Going My Way (1944)

Father Charles O'Mailey, a young priest at a financially failing Church in a tough neighborhood, gains support and inspires his superior.

Director:

Leo McCarey

Writers:

Frank Butler (screenplay), Frank Cavett (screenplay)

Stars:

Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh

Won 7 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bing Crosby	...	Father Chuck O'Malley
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Father Fitzgibbon
Frank McHugh	...	Father Timothy O'Dowd
James Brown	...	Ted Haines Jr.
Gene Lockhart	...	Ted Haines Sr.
Jean Heather	...	Carol James
Porter Hall	...	Mr. Belknap
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Tomaso Bozanni
Eily Malyon	...	Mrs. Carmody
The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir	...	Choir (as Robert Mitchell Boychoir)
Risë Stevens	...	Genevieve Linden

Storyline

Youthful Father Chuck O'Malley led a colorful life of sports, song, and romance before joining the Roman Catholic clergy, but his level gaze and twinkling eyes make it clear that he knows he made the right choice. After joining a parish, O'Malley's worldly knowledge helps him connect with a gang of kids looking for direction and handle the business details of the church-building fund, winning over his aging, conventional superior, Father Fitzgibbon.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | church | priest | new york city | catholic | 

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Taglines:

Bing's "little angels" - the roughest gang this side of reform school !

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Musical

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 October 1944 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Der Weg zum Glück

Filming Locations:

Lakeside Golf Club - 4500 Lakeside Drive, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$16,300,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Singer Andy Williams debuted as one of the singing boys surrounding Bing Crosby during the song "Swinging On A Star". Williams and his three brothers were performing as the Williams Brothers and were all cast in the scene.

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Goofs

When Fr. Chuck says to Fr. Fitzgibbon, "She's a singer," Fr. Chuck's hand change positions.

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Quotes

Father Fitzgibbons: I'm sure that the way to say what I'd like to say will occur to me after you've gone.

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Alternate Versions

Since Paramount could not get the European copyright clearance for Bizet's "Carmen," an additional sequence was shot from Smetana's "The Bartered Bride" which replaced Carmen for foreign prints.

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Connections

Version of Going My Way (1962)

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Soundtracks

Habanera
(1875) (uncredited)
from Carmen
Music by Georges Bizet
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
Performed by Risë Stevens at the opera

User Reviews

One of the best loved of all Oscar movies

One of the best loved of all Oscar winners, Leo McCarey's deeply sentimental film makes no great claims to seriousness nor is it particularly cinematic, (the studio sets are clearly studio sets), but it's well-written and has a deeply likable performance from Bing Crosby as Father Chuck O'Malley, (the Academy liked him enough to give him the Best Actor Oscar and to nominate him the following year for playing the same role). He's the young priest sent to St. Dominic's, a parish down on its luck, to whip it back into shape and to replace the curmudgeonly old priest responsible for its present state. The older priest is the leprechaun-like Barry Fitzgerald and he plays the part shamelessly. The Academy gave him an Oscar, too, and it marked the only time when an actor, (Fitzgerald), was nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for playing the same role in the same film in the same year. (The rules were subsequently changed so it wouldn't happen again). The Mickey Rooney role of the street-wise older kid who makes good is played here by Stanley Clements. If the film has a fault it's that it gave us one of the most annoying of all Oscar-winning songs in 'Swingin on a Star'.