Going My Way **** (1944, Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh, Risë Stevens, Gene Lockhart, Jean Heather, Porter Hall) – Classic Movie Review 3129

‘Sing, Bing . . . . You’re A Grand, Gay Guy In Your Greatest Picture !’

Producer-director Leo McCarey also provided the original story for this warm and appealing 1944 multi-Oscar-winner. Voters seemed to agree that it was simply the best of the year – it won a total of seven Academy Awards, helping it to be a huge box office hit, earning a then vast $16.3million on its first run. You might say it was fortunate to win, though: it was the year of Double Indemnity, The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, Laura and Gaslight.

Bing Crosby stars as a youthful Roman Catholic priest called Father Chuck O’Malley, who sways his aging, conventional, testy but lovable boss Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald) and a wild bunch of street urchins looking for direction. After joining a new parish, O’Malley uses his worldly knowledge from his previous life to connect with the gang of kids, handle the business details of the church-building fund and win over Fitzgibbon.

This is a near-irresistible, schmaltzy, warm-hearted tale, skilfully produced and directed by McCarey, who landed three Oscars for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Original Story. Frank Butler and Frank Cavett took Best Screenplay,

Their endearing, infectiously amusing performances won the stars Academy awards too as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, while Johnny Burke (music) and James Van Heusen (lyrics) took more gold for their evergreen song classic, ‘Swinging on a Star’.

And there’s a lovely cast of supporting players who might have stood a chance of an Oscar if the co-star hadn’t been nominated. Also in the cast are Risë Stevens, Frank McHugh, James Brown, Gene Lockhart, Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer, Jean Heather, Stanley Clements, Porter Hall, William Frawley, Fortunio Bonanova, Eily Maylon, Georgia Nokes, Tom Dillon, Hugh Maguire, Sybil Lewis, Jack Norton, Anita Sharp-Bolster, Jimmie Dundee, Adeline De Walt Reynolds, Gibson Gowland, Martin Garralaga, Robert Tafur, Julie Gibson, William Smith and William Henry.

Crosby re-created his performance in a sequel, The Bells of St Mary’s.

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© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3129

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