Little Nellie Kelly [1940] [DVD]

Judy Garland was solo billed for the first time in this awkward slice of blarney, and so she should have been, since she plays not only the young title character but also her dying mother!

Today, some may well find this MGM adaptation of an old George M Cohan Broadway musical comedy rather mawkish, but Garland, as ever, delivers a wonderfully sincere performance. Her talent shining through on such numbers as Singing in the Rain, It's a Great Day for the Irish, and a song, seemingly inconsequential in context, which turned out to be a nub of her later concert and club appearances, the redoubtable A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow, which Judy would later send up mercilessly.

George Murphy has the right surname but too bland a manner as Judy's husband / father, and Charles Winninger blusters along as usual. Once again, just watch for Garland: she's the whole movie.