Oscar Winners - Going My Way

Paramount, 1944
Starring Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh, and Jean Heather
Directed by Leo McCarey
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen and others; Lyrics by Johnny Burke and others

Bing Crosby was at his height of popularity when he appeared in this story of a young priest who reinvigorates an aging parish and its stubborn old head pastor. Crosby and Fitzgerald worked so well together, the movie was the biggest hit of 1944 and won 7 Oscars, including Best Picture. Does it still "swing on a star" today? Let's follow that young priest to St. Dominic's Church in New York City to find out...

The Story: Father Chuck O'Malley (Crosby) is a young priest with many new ideas on how to change life at St. Dominic's. His laid-back manner and casual clothes don't make a good first impression with the locals or head pastor Father Fitzgibbons (Fitzgerald), especially after Fitzgibbons learns that he's friends with the even more laid-back Father O'Dowd (McHugh) from the next-closest parish. O'Malley sets out to win over the churchgoers. He helps Carol, a young runaway (Heather, and convinces the hooligan boys of the church to start a choir. His ex-girlfriend Jenny (Rise Stevens) hears him singing a song he wrote and thinks he could sell it to help the parish. She even sets up for her and the boys choir to sing it for a music executive. Even though they do manage to sell another song, it's not enough to save the parish from destruction. Father O'Malley has to move on...but not before he gives Father Fitzgibbons what he's dreamed about.

The Song and Dance: Crosby won an Oscar for this as the kind, casual priest...but to tell the truth, it's not much different from his usual non-religious roles. Stevens and Fitzgerald come off a little bit better as his former flame and the crotchety head of the church with more old-fashioned views. The boys' antics, especially from future Bowery Boy Stanley Clements and former Little Rascal Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, have their moments as well.

Favorite Number: "Swinging On a Star" was the hit and also won an Oscar. I wish they'd released Bing and the kids' version of it on the piano. It's pretty cute. Stevens gets a lovely version of the title song with the boys and an orchestra when they're playing for the music executive. Her version of the Carmen "Habernara" aria is also quite well-done.

Trivia: Barry Fitzgerald was nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. He won for supporting. The rules changed the next year to prevent that from happening again.

What I Don't Like: First of all, though a lot of movie reference books and online movie sites list it as a musical, this is really more of a drama with songs. The songs are mainly there to let Crosby have fun with the kids and give Stevens something to do. They don't move the story along or really have anything whatsoever to do with the plot until late in the movie, when Jenny comes up with the idea of selling Father Chuck's song.

Second, the movie is overlong and takes forever to get where it's going. Carol, as Father Chuck points out, is frankly a bit of a spoiled brat who runs out on her parents because she claims they "don't understand her." Her romance with the son of the man who owns church's mortgage is wooden and cliched and seems shoehorned in from another movie entirely. The entire film is sticky-sweet and overly sentimental. That may have been what war-worn audiences wanted in 1944, but it's likely to be more annoying than heart-tugging for many modern audiences.

The Big Picture: Despite a few good songs and some decent performances from Crosby, Stevens, and Fitzgerald, this one mostly drowns in its own sentiment today. See it only if you're a huge fan of Crosby, the cast, or religious dramas. I personally prefer the slightly less sticky sequel The Bells of St. Mary's with Ingrid Bergman.

Home Media: Can be very easily found on its own on DVD or streaming or in a set with 23 other popular Crosby films on DVD.

DVD
DVD - Bing Crosby: The Silver Screen Collection
Amazon Prime