Chauncey Olcott, Actor, Irish Tenor and Songwriter
Composer of "My Wild Irish Rose"
Chancellor John "Chauncey" Olcott (July 21, 1858 – March 18, 1932) was an American stage actor, songwriter and singer. (Most of this material is from a Lockport, NY website; Songwriters Hall of Fame website; and Wikipedia.) Born in Buffalo, New York, in the early years of his career Olcott sang in minstrel shows and Lillian Russell played a major role in helping make him a Broadway star. Amongst his songwriting accomplishments, Olcott wrote and composed the song "My Wild Irish Rose" for his production of A Romance of Athlone in 1899. Olcott also wrote the lyrics to "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" for his production of The Isle O' Dreams in 1912.
He made his stage debut in 1880 as a ballad singer in a minstrel show. After spending several seasons in minstrelsy, the handsome performer turned to plays and comic opera, including an appearance as Lillian Russell's leading man in Pepita; or, The Girl with the Glass Eyes (1886). However, he found his true niche starring in romantic musical plays, such as Mavourneen (1892), The Irish Artist (1894), The Minstrel of Clare (1896), Sweet Inniscarra (1897), A Romance of Athlone (1899), Old Limerick Town (1902), Eileen Asthore (1906), Macushla (1912), and The Isle o' Dreams (1913).
Chauncey Olcott's ancestors on his mother’s side came from Ireland. His mother, Margaret Doyle, was born in Ireland and came to America with her family when she was eight years old.
In 1879, at the age of 19, Chauncey Olcott appeared with Emerson and Hooley's Minstrel Company in Chicago. Chauncey was very successful in the minstrel shows, but because of the special quality of his light lyric tenor voice, theatre managers encouraged him to sing Irish ballads and take leading roles in plays, operas and operettas.
In March 1886, Chauncey Olcott made in New York City debut at the Union Square Theatre as Pablo in Pepita. Later he starred in The Old Homestead, Pinafore, and The Mikado. In 1890 he went to London where he made stage appearances and studied voice for three years.
He collaborated in composing many Irish ballads, but "My Wild Irish Rose" was his own composition. His widow, Margaret O'Donovan Olcott, told the story, after his death, of how "My Wild Irish Rose" was composed. In 1898 they were visiting Ireland and while they were walking at Glengaris, County Cork, a young boy gave her a flower. She asked the name of it and he replied, "Sure, it's a wild Irish Rose." She put the rose in an album and later when he asked her for suggestions for a title for a tune she opened the album, pointed to the flower and said, "There's the title for your new song." Other Irish ballads that Chauncey Olcott made famous were "Mother Machree", "A Little Bit of Heaven," "Sure They Call It Ireland" and "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling."
Chauncey's wife Margaret was a co-author of two plays in which her husband appeared, Ragged Robin and Lusmore. After his death in 1932, she wrote Song In His Heart, a biography of Chauncey Olcott, later made a motion picture called "My Wild Irish Rose” starring Dennis Morgan, in 1947. Another movie using some of Olcott's material was a 1944 film, "Irish Eyes Are Smiling" starring June Haver, the story of Olcott's collaborator Ernest Ball. "My Wild Irish Rose" or "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" have also been songs where one or the other was used in a movie soundtrack, including The Departed (2006), Return to Me (2000), Swimming Upstream (2003), a really good movie if you haven't seen it, Only the Lonely (1991) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and many, many other movies.
My Wild Irish Rose
By Chauncey Olcott
If you listen I'll sing you a sweet little song
Of a flower that's now droped and dead,
Yet dearer to me, yes than all of its mates,
Though each holds aloft its proud head.
Twas given to me by a girl that I know,
Since we've met, faith I've known no repose.
She is dearer by far than the world's brightest star,
And I call her my wild Irish Rose.
My wild Irish Rose, the sweetest flower that grows.
You may search everywhere, but none can compare with my wild Irish Rose.
My wild Irish Rose, the dearest flower that grows,
And some day for my sake, she may let me take the bloom from my wild Irish Rose.
They may sing of their roses, which by other names,
Would smell just as sweetly, they say.
But I know that my Rose would never consent
To have that sweet name taken away.
Her glances are shy when e'er I pass by
The bower where my true love grows,
And my one wish has been that some day I may win
The heart of my wild Irish Rose.
My wild Irish Rose, the sweetest flower that grows.
You may search everywhere, but none can compare with my wild Irish Rose.
My wild Irish Rose, the dearest flower that grows,
And some day for my sake, she may let me take the bloom from my wild Irish Rose.
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
Ernest Ball / Chauncey Olcott / Geo Graff Jr
There's a tear in your eye and I'm wondering why
For it never should be there at all
With such power in your smile, sure a stone you'd beguile
So there's never a teardrop should fall
When your sweet lilting laughter's like some fairy song
And your eyes twinkle bright as can be
You should laugh all the while, and all other times smile
And now smile a smile for me
When Irish eyes are smiling, sure it's like a morning Spring
In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing
When Irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay
And when Irish eyes are smiling, sure they steal your heart away
For your smile is a part of the love in your heart
And it makes even sunshine more bright
Like the linnet's sweet song, crooning all the day long
Comes your laughter so tender and light
For the spring-time of life is the sweetest of all
There is ne'er a real care or regret
And while spring-time is ours, throughout all of youth's hours
Let us smile each chance we get
When Irish eyes are smiling, sure it's like a morning Spring
In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing
When Irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay
And when Irish eyes are smiling, sure they steal your heart away