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:

church | priest | catholic | mortgage | national film registry | 

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Taglines:

In love with love! Jim Brown and Jean Heather!

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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

The first public showing, on 27 April 1944, was at 65 military locations, "from Alaska to Italy, and from England to the jungles of Burma..." (but mostly in Europe).

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Goofs

Directly after the first rendition of "Going My Way", the shadow of the boom mic can be seen moving on the church wall behind father Fitzgibbon and Miss Linden.

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Quotes

Father Chuck O'Malley: Here, take this.
[Gives a spoonful of medicine to Father Fitzgibbon]
Father Chuck O'Malley: That'll keep the pilot light burning.
Father Fitzgibbons: Yes, it ought to. Tastes like it has kerosene in it.

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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

Featured in Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire: A Couple of Song and Dance Men (1975)

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Soundtracks

Ave Maria (Op.52 No.1)
(1825) (uncredited)
Written by Franz Schubert
Performed by Bing Crosby and Risë Stevens with The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir

User Reviews

Easy-going but long

St. Dominic's Church is in financial trouble under the guidance of Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald) and so Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby) is sent by the bishop to turn things around. The two holy men work side by side but have a different approach to life - O'Malley's youthful outlook is not shared by Fitzgibbon. Fitzgibbon goes to the bishop to complain but ends up finding out the truth as to why O'Malley has been appointed. We follow the story of how fortune changes for St. Dominic's.

Bing is good as he breezes through the film in his likable manner but the star of the film is Barry Fitzgerald. He is excellent as a restrained grumpy old man who doesn't care for "Three Blind Mice". I think that the songs could have been better and the film definitely did not need an opera singer Genevieve (Rise Stevens) to sing a couple of songs in that fake way that only opera singers can by deliberately pronouncing every word so that it sounds wrong. For example "amen" becomes "aauurrmmiiin" - that kind of nonsense. The film goes on for too long, so, of course, it won an Oscar but there are better films that were made in 1944.......I could name about 30. However, it is a feelgood story that hooks you in from the beginning.