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While the Irish, as far as I know, never had anything comparable to the Sicilian Mafia, they did have something unique in terms of Hollywood. It was called the "Irish Mafia" by some and consisted of a group of actors who numbered among them some of the greatest stars of the 30s, 40s, and 50s, including two of the best -- James Cagney and Spencer Tracy. In addition, the group at various times included Ralph Bellamy, Frank McHugh, Frank Morgan, Pat O'Brien, Lynn Overman, Bert Lahr, Lou Calhern, Jimmy Gleason, Allen Jenkins, and Bob Armstrong. George M. Cohan and Will Rogers sat in from time to time. They called it the Boys Club, but since most of the "founding members" were Irish-American, columnist Sidney Skolsky called them the Irish Mafia. Cagney put it this way: "That there was some Irish blood can't be doubted, but Bellamy has not one drop of Irish blood, Frank Morgan was German, and Lynne Overman is also a Teutonic name. I am one-quarter Norwegian." Unlike the other Mafia, theirs was strictly a social group, though they did talk about their movies. The fact that most of them worked for Warner Brothers meant that they showed up in each other's films from time to time, but that appears to be the extent of their "influence." They began getting together in the 1930s and continued until the mid-40s, when members began to move away or pass away. In the later days, the talk consisted mostly of story-telling. You can learn more about the Boys Club at a site called Hollywood's Irish Mafia, or visit Classic Hollywood's page entitled The Irish Mafia (Boy's Club). You'll also find tributes to James Cagney and Spencer Tracy on this site.

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Cagney photo courtesy of AFI Online.
Tracy photo courtesy of Julie Stowe.

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