Going My Way (B or 3/4 stars)
'Going My Way' (directed by Leo McCarey) is a feel-good religious drama that was a huge box office hit & won 7(!) Academy Awards for the year 1944. My family adored Bing Crosby. I had heard very good things about this movie from them and, now that I've seen it, I understand why my family enjoyed it. It is warm-hearted schmaltz. It is a quality movie. It's hard to dislike. It didn't blow me away -- but that's okay. Crosby stars as Father O'Malley, is an easy-going, modern priest who arrives from St. Louis to serve as curate for old-fashioned Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald), an obstinate, but loveable priest who presides over the financially failing St. Dominic's Catholic Church; located in a NYC slum for the last 4 decades.
Through his winning personality & musical talents, Father O'Malley saves the church from ruin as he deals with a plethora of issues: he wins over a disdainful Father Fitzgibbon with his newfangled ideas; he deals with Ted Haines Sr. (Gene Lockhart), whose bank loaned the church $$ & holds its mortgage; he gives 18 yr. old runaway singer, Carol (Jean Heather) $$ to hold her over 'til she finds work, and then nurtures a budding romance btwn. Carol & Ted's sincere son (James Brown); he helps elderly parishioner Hattie Quimp from being evicted; he forms a church choir to get a troublesome, vandalizing gang of boys off the streets to sing some songs; he rekindles an old flame - now a famous singer - to get his choir to sing in an opera house; and he even prevents Father Fitzgibbon from being axed -- collecting enough $$ to restore the burned down church. Good-natured drama ensues.
Again, this all pretty irresistible, gently-unfolding hokum for the masses to eat up. It pushes sentimentality to the absolute max; making audiences believe that Hollywood's view of this ennobled church is as tangible as Santy Claus. I wouldn't say that anything is particularly memorable about this film; it lacks some compelling conflict and, some might say it is a bit dramatically inert. But I was able to find magic in various moments throughout the 2 hour + run time. And most of that magic comes in the form of a plentitude of great song sequences where Bing Crosby's enchanting & soothing vocals soar. Songs include: Oscar-winning "Swingin' On a Star", "Ave Maria", "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral", "The Day After Forever" & "Silent Night".
Bing Crosby is highly enjoyable as too-good-to-be-true Father O'Malley. That said, I don't know that I would have awarded him the Best Actor Oscar. Heck, I don't even think he's the best actor in the movie; that would be charismatic Barry Fitzgerald, who was nominated for both Lead and Supporting. He won Supporting, and a new rule was adopted the next year which would prevent someone from being nominated twice for the same movie.
'Going My Way' premiered one month before D-Day in 1944. Audiences were desperate for escapist fare and, they got it with this film, in spades. So successful was this film that it spawned a similarly successful sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's, starring Crosby again & Ingrid Bergman. I think it is hard for some cinephiles to fully embrace this warm-hearted 7-time award winning film when it dwarfed achievements of such classics as Double Indemnity, Gaslight, Meet Me in St. Louis, Since You Went Away, Lifeboat, Laura & others. Still, AS is, 'Going My Way' will always be a delightful, skillfully executed entertainment about one good-hearted individual devoting themselves to the betterment of others. That is something to be cherished.
Through his winning personality & musical talents, Father O'Malley saves the church from ruin as he deals with a plethora of issues: he wins over a disdainful Father Fitzgibbon with his newfangled ideas; he deals with Ted Haines Sr. (Gene Lockhart), whose bank loaned the church $$ & holds its mortgage; he gives 18 yr. old runaway singer, Carol (Jean Heather) $$ to hold her over 'til she finds work, and then nurtures a budding romance btwn. Carol & Ted's sincere son (James Brown); he helps elderly parishioner Hattie Quimp from being evicted; he forms a church choir to get a troublesome, vandalizing gang of boys off the streets to sing some songs; he rekindles an old flame - now a famous singer - to get his choir to sing in an opera house; and he even prevents Father Fitzgibbon from being axed -- collecting enough $$ to restore the burned down church. Good-natured drama ensues.
Again, this all pretty irresistible, gently-unfolding hokum for the masses to eat up. It pushes sentimentality to the absolute max; making audiences believe that Hollywood's view of this ennobled church is as tangible as Santy Claus. I wouldn't say that anything is particularly memorable about this film; it lacks some compelling conflict and, some might say it is a bit dramatically inert. But I was able to find magic in various moments throughout the 2 hour + run time. And most of that magic comes in the form of a plentitude of great song sequences where Bing Crosby's enchanting & soothing vocals soar. Songs include: Oscar-winning "Swingin' On a Star", "Ave Maria", "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral", "The Day After Forever" & "Silent Night".
Bing Crosby is highly enjoyable as too-good-to-be-true Father O'Malley. That said, I don't know that I would have awarded him the Best Actor Oscar. Heck, I don't even think he's the best actor in the movie; that would be charismatic Barry Fitzgerald, who was nominated for both Lead and Supporting. He won Supporting, and a new rule was adopted the next year which would prevent someone from being nominated twice for the same movie.
'Going My Way' premiered one month before D-Day in 1944. Audiences were desperate for escapist fare and, they got it with this film, in spades. So successful was this film that it spawned a similarly successful sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's, starring Crosby again & Ingrid Bergman. I think it is hard for some cinephiles to fully embrace this warm-hearted 7-time award winning film when it dwarfed achievements of such classics as Double Indemnity, Gaslight, Meet Me in St. Louis, Since You Went Away, Lifeboat, Laura & others. Still, AS is, 'Going My Way' will always be a delightful, skillfully executed entertainment about one good-hearted individual devoting themselves to the betterment of others. That is something to be cherished.