Finian’s Rainbow (1968) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Finian believes that burying the leprechaun gold near Fort Knox, the location of the U.S. gold depository, will multiply its magical power. He plans to use the crock's three wishes to secure his and his daughter Sharon's fortune, assuming that the proximity to real gold will amplify the magic. This motivates his risky decision to bury the treasure in someone else's land rather than keeping it hidden.

Foreshadowing: Finian mentions early on that he chose Rainbow Valley specifically because of its proximity to Fort Knox, setting up his plan.

• fort knox
• leprechaun gold
• finian
• magic
• wishes
• treasure

Sharon unknowingly stands on the exact spot where the crock is buried while making her wish for Rawkins to change. The leprechaun gold responds to her wish literally, transforming Rawkins's skin color. The magic is unpredictable and grants wishes in a direct, literal way, regardless of the wisher's intent. This transformation occurs precisely because Sharon was standing on the buried crock when she spoke her wish.

Foreshadowing: The summary notes that the magic operates on a wish-granting principle, and Sharon's location triggers the spell.

• sharon
• rawkins transformation
• wish
• magic
• crock
• skin color

Og, the leprechaun, wishes that Susan could talk to him because he has fallen in love with her during his time in Rainbow Valley. When he makes this wish while standing above the buried crock, the magic grants his desire and Susan begins to speak. However, Og realizes he must be standing above the crock for the magic to work, which becomes critical to the story's climax.

Foreshadowing: Og's growing affection for Susan is established earlier in the film as they interact on the bridge.

• susan
• og
• speaking
• leprechaun
• wish
• love
• mute

Og uses the final wish to restore Rawkins to whiteness, which exhausts the crock's magic completely. This choice transforms Og from a leprechaun into a mortal human because the magic that sustained his supernatural existence is gone. He makes this sacrifice after Susan kisses him, choosing love and humanity over immortality. His decision saves Sharon and Woody from the burning barn and restores Rawkins, but costs him his magical powers forever.

Foreshadowing: Og wrestles with this decision throughout the night, knowing the consequences of using the final wish.

• og
• mortal
• final wish
• sacrifice
• love
• leprechaun
• magic

The leprechaun gold loses all its magic after Og uses the final wish to restore Rawkins. With the magic exhausted, the gold becomes ordinary and presumably disappears or loses any special properties. This marks the end of the supernatural elements in Rainbow Valley, and the characters must rely on their own efforts and Howard's successful tobacco experiments for their future prosperity.

Foreshadowing: Og recognizes that using the final wish will drain the crock of its power entirely.

• leprechaun gold
• magic
• crock
• disappearing
• ending
• wishes

The Sheriff and District Attorney arrest Sharon because they believe she used supernatural powers to transform Rawkins's skin color. When Rawkins suddenly turns Black after Sharon's wish, the authorities interpret this as evidence of witchcraft. They threaten to charge her unless Rawkins is restored to his original appearance, which leads Finian to arrange keeping her locked in the barn overnight while they search for a solution.

Foreshadowing: The summary establishes that the lawmen threaten witchcraft charges early in the conflict.

• sharon
• arrest
• witchcraft
• sheriff
• law
• rawkins transformation

Howard, the African-American botanist, successfully develops a tobacco and mint hybrid that creates mentholated cigarettes. This innovation brings financial success and prosperity to Rainbow Valley after the magical gold's power fades. The economic breakthrough helps the poor residents of the town regardless of their skin color, providing a sustainable solution that doesn't depend on magic.

Foreshadowing: Howard's experiments are mentioned throughout the film as a subplot leading to this resolution.

• howard
• tobacco
• menthol
• prosperity
• rainbow valley
• botanist
• money

The film establishes that Rawkins has trained his dog to attack Black people. When Rawkins is transformed into a Black man by Sharon's wish, his own dog no longer recognizes him as its owner and attacks him, chasing him into the woods. This moment highlights the irony and consequences of Rawkins's own racist teachings, as his own weapon turns against him.

Foreshadowing: The summary mentions Rawkins's dog was trained to attack Black people as part of establishing his character.

• rawkins
• dog
• attack
• racism
• transformation
• woods

The leprechaun crock grants three wishes. The first wish turns Rawkins black when Sharon makes it unknowingly while standing on the buried crock. The second wish is Og's desire for Susan to be able to speak. The third and final wish is used by Og to restore Rawkins to whiteness, which exhausts the magic entirely and renders Og mortal.

Foreshadowing: Finian explains early on that the crock has the power to grant three wishes, establishing the rules.

• three wishes
• leprechaun
• crock
• magic
• og
• sharon
• rawkins

Finian leaves Rainbow Valley because he is a lifelong wanderer who is always searching for the next opportunity. Though he has helped secure a better future for his daughter Sharon and the community, he cannot stay in one place. He departs to seek his own rainbow, his personal vision of fortune and hope, demonstrating that his restless, scheming nature remains unchanged despite the magical events.

Foreshadowing: Finian's character is established from the start as an immigrant constantly seeking better prospects.

• finian
• departure
• rainbow valley
• wanderer
• ending
• daughter
• sharon

The film suggests Rawkins undergoes a transformation in attitude after experiencing life as a Black man. Og casts a spell to make Rawkins more open-minded, and the traumatic experience of being chased by his own dog and facing the community's reaction appears to have affected him. While the magical solution resolves the immediate crisis, the film leaves his reformation as somewhat ambiguous, focusing more on the community's new harmony than on his personal growth.

Foreshadowing: Og explains that a witch's magic altered Rawkins and attempts to prove a change of heart through the spell.

• rawkins
• reformation
• prejudice
• magic
• change
• bigot
• senator

Og uses the final wish to restore Rawkins to whiteness at dawn, which simultaneously releases the magic holding the situation in stasis. With Rawkins restored and the immediate crisis resolved, the authorities release Sharon and Woody from the barn before the fire can harm them. The timing is critical, the rescue happens as dawn breaks and the magic is exhausted.

Foreshadowing: Finian's plan involves keeping everyone in the barn until daybreak, anticipating the magic would resolve things by morning.

• sharon
• woody
• burning barn
• rescue
• og
• dawn
• wedding
• imprisoned