a kid. I loved watching Darby and King Brian of the leprechauns engage in their battle of wits—even though I knew how it would always end. Darby O’Gill and the Little People is a wonderful fantasy movie. It captured my imagination and held me enraptured. I think it might have been my first introduction to Irish myth and legends. I never thought it overdid Irish stereotypes. Yes, we knew that Darby preferred spending his time at the pub rather than on the estate. But we always felt it was because that’s where the audience for his leprechaun stories was. Having a bit of a pint was just a lucky happenstance, not a signature of alcoholism. I’ve not seen Darby O’Gill and the Little People in a while. With the slew of newer fantasy films available, I can see how some might have overlooked this now seldom-seen Disney film. Pull it out of the vault and watch it with your family. You will find that it’s much better than a lot of the nanny films sitting on your shelf.

The Comic Critic Reviews Ben Hur

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Every time I mentioned doing a review of Ben Hur, somebody would say, “I thought you already did.” The perception that I’d already  reviewed it got me to wondering about just what my fans might have expected to see. I felt daunted when I finally decided to tackle the strip.

I truly loved this movie as a kid. I saw Ben Hur as the story of two good childhood friends torn apart by the roles ancient society imposed upon them, set to an epic scale with all the trappings and hardships of that age. The message of forgiveness took a backseat until the end of the picture. As an adult, I understand that many would read it as a homoerotic tale of unrequited love. But I can still see the story as I did when I was a kid—a  man adventure story where the hero is thrown down by circumstance and then climbs back up through one riveting scene after another. For this strip, I wanted to lace that innocence with a touch of sexual innuendo. And the final panel pays homage to the skimpy appearance Jesus made in Ben Hur. Regardless of the carnage and the screams, I still think it’s a great family film.

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