For St Patrick’s Day, TCM shows Finian’s Rainbow at 5:30 today. By no means a very good film, but interesting from several angles. Francis Ford Coppola’s first big budget film (someone at the studio saw Demntia 13 and said “this guy should be doing musicals”?) Fred Astaire’s last singing and dancing role. Rare American acting role for Petula Clark. Odd mash up of ‘40’s progressive source material by legendary lefty Yip Harburg of Buddy Can You Spare a Dime and Wizard of Oz fame, with 60’s hippiesque treatment filtered through Li’l Abner. Leading man vaguely inspired by Woody Guthrie. And an over the top leprechaun performance by Tommy Steele. Downright weird.