| Going My Way | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster (with executive producerB. G. DeSylva given prominent credit) | |
| Directed by | Leo McCarey |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | Leo McCarey |
| Produced by | Leo McCarey |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Lionel Lindon |
| Edited by | LeRoy Stone |
| Music by | Robert Emmett Dolan |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 126 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $6.5 million (US/Canada rentals)[1] |
Going My Way is a 1944 Americanmusicalcomedy drama film directed byLeo McCarey and starringBing Crosby andBarry Fitzgerald. Written byFrank Butler and Frank Cavett, based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest taking over a parish from an established old veteran. Crosby sings five songs[2] with other songs performed onscreen byMetropolitan Opera's starmezzo-sopranoRisë Stevens and theRobert Mitchell Boys Choir.Going My Way was thehighest-grossing picture of 1944, and was nominated for tenAcademy Awards, winning seven, includingBest Picture.[3] Its success helped to make movie exhibitors choose Crosby as the biggest box-office draw of the year,[4][5] a record he would hold for the remainder of the 1940s. After World War II, Crosby and McCarey presented a copy of the film to PopePius XII at theVatican.Going My Way was followed the next year by a sequel,The Bells of St. Mary's.
Father Charles "Chuck" O'Malley, an incoming priest fromEast St. Louis, is transferred to St. Dominic's Church inNew York City.
On his first day, his unconventional style gets him into a series of mishaps; his informal appearance and attitude make a poor impression with the elder pastor, Father Fitzgibbon. The very traditional Fitzgibbon is further put off by O'Malley's recreational habits – particularly his golf-playing – and his friendship with the even more casual Father Timmy O'Dowd. O'Dowd tricks O'Malley into revealing that the bishop actually sent him to take charge of the parish's affairs, with Fitzgibbon remaining on as pastor. To spare Fitzgibbon's feelings, O'Malley acts as if he is simply his assistant.
The difference between O'Malley and Fitzgibbon's styles is openly apparent as they deal with events like a parishioner being evicted and a young woman named Carol James having run away from home. The most consequential difference arises in their handling of the church youth, many of whom consistently get into trouble with the law in a gang led by Tony Scaponi. Fitzgibbon is inclined to look the other way, siding with the boys because of their frequent church attendance. O'Malley seeks to make inroads into the boys' lives, befriending Scaponi and eventually convincing the boys to become a church choir.
The noise of the practicing choir annoys Fitzgibbon, who goes to the bishop and asks for O'Malley to be transferred away. In the course of the conversation, Fitzgibbon infers the bishop's intention to put O'Malley in charge of the parish. To avoid an uncomfortable situation, Fitzgibbon asks the bishop to put O'Malley in charge, and then, resigned to his fate, he informs O'Malley of his new role. A distressed Fitzgibbon runs away in a rainstorm, returning late that night. O'Malley puts the older priest to bed, and the two begin to bond. They discuss Fitzgibbon's long-put-off desire to go toIreland and see his mother, now over 90 years old. O'Malley puts Fitzgibbon to sleep with an Irish lullaby, "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral".
O'Malley runs into Jenny Tuffel, an old girlfriend whom he left to join the priesthood. Jenny now has a successful career with theMetropolitan Opera, performing under the stage name Genevieve Linden. As she prepares to go onstage as the lead in a performance ofCarmen, the two discuss their past, and she learns that her world travels with a previous opera company caused her to miss his letter explaining he had entered the priesthood.
O'Malley next pays a visit to Carol, now suspected of living in sin with Ted Haines Jr., the son of the church's mortgage holder. O'Malley describes to the young couple his calling in life, to follow the joyous side of religion and lead others to do the same, sung as his composition "Going My Way". When the junior Haines is later confronted by his father, the father discovers that he and Carol have married, and he has joined the Army Air Corps.
Jenny visits O'Malley at the church, sees the boys' choir, and reads the sheet music of "Going My Way". She, O'Malley, and O'Dowd devise a plan to rent out the Metropolitan, have the choir perform it with a full orchestra, then sell the rights to the song, saving the church from its financial woes. When Max Dolan, the music executive brought on to hear the song does not believe it will sell, the choir decides to make the most of its opportunity on the grand stage, and sings "Swinging on a Star". The executive overhears and decides to buy it, providing enough money to pay off the church mortgage.
With everything settled, O'Malley is transferred to a new assignment; O'Dowd will be Fitzgibbon's new assistant, with Tony Scaponi in charge of the choir. However, the church is damaged by a massive fire. On Christmas Eve, parishioners gather in a temporary church for aMass that also serves as O'Malley's farewell. O'Malley sent for Fitzgibbon's mother from Ireland as a parting gesture. As mother and son embrace for the first time in 45 years, the choir sings "Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral", as Father O'Malley quietly slips away into the night.
.JPG)
Risë Stevens, whose character is seen onscreen performing the lead role in a Metropolitan Opera (the Met) production ofCarmen, was an actual performer with the Met when the film was made. A few years later she would earn enormous personal triumph as the Met's Carmen in the famousTyrone Guthrie production of 1951, becoming the leading Carmen of her generation.[6]
Filming locations included the following:[7]
According toBosley Crowther inThe New York Times,Going My Way was "the best" of Crosby's career, which is "saying a lot for a performer who has been one of the steadiest joys of the screen. But, in this Leo McCarey film ... he has definitely found his sturdiest role to date."[8] Crowther, however, criticized the film's length while lauding Crosby, and wrote that "he has been stunningly supported by Barry Fitzgerald, who plays one of the warmest characters the screen has ever known. As a matter of fact, it is a cruel slight to suggest that this is Mr. Crosby's show. It is his and Mr. Fitzgerald's together. And they make it one of the rare delights of the year."[8]
Variety endorsed the film, saying: "Bing Crosby gets a tailor-made role inGoing My Way, and with major assistance from Barry Fitzgerald and Risë Stevens, clicks solidly to provide top-notch entertainment for wide audience appeal. Picture will hit hefty biz on all booking ... Intimate scenes between Crosby and Fitzgerald dominate throughout, with both providing slick characterizations ... Crosby’s song numbers include three new tunes by Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen — 'Going My Way,' 'Would You Like to Swing on a Star' and 'Day After Forever.' Trio are topgrade and due for wide pop appeal due to cinch recording and airings by Bing. He also delivers 'Ave Maria,' 'Adeste Fideles' and 'Silent Night' in addition to a lively Irish-themed song, 'Toora-loora-looral' with boys' choir accompaniment."[9]
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 7.0/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald are eminently likable, and film is pleasantly sentimental, butGoing My Way suffers from a surplus of sweetness."[10]
The film received ten nominations at theOscars, winning seven, includingBarry Fitzgerald (whose work on the film was nominated for bothBest Actor andBest Supporting Actor).Bing Crosby won for Best Actor, while Fitzgerald won for Best Supporting Actor. (Subsequently, the rules were changed to prevent a recurrence).[11] Its record of six above-the-line wins was matched in2022 byEverything Everywhere All At Once.
Bing Crosby recorded six of the songs forDecca Records[20] and some of them were issued on a 3-disc 78rpm set titledSelections from Going My Way. “Swinging on a Star” topped theBillboard charts for nine weeks in a 28-week stay. "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's an Irish Lullaby)" was in the charts for twelve weeks with a peak position of #4. "The Day After Forever" and "Going My Way" also charted briefly.[21] Crosby's songs were also included in theBing's Hollywood series.
Going My Way was adapted as a radio play for the January 8, 1945, broadcast ofThe Screen Guild Theater starring Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald andPaul Lukas. It was also adapted for the May 3, 1954, broadcast ofLux Radio Theatre with Barry Fitzgerald.
The film also inspired anhour-long comedy drama of the same name during the1962–63 television season starringGene Kelly in the role of Father O'Malley. The series ran on ABC for one season of 30 episodes.
In 1962, McCarey directedSatan Never Sleeps, also featuring an old priest and his younger substitute but set in a Chinese mission during the Communist takeover of the country in 1949.
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