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| Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby) sings Swinging on a Star. |
Release Date: May 3, 1944. Running Time: 126 minutes. Screenplay: Frank Butler, Frank Cavett. Story: Leo McCarey. Producer: Leo McCarey. Director: Leo McCarey.
THE PLOT:
St. Dominic's Church is in trouble. It's behind on its mortgage payments, and bank manager Ted Haines Sr. (Gene Lockhart) makes clear that if payment isn't made, then the church will be foreclosed on. Senior priest Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald) promises that Haines will get his money back... but he doesn't actually have any plans that will make that happen.
It is in the midst of this crisis that St. Dominic's receives its new priest: Father Chuck O'Malley (Bing Crosby). O'Malley is the opposite of Fitzgibbon: He's young, progressive, relaxed, and nonjudgmental. He's been assigned by the bishop to restore St. Dominic's - not only financially, but in terms of its place in the community. Fitzgibbon is skeptical of the new arrival, however; and as O'Malley starts courting the leader of the local youth gang to form a choir, the old pastor contemplates asking the bishop to have this interloper reassigned...
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| Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald) hears complaints from local busybody Mrs. Quimp (Anita Sharp-Bolster) |
CHARACTERS:
Father O'Malley: Kind, compassionate, deft in dealing with all types of people. O'Malley is about half a step away from being too good to be true. Thankfully, Bing Crosby is at his very best in his Oscar winning performance, bringing screen charisma and inherent likability to the part. He also infuses just a hint of melancholy, lending a bit of additional depth to a potentially shallow character. At one point, he meets an old flame from before he was a priest. She asks if he has any regrets, something he denies - but his expression here and in a handful of other scenes suggests otherwise.
Father Fitzgibbon: Barry Fitzgerald, as the curmudgeonly old pastor, became the only actor ever nominated for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for the same role in the same film (he won as Supporting Actor, appropriately); the rules were changed immediately thereafter to prevent a recurrence. Fitzgerald is splendid, stealing his every scene. He's crustier than O'Malley, and he is initially unimpressed with the young man. Despite his brusqueness, however, he is a good man; he's just older and wearier. As he explains to O'Malley in one of the film's best exchanges: "When you're young, it's easy to keep the fires of hope burning bright. But at my age, you're lucky if the pilot light doesn't go out."
Father O'Dowd: O'Malley's old school friend, Father O'Dowd (Frank McHugh) also became a priest. Next to him, O'Malley is a model of formality. O'Dowd grins his way through his every scene, seeming more interested in golf and song than more serious matters. Like O'Malley, however, he has a way of putting people at ease, and he has made connections which prove critical to resolving St. Dominic's problems.
Jenny/Genevieve Linden: Real-life opera singer Risë Stevens plays an ex-girlfriend of O'Malley's, from before he became a priest. She has gone on to success as an opera star, singing Carmen at the Metropolitan. Though neither of them shows any sign of even thinking of rekindling their old relationship, she nevertheless becomes a fixture at St. Dominic's, helping him with the choir he's assembled from the local youth gang. Stevens proves to be a winning screen presence, and it's surprising that her film and television credits are so limited. The highlight of her role is her performance of a song from Carmen, in which she demonstrates a vocal range that surpasses Crosby's own considerable talents.
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| Father O'Malley with his friends, Father O'Dowd and Genevieve Linden. |
THOUGHTS:
Going My Way is a light, sentimental confection that was old-fashioned when it was released. It seems almost unimaginable today that this could have won Best Picture in the same year that saw the release of such films as: Laura, Gaslight, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Arsenic and Old Lace, and - my personal pick as 1944's best - Double Indemnity.
And yet... While I don't think this movie deserved the Oscar, I can see why it was popular. 1944 was a grim year: Though it was the year when it became clear the Allies would win the Second World War, it was also a year that saw more massive casualties than ever before. Families were receiving the very worst news on a regular basis, while at the same time the country (really, the entire western world) had grown weary. A bit of old-fashioned, lighthearted froth must have been a perfect tonic for filmgoers.
Divorced of that context, this movie still has much to recommend it. The cast is good, with Crosby and Fitzgerald making for an engaging central pair. It's also universal in its message; despite the church trappings, this is not a religious movie. Instead, it celebrates such virtues as decency and kindness, and puts this across not through preaching but rather through the behavior modeled by all the central characters.
It's light, airy nonsense, but also surprisingly charming... for a while. Unfortunately, the movie is too long for its meager ambitions. At 90 - 100 minutes, this would have remained a delightful little comedy. At just over two hours, it overstays its welcome.
A serious problem is the absence of any real conflict. The supposed crisis of the imminent foreclosure goes all but unmentioned for the entire central hour of the film; even when it is discussed, mostly in the early going, nobody seems very concerned. Other stakes are similarly low. The youth gang that's terrorizing the neighborhood? Its activities are limited to such atrocities as turkey theft, and its young leader (Stanley Clements) is easily persuaded to enlist the local kids for a church choir. We get a glimpse of O'Malley's past attachment to Genevieve, when she was just Jenny and before he became a priest... but this is never followed up on, and there's certainly no hint of any current temptation for the upright Father Bing.
All that the movie has to offer, for better and worse, are its individual pieces. Many - even most - of the pieces are good. But they never add up to anything more, making it all ultimately feel a bit insubstantial.
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| A drink between rivals: Fathers O'Malley and Fitzgibbon make peace. |
REMAKES AND RETELLINGS:
Like many of its contemporaries, Going My Way saw a radio adaptation with Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald reprising their roles. The property was dusted off and revived as a 1962 television series, with Gene Kelly as O'Malley.
Most notable, however, was its 1945 sequel: The Bells of St. Mary's, co-starring Ingrid Bergman. In a rare twist, a sequel to an Oscar winner also proved to be a success. Not only was Bells also nominated as Best Picture of its year, it's probably the better remembered of the two films, thanks to its status as a Christmas classic (it's also, in this reviewer's opinion, by far the better movie).
OVERALL:
Going My Way remains enjoyable. It has warmth and humor; it offers music that ranges from okay to terrific; and it is anchored by wonderful performances by Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Fans of Crosby particularly shouldn't miss it. Unfortunately, it's a little too long for just being "a good time at the movies," and a little too shallow to be anything more than that.
In the end, I'd say this film is fine for what it is... But I suspect most modern viewers will grow restless by the final half-hour.
Overall Rating: 6/10.
Outstanding Motion Picture - 1943: Casablanca
Best Motion Picture - 1945: The Lost Weekend
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