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One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. Considered one of the centerpieces of the MCA/Paramount Film Library, it was initially telecast in Omaha NE Tuesday 11 November 1958 on KETV (Channel 7); it next launched the Paramount Collection in Minneapolis MN Monday 5 January 1959 on WTCN (Channel 11); its next telecasts took place in Toledo OH 7 January 1959 on WTOL (Channel 11), and simultaneously Saturday 10 January 1959 in Los Angeles CA on KNXT (Channel 2), in Philadelphia PA on WCAU (Channel 10), in St. Louis MO on KMOX (Channel 4) and in Chicago IL on WBBM (Channel 2); its television premiere in New York City NY took place Sunday 25 January 1959 on WCBS (Channel 2) and in Asheville, NC Sunday 22 March 1959 on WLOS (Channel 13), launching the MCA/Paramount Library on those cities also. In Milwaukee WI it was first telecast 10 April 1959 on WITI (Channel 6), in Denver 29 April 1959 on KBTV (Channel 9), in Phoenix AZ 11 June 1959 on KVAR (Channel 12), in Grand Rapids MI 6 August 1959 on WOOD (Channel 8), in Detroit MI 23 September 1959 on WJBK (Channel 2) and in Seattle WA 6 November 1959 on KIRO (Channel 7); on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday 26 November 1959, it enjoyed its initial airing in both Pittsburgh PA on KDKA (Channel 2) and in San Francisco CA on KPIX (Channel 5). In Johnstown PA it first aired 22 December 1959 on WJAC (Channel 6). Universal first released this one on DVD 2 November 1999 in tandem with Holiday Inn (1942), again, as a single, 6 February 2007, and again 11 November 2014 as one of 24 titles in Universal's Bing Crosby Silver Screen Collection. Since that time, it has also received an occasional airings on Turner Classic Movies.
Barry Fitzgerald was nominated by the Academy for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards for the same performance, for the same film, the only time this has happened. (Al Pacino received a Best Supporting Actor nomination and a Best Actor nomination for his role as Michael Corleone, but his nominations were for the first and second Godfather films, respectively.). Fitzgerald won the Oscar in the supporting category but lost in the lead category to co-star Bing Crosby. (This is no longer possible under Academy guidelines.) Due to wartime metal shortages, Fitzgerald received a plaster Oscar (instead of a gold-plated britannium one) for his performance. Embarrassingly, a few weeks after he won, he broke the head off his plaster Oscar while practicing his golf swing. A funny photo exists of a befuddled Fitzgerald holding the evidence
Fr. O'Malley's favorite baseball team is the St. Louis Browns. The year "Going My Way" was released, 1944, was the only season the Browns reached the World Series while in St. Louis.
Bing Crosby sang "Swinging on a Star" by Jimmy Van Heusen, which went on to win an Academy Award for Best Song. Crosby sang four different Oscar-winning songs in his films.
Filmed in St. Monica Catholic Church near the beach in Santa Monica, California. Leo McCarey based the Barry Fitzgerald character in part on the church's real (irascible) pastor, Msgnr. Nicholas Conneally.
Earned $16.3 million on its initial run, a huge amount for the time.