The
Magical Legend of the Leprechauns - Based on the
Irish folk tale characters of leprechauns and fairies, this
imaginative two-part made for TV miniseries was produced by Hallmark for
the NBC network in 1999. The story follows an American
businessman Jack Woods (Randy Quaid) who has come to the
Emerald Isle with a hidden agenda. He wants to
develop a large chunk of pristine land in the Irish
countryside into a golf course. But low and behold, when he takes up residence
in one of the small cottages on the land, he discovers it is
inhabited by none other than a leprechaun and his wife. Colm
Meaney (of Star Trek Fame) plays Seamus Muldoon, the
red-bearded leprechaun whom Jack Woods rescued from the water
(Leprechauns hate water) and so was beholding to his
benefactor.
The story becomes complicated when Jack falls in love with
Kathleen Fitzpatrick, a local raven-haired beauty who spends
her time caring for her grown brothers, who can't seem to make
a decision on the own. As Woods finishes up his business and
prepares to depart by train, he asks Kathleen to come with
him, but she is held back by her duty to her family.
Meanwhile, Seamus' rambunctious young son, Mickey Muldoon has
crashed a fancy fairy costume ball and caught the attention of
Jessica, the Fairy Princess. Now, romance between leprechauns
and fairies is a definite no-no in these parts and eventually
both sides don their battle armor to duke it out for the sake
of righteousness and honor. So now the viewers are left with
the questions: Will Jack's efforts as a peacemaker (at the
Grand Banshee's request) be effective to stop an impending war
between the leprechauns and fairies? and most importantly, will
Mickey and Jessica and Jack and Kathleen get together as couples? To find out, go
rent the film or check out the SCI-FI channel where it has
aired, occasionally.
Bottom line: this clever Irish romantic adventure is an
enjoyable feast for the eyes. At its core, the miniseries combines
the romantic sentiment of classic movie The Quiet Man
(1952) starring
John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara with the dynamic story of
forbidden love found in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. All in
all, the movie is a gentle, fun frolic, filled with Irish
history, folklore and lush green countryside. It's well worth a
look see.
|
THE MAGICAL
LEGEND OF THE LEPRECHAUNS/NBC/1999 |
|
Cast Credits |
|
Randy Quaid |
as |
Jack Woods |
|
Whoopi Goldberg |
as |
The Grand
Banshee |
|
Roger Daltrey |
as |
King Boric |
|
Colm Meaney |
as |
Seamus
Muldoon |
|
Kieran Culkin |
as |
Barney Devine |
|
Zoë Wanamaker |
as |
Mary Muldoon
|
|
Daniel Betts |
as |
Mickey Muldoon |
|
Orla Brady |
as |
Kathleen
Fitzpatrick |
|
Caroline Carver |
as |
Princess Jessica
|
|
Frank Finlay |
as |
General
Bulstrode |
|
Phyllida Law |
as |
Lady Margaret |
|
Michael Williams |
as |
Father Daley
|
|
Harriet Walter |
as |
Queen Morag |
