The 23 Apr 1926 Film Mercury announced the recent acquisition by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. (MGM) of screen rights for Kathleen Thompson Norris’s 1924 collection of short stories, The Callahans and the Murphys. The contract covered twelve of the thirteen stories in the volume, the one exclusion being “The Kelly Kid.” An item in the 5 May 1926 Var stated that the collection had also run in Cosmopolitan magazine. The 17 Jun 1926 Film Daily included the title among eleven planned MGM productions that were to be serialized for newspapers and magazines throughout the U.S. The 12 Dec 1926 issue credited A. P. Younger with the screen adaptation. He was later replaced by Frances Marion.
       The 17 Dec 1926 Film Mercury reported that Kate Price under consideration for an unspecified role. On 1 Apr 1927, Motion Picture News announced that Sally O’Neil and Lawrence Gray had joined the cast as romantic leads, the latter of whom was on loan from Paramount Pictures Corp. Also appearing in the film was stage actor Drew Demarest , as noted in the 20 May 1927 Motion Picture News. The production marked actress Marie Dressler’s return to the screen after a nine-year absence.
       The Callahans and the Murphys was released on 18 Jun 1927, and made its Los Angeles, CA, debut later that month at Loew’s State Theatre, with a live prologue featuring singer Jane Green. According to the 16 Aug 1927 Film Daily, the theater sponsored an “Irish Night,” offering free admission to police, firefighters, and postal workers. In addition to notifying local Irish organizations of the event, theater management arranged a cross-promotion with the Maier Brewing Company, which issued a sign stating, “‘The Callahans and the Murphys’ drink Maier near beer.” The sign was attached to the back of an automobile, with two mechanical characters, one holding a club and the other holding a brick, operated by the windshield wipers. Another promotion was reported in the 22 Jul 1927 Motion Picture News, in which the Capitol Theatre in Steubenville, OH, had offered free tickets on 23 Jun 1927 to customers named Callahan, and on 24 Jun 1927 to those named Murphy. Entry forms were available in local newspapers. An opening at New York City’s Capitol Theatre followed in late Jul 1927.
       The Callahans and the Murphys garnered ecstatic reviews, many of which highlighted the comic interplay between Marie Dressler and co-star Polly Moran. However, on 23 Aug 1927, Film Daily revealed that the picture’s supposedly unflattering portrayal of Irish immigrants had prompted protests from Irish-American organizations and members of the Catholic clergy in Providence, RI, and neighboring Connecticut. All complaints were withdrawn after representatives of the dissenting groups were given private screenings. Weeks later, the 8 Oct 1927 Exhibitors Herald quoted a letter in which Will H. Hays of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) accused Francis Marion of “spreading anti-Celtic propaganda.” The article also noted that Marion was of Irish descent.
       As complaints against the picture continued, the 5 Nov 1927 Harrison’s Reports advised exhibitors to demand a refund from MGM if they were concerned about offending customers. The film was withdrawn from release later that month, as reported in the 26 Nov 1927 issue. The action was prompted by objections from Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty, Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia, PA.
The Callahans and the Murphys was the first of nine MGM comedies to team Marie Dressler with Polly Moran. As of 2019, it is considered a lost film.