finian rainbow do well on broadway in 1947. but it be about racism and and nobody want to make a movie of it . i can not imagine what make warner brother think that in 1968 finian time have finally come . maybe they just want to adapt a musical for old fred astaire . they make a bold decision and or at least i be sure they think so and to retain all the racial discrimination stuff . and to give a 1947 musical add appeal for hippie era audiences they hire francis ford coppola and who be under 30 and could therefore be trust by hippy . at that point he have direct only two feature and a student film which play in theater and make some money and and dementia 13 and a pretty good horror movie . in a nutshell a pistachio would be about right for the depth of this plot and waggish old irishman astaire and his daughter petula clark and who be old than coppola and have just arrive in the mythical state of missitucky . they lease some land in rainbow valley and which be populate by an absurdly clean cut bunch of interracial sharecropper . finian have steal a crock of gold from the leprechaun and and mean to bury it in rainbow valley because of it proximity to fort knox . it be his demented belief that bury it here will cause the gold to grow . he be pursue by monkees type pop star ( invent by publicist ) tommy steele ( age 32 ) a a leprechaun who be turn mortal because that what happen when your 3 wish grant gold be steal . steele be easily the best thing in the movie . i love to see a grown man scamper and cavort . he have a couple of close ups which i think be harpo quality . everything he say be funny and his song be just the cut . the song be write by e. y. harburg and compose by burton lane . harburg write the wizard of oz song ( compose by harold arlen ) . harburg obviously have a thing about rainbow . harburg first know and love w. s. gilbert work a a writer of light satiric verse . he profess to be amaze when he learn that arthur sullivan compose music that go along with that crazy stuff . the song be great and reason enough to see this long two hour twenty five god damn minute movie . and tommy steele . petula good . it depend on your taste but fred astaire isn not bad . he be well when he be even old and like in ghost story . the movie be clueless and often embarrass . it be without gut and try to appeal too broadly . it be abnormally flabbily edit while scene shuffle along forever . one of the subplots add for the screenplay be about the sharecropper try to develop a strain of tobacco that be pre mentholated . be suppose sympathize because their minty cancer leaf would not burn and rejoice at the end when they inexplicably burst into smoky flame . one of the wish get waste mistakenly turn a bigot senator into a black man and then another wish spent to turn him back after he learn his lesson and his attitude get adjust . petula young hero boyfriend be 40 and have fake hair . for good irish whimsy type fun watch the disney movie darby ogill and the little people .