Going My Way
Directed by Leo McCarey
Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett; story by Leo McCarey
1944/USA
Paramount Pictures
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Father Fitzgibbons: I’m sure that the way to say what I’d like to say will occur to me after you’ve gone.[/box]
While certainly not the best picture of 1944 (my own award will almost certainly go to Double Indemnity), this is a very enjoyable comedy with some catchy tunes.
Laid-back progressive Father Chuck O’Malley (Bing Crosby) has been assigned to St. Dominic’s parish to take over from the crusty old Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald) who has run the church for over 40 years. Fitzgibbon’s management has recently resulted in the parish being seriously in arrears on its mortgage. The lender (Gene Lockhart) is threatening foreclosure. Father Chuck tries to hide his mission from Fitzgibbon, with short-lived success. The two could not be more different.
But eventually Father Fitzgibbon comes to appreciate the new priest. Father O’Malley organizes the local gang into a church choir, sets a young girl who arrived to become a singer straight, and finds a generous sponsor in opera singer Genevieve Lindon (Risë Stevens). His songwriting prowess also brings in quite a few bucks. With Frank McHugh as O’Malley’s old high school buddy and a fellow priest.
The plot summary really does not do justice to the film. Crosby is always Crosby, i.e., appealing and to be fair so is Fitzgerald but Fitzgerald is such a lovable scene-stealer that we don’t care. There are many gentle laughs and some good music to be found here. I have yet to meet a Leo McCarey directed film that I didn’t like.
Going My Way won the Oscars for Best Picture; Best Actor (Crosby); Best Supporting Actor; Best Director; Best Writing, Original Story; Best Writing, Screenplay and Best Music, Original Song (“Swinging on a Star”). It was nominated in the categories of Best Actor (Fitzgerald); Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Lionel Linden); and Best Film Editing. This was the first and last time that an actor was nominated twice for the same role. The Academy ruled out this possibility thereafter.
Re-release trailer
