The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)

Director:

Leo McCarey

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (screenplay)
Leo McCarey (story)

Release Date:

21 February 1946 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

The Whole World's in Tune . . . with Bing and Bergman together at their most brilliant best !

Plot:

At a big city Catholic school, Father O'Malley and Sister Benedict indulge in friendly rivalry, and succeed in extending the school through the gift of a building.

Plot Keywords:

School | Catholic | Church | Priest | Catholic Church

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Father Chuck O'Malley
Ingrid Bergman	...	Sister Mary Benedict
Henry Travers	...	Horace P. Bogardus
William Gargan	...	Joe Gallagher, Patsy's father
Ruth Donnelly	...	Sister Michael
Joan Carroll	...	Patricia 'Patsy' Gallagher
Martha Sleeper	...	Mary Gallagher, Patsy's mother
Rhys Williams	...	Dr. McKay
Richard Tyler	...	Eddie Breen (as Dickie Tyler)
Una O'Connor	...	Mrs. Breen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aina Constant	...	Nun (uncredited)
Jimmy Crane	...	Luther (uncredited)
Gwen Crawford	...	Nun (uncredited)
Bobby Dolan Jr.	...	Bobby - Boy Playing Joseph (uncredited)
Jimmie Dundee	...	Cabbie (uncredited)
Bobby Frasco	...	Tommy Smith (uncredited)
Matt McHugh	...	Sporting Goods Salesman (uncredited)
Peggy McKim	...	Schoolgirl (uncredited)
Georgie Nokes	...	(uncredited)
Eva Novak	...	Nun (uncredited)
Joe Palma	...	Workman (uncredited)
Dewey Robinson	...	Pedestrian Pulling Bogardus from Under Truck (uncredited)
Cora Shannon	...	Elderly Woman (uncredited)
John Smith	...	Choir Member (uncredited)
Pietro Sosso	...	Blind Man (uncredited)
Minerva Urecal	...	Landlady (uncredited)
Edna May Wonacott	...	Delphine Ford (uncredited)

Directed by
Leo McCarey

Writing credits
Dudley Nichols		(screenplay)
Leo McCarey		(story)

Produced by
Leo McCarey	....	producer

Original Music by
Robert Emmett Dolan

Cinematography by
George Barnes		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Harry Marker

Art Direction by
William Flannery
Albert S. D'Agostino		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Darrell Silvera

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harry Scott	....	assistant director

Sound Department
James G. Stewart	....	sound
Richard Van Hessen	....	sound
Stephen Dunn	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Vernon L. Walker	....	special effects

Other crew
David O. Selznick	....	Miss Bergman appears by arrangement with

Production Companies

• Rainbow Productions (presents)

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Telefilm Associates (NTA) (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Republic Pictures (I) (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Maple Pictures (2006) (Canada) (DVD)
• RKO Radio Films (1947) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Artisan Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Olive Films (2012) (Canada) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• Olive Films (2012) (USA) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (Brazil) (VHS)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (USA) (DVD)
• Worldvision Enterprises (USA)

Also Known As:

"Leo McCarey's The Bells of St. Mary's" - UK (complete title), USA (complete title)

Runtime:

126 min | Germany:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U | West Germany:6 | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #10824)

Filming Locations:

Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company:

Rainbow Productions

Trivia:

Bing Crosby's performance as Father O'Malley earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, the first time a person received a nomination for playing the same character in two different films (he had been nominated - and won - for Going My Way (1944) the previous year).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sister Benedict is starting to erase her drawn portrait on the blackboard when Father O'Malley walks in, she barely erases any of the portrait, but in the next scene most of the portrait is already erased.

Quotes:

Patricia 'Patsy' Gallagher:[stands up in class to present a report] The Six Senses.
Sister Mary Benedict:The subject I gave you was the five senses.
Patricia 'Patsy' Gallagher:Well, for my topic, I chose six senses.
Sister Mary Benedict:[baffled and confused] Go on, Patricia.
Patricia 'Patsy' Gallagher:The Six Senses: To see, to hear, to taste, to smell, to feel... to be.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Eat Pray Love (2010)

Soundtrack:

In the Land of Beginning Again

Going His Way

Singing Priest Bing Crosby (returning as Chuck O'Malley, from "Going My Way") is transferred to "St. Mary's" parochial school, where he is immediately warned about serving with a group of nuns; they're hinted at being responsible for sending the previous Pastor to the nuthouse. "They took him away mumbling to himself, in a wheelchair," reveals gossipy housekeeper Una O'Connor (as Mrs. Breen).

Apparently, the departing Priest lost a fight with the nuns over philosophies of education. Quickly, Father Crosby learns "what it means to be up to your neck in nuns." He clashes with Swedish Sister Ingrid Bergman (as Mary Benedict) when the pair catch two boys in a fist fight. Crosby treats the conflict humorously (though, he does stop it), irking Sister Bergman.

Bergman has been teaching young Richard "Dickie" Tyler (as Eddie Breen), the loser, to "turn the other cheek." Crosby fears this may turn the boy into a sissy. Bergman sees the error of her ways, and uses her "tomboy" experience to teach the boy how to box. As a girl, Bergman played baseball and football with the boys, and had an impressive 300 batting average. Later, Bergman excitedly watches her ward handily score a TKO.

Crosby teaches Bergman another lesson, involving young Joan Carroll (as Patsy Gallagher), a girl Crosby accepts at the school, despite her troubled family background; her mother ran away with a musician, who deserted after the baby arrived. Crosby uses finesse to get Bergman to give the girl a second chance. Although Crosby's "O'Malley" is usually a good person, he informs Bergman of some "bad news" in a cruel, parsing way.

The main plot concerns "St. Mary's" being threatened with closure, due to its decrepit condition; however nice it looks on camera, the school is close to being condemned. Wealthy neighbor Henry Travers (as Horace P. Bogardus) wants "St. Mary's" turned into a parking lot for his new office building. The nuns are praying for a miracle, which Crosby's appearance may turn out "to be, or not to be."

"The Bells of St. Mary's" received several awards and nominations, including top consideration for "Best Picture", Leo McCarey ("Best Director"), Crosby ("Best Actor"), and Bergman ("Best Actor"). While likable, the film doesn't not reach the levels of excellence you'd expect from looking at its impressive list of honors. Still, the production is very good.

The younger performers - Ms. Carroll, Mr. Tyler, and Bobby Dolan Jr. ("Joseph" in the nativity play) - really help make it credible; Carroll's "Patsy" is especially noteworthy. Crosby's accompanying hit single was "Aren't You Glad You're You?" (#8) / "In the Land of Beginning Again" (#18). The topside is a pale re-write of the superb "Swinging on a Star" (from "Going My Way"), but the flipside is quietly sublime.

****** The Bells of St. Mary's (12/6/45) Leo McCarey ~ Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Carroll