Going My Way
{{Short description|1944 film by Leo McCarey}}
{{For|the 1962–1963 television series|Going My Way (TV series){{!}}Going My Way (TV series)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Going My Way
| image = Going My Way (1944 poster).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster (with executive producer B. G. DeSylva given prominent credit)
| director = Leo McCarey
| producer = Leo McCarey
| screenplay = {{Plainlist|
}}
| story = Leo McCarey
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Bing Crosby
- Barry Fitzgerald
- Frank McHugh
- James Brown
- Jean Heather
- Gene Lockhart
- Porter Hall
- Fortunio Bonanova
- Risë Stevens
}}
| music = Robert Emmett Dolan
| cinematography = Lionel Lindon
| editing = LeRoy Stone
| distributor = Paramount Pictures
| released = {{Film date|1944|05|03|New York City, premiere|1944|08|16|Los Angeles}}
| runtime = 126 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross = $6.5 million (US/Canada rentals){{cite web| url = https://archive.org/stream/variety177-1950-01#page/n371/mode/2up| title = "All-Time Top-Grossers", Variety 18 January 1950 p 18| year = 1950}}
}}
Going My Way is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest taking over a parish from an established old veteran. Crosby sings five songsGoing My Way with other songs performed onscreen by Metropolitan Opera's star mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens and the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir. Going My Way was the highest-grossing picture of 1944, and was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning seven, including Best Picture.{{cite web |title=Awards for Going My Way |website=Internet Movie Database |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036872/awards |access-date=August 4, 2012 |archive-date=April 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413183349/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036872/awards |url-status=live }} Its success helped to make movie exhibitors choose Crosby as the biggest box-office draw of the year,{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/41424%7C22133/Bing-Crosby/#overview|title=Bing Crosby Overview|work=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=December 18, 2023|archive-date=December 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218205038/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/41424%7C22133/Bing-Crosby/#overview|url-status=live}}{{Pop Chronicles 40s|1|B |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633239/m1/#track/2 }} a record he would hold for the remainder of the 1940s. After World War II, Crosby and McCarey presented a copy of the film to Pope Pius XII at the Vatican. Going My Way was followed the next year by a sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's.
Plot
Father Charles "Chuck" O'Malley, an incoming priest from East St. Louis, is transferred to St. Dominic's Church in New York City.
On his first day, his unconventional style gets him into a series of mishaps; his informal appearance and attitude make a poor impression with the elder pastor, Father Fitzgibbon. The very traditional Fitzgibbon is further put off by O'Malley's recreational habits – particularly his golf-playing – and his friendship with the even more casual Father Timmy O'Dowd. O'Dowd tricks O'Malley into revealing that the bishop actually sent him to take charge of the parish's affairs, with Fitzgibbon remaining on as pastor. To spare Fitzgibbon's feelings, O'Malley acts as if he is simply his assistant.
The difference between O'Malley and Fitzgibbon's styles is openly apparent as they deal with events like a parishioner being evicted and a young woman named Carol James having run away from home. The most consequential difference arises in their handling of the church youth, many of whom consistently get into trouble with the law in a gang led by Tony Scaponi. Fitzgibbon is inclined to look the other way, siding with the boys because of their frequent church attendance. O'Malley seeks to make inroads into the boys' lives, befriending Scaponi and eventually convincing the boys to become a church choir.
The noise of the practicing choir annoys Fitzgibbon, who goes to the bishop and asks for O'Malley to be transferred away. In the course of the conversation, Fitzgibbon infers the bishop's intention to put O'Malley in charge of the parish. To avoid an uncomfortable situation, Fitzgibbon asks the bishop to put O'Malley in charge, and then, resigned to his fate, he informs O'Malley of his new role. A distressed Fitzgibbon runs away in a rainstorm, returning late that night. O'Malley puts the older priest to bed, and the two begin to bond. They discuss Fitzgibbon's long-put-off desire to go to Ireland and see his mother, now over 90 years old. O'Malley puts Fitzgibbon to sleep with an Irish lullaby, "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral".
O'Malley runs into Jenny Tuffel, an old girlfriend whom he left to join the priesthood. Jenny now has a successful career with the Metropolitan Opera, performing under the stage name Genevieve Linden. As she prepares to go onstage as the lead in a performance of Carmen, the two discuss their past, and she learns that her world travels with a previous opera company caused her to miss his letter explaining he had entered the priesthood.
O'Malley next pays a visit to Carol, now suspected of living in sin with Ted Haines Jr., the son of the church's mortgage holder. O'Malley describes to the young couple his calling in life, to follow the joyous side of religion and lead others to do the same, sung as his composition "Going My Way". When the junior Haines is later confronted by his father, the father discovers that he and Carol have married, and he has joined the Army Air Corps.
Jenny visits O'Malley at the church, sees the boys' choir, and reads the sheet music of "Going My Way". She, O'Malley, and O'Dowd devise a plan to rent out the Metropolitan, have the choir perform it with a full orchestra, then sell the rights to the song, saving the church from its financial woes. When Max Dolan, the music executive brought on to hear the song does not believe it will sell, the choir decides to make the most of its opportunity on the grand stage, and sings "Swinging on a Star". The executive overhears and decides to buy it, providing enough money to pay off the church mortgage.
With everything settled, O'Malley is transferred to a new assignment; O'Dowd will be Fitzgibbon's new assistant, with Tony Scaponi in charge of the choir. However, the church is damaged by a massive fire. On Christmas Eve, parishioners gather in a temporary church for a Mass that also serves as O'Malley's farewell. O'Malley sent for Fitzgibbon's mother from Ireland as a parting gesture. As mother and son embrace for the first time in 45 years, the choir sings "Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral", as Father O'Malley quietly slips away into the night.
Cast
{{div col|colwidth=32em}}
- Bing Crosby as Father Chuck O'Malley
- Barry Fitzgerald as Father Fitzgibbon
- Frank McHugh as Father Timothy O'Dowd
- James Brown as Ted Haines Jr.
- Gene Lockhart as Ted Haines Sr.
- Jean Heather as Carol James
- Porter Hall as Mr. Belknap
- Fortunio Bonanova as Tomaso Bozanni
- Eily Malyon as Mrs. Carmody
- Robert Mitchell Boychoir as St. Dominic's Church Choir
- Risë Stevens as Genevieve Linden/Jenny Tuffel (credited as Famous Contralto of Metropolitan Opera Association)
- William Frawley as Max Dolan the music publisher (uncredited)
- Stanley Clements as Tony Scaponi (street tough and choir kid)
- Carl Switzer as Herman Langerhanke (street tough and choir kid)
{{div col end}}
Production
File:Saint Monica Catholic Church (Santa Monica, California).JPG (2007)]]
Risë Stevens, whose character is seen onscreen performing the lead role in a Metropolitan Opera (the Met) production of Carmen, was an actual performer with the Met when the film was made. A few years later she would earn enormous personal triumph as the Met's Carmen in the famous Tyrone Guthrie production of 1951, becoming the leading Carmen of her generation.{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2013/03/21/174974045/remembering-ris-stevens-a-star-of-opera-and-pop-culture |title=Remembering Risë Stevens, a Star of Opera and Pop Culture |publisher=NPR Music |last1=Huizenga |first1=Tom |last2=Tsioulcas |first2=Anastasia |date=March 21, 2013 |access-date=April 6, 2018 |archive-date=April 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407182647/https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2013/03/21/174974045/remembering-ris-stevens-a-star-of-opera-and-pop-culture |url-status=live }}
Filming locations included the following:{{cite web |title=Locations for Going My Way |website=Internet Movie Database |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036872/locations |access-date=August 4, 2012 |archive-date=September 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930060100/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036872/locations |url-status=live }}
- Lakeside Country Club, 4500 W. Lakeside Drive, Toluca Lake, Los Angeles, California (golf sequences)
- Paramount Studios, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California (studio)
- St. Monica Catholic Church, Santa Monica, California (St. Dominic's)
- Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California (parking lot)
Reception
=Critical response=
According to Bosley Crowther in The New York Times, Going My Way was "the best" of Crosby's career, which is "saying a lot for a performer who has been one of the steadiest joys of the screen. But, in this Leo McCarey film ... he has definitely found his sturdiest role to date."{{cite news | date= May 3, 1944 | title= Comedy-Drama With Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald | first= Bosley | last= Crowther | author-link= Bosley Crowther | url= https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/way-re.html | newspaper= The New York Times | access-date= February 27, 2013 | archive-date= May 20, 2013 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130520231623/http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/way-re.html | url-status= live }} Crowther, however, criticized the film's length while lauding Crosby, and wrote that "he has been stunningly supported by Barry Fitzgerald, who plays one of the warmest characters the screen has ever known. As a matter of fact, it is a cruel slight to suggest that this is Mr. Crosby's show. It is his and Mr. Fitzgerald's together. And they make it one of the rare delights of the year."
Variety endorsed the film, saying: "Bing Crosby gets a tailor-made role in Going My Way, and with major assistance from Barry Fitzgerald and Risë Stevens, clicks solidly to provide top-notch entertainment for wide audience appeal. Picture will hit hefty biz on all booking ... Intimate scenes between Crosby and Fitzgerald dominate throughout, with both providing slick characterizations ... Crosby’s song numbers include three new tunes by Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen — 'Going My Way,' 'Would You Like to Swing on a Star' and 'Day After Forever.' Trio are topgrade and due for wide pop appeal due to cinch recording and airings by Bing. He also delivers 'Ave Maria,' 'Adeste Fideles' and 'Silent Night' in addition to a lively Irish-themed song, 'Toora-loora-looral' with boys' choir accompaniment."{{cite magazine |author=Walt |title=Going My Way |url=https://archive.org/details/variety153-1944-03/page/n69/mode/1up |magazine=Variety |page=14 |date=March 8, 1944 |access-date=December 17, 2020}}
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 7.0/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald are eminently likable, and film is pleasantly sentimental, but Going My Way suffers from a surplus of sweetness."{{Cite web |title=Going My Way |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/going_my_way |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |archive-date=January 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108074220/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/going_my_way |url-status=live }}
=Accolades=
The film received ten nominations at the Oscars, winning seven, including Barry Fitzgerald (whose work on the film was nominated for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor). Bing Crosby won for Best Actor, while Fitzgerald won for Best Supporting Actor. (Subsequently, the rules were changed to prevent a recurrence).{{cite magazine|title=In 1982, everyone agreed on Jessica Lange (but not for the big prize)|author=Mike D'Angelo|magazine=Dissolve|url=http://thedissolve.com/features/performance-review/489-in-1982-everyone-agreed-on-jessica-lange-but-not-f/|date=April 1, 2014|access-date=April 5, 2014|archive-date=April 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404084502/http://thedissolve.com/features/performance-review/489-in-1982-everyone-agreed-on-jessica-lange-but-not-f/|url-status=live}} Its record of six above-the-line wins was matched in 2022 by Everything Everywhere All At Once.
- In 2004, Going My Way was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".{{Cite web|title=Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-04-215/films-added-to-national-film-registry-for-2004/2004-12-28/|access-date=October 8, 2020|website=Library of Congress|archive-date=April 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407183706/https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-04-215/films-added-to-national-film-registry-for-2004/2004-12-28/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|access-date=October 8, 2020|website=Library of Congress|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305191832/https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|url-status=live}}
Soundtrack
- "The Day After Forever" (Jimmy Van Heusen / Johnny Burke) sung by Bing Crosby and Jean Heather, and again by Jean Heather.
- "Three Blind Mice" sung by Bing Crosby and the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir (credited onscreen as Robert Mitchell Boychoir)
- "Silent Night" sung by Bing Crosby and the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir
- "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's an Irish Lullaby)" sung by Bing Crosby
- "Recitative and Habanera from Act 1 of "Carmen" sung by Risë Stevens
- "Going My Way" (Jimmy Van Heusen / Johnny Burke) sung by Bing Crosby, and again by Risë Stevens and the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir
- "Ave Maria" (Schubert) sung by Bing Crosby, Risë Stevens and the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir
- "Swinging on a Star" (Jimmy Van Heusen / Johnny Burke) sung by Bing Crosby and the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir{{cite book|last1=Reynolds|first1=Fred|title=Road to Hollywood|date=1986|publisher=John Joyce}}
Bing Crosby recorded six of the songs for Decca Records{{cite web|title=A Bing Crosby Discography|url=http://www.bingmagazine.co.uk/bingmagazine/crosby1bDecca.html|website=A Bing Crosby Discography|access-date=January 22, 2016|archive-date=October 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005054653/http://www.bingmagazine.co.uk/bingmagazine/crosby1bDecca.html|url-status=live}} and some of them were issued on a 3-disc 78rpm set titled Selections from Going My Way. “Swinging on a Star” topped the Billboard charts for nine weeks in a 28-week stay. "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's an Irish Lullaby)" was in the charts for twelve weeks with a peak position of #4. "The Day After Forever" and "Going My Way" also charted briefly.{{cite book|last1=Whitburn|first1=Joel|title=Pop Memories 1890-1954|date=1986|publisher=Record Research Inc|location=Wisconsin, US|isbn=0-89820-083-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/109 109]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/109}} Crosby's songs were also included in the Bing's Hollywood series.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{wikiquote}}
- {{AFI film|1452|Going My Way}}
- [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/going-my-way-am18758 Going My Way at AllMovie]
- {{IMDb title|0036872|Going My Way}}
- {{TCMDb title|76588|Going My Way}}
- {{Rotten-tomatoes|going_my_way|Going My Way}}
- [https://books.google.com/books?id=4GNRD_icEmkC Going My Way] essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pages 373-374
{{Leo McCarey}}
{{Baltimore Orioles}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Going My Way
| list =
{{AcademyAwardBestPicture 1941-1960}}
{{Golden Globe Award Best Motion Picture Drama}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1944 comedy-drama films
Category:1940s English-language films
Category:1940s musical comedy-drama films
Category:American black-and-white films
Category:American musical comedy-drama films
Category:Best Drama Picture Golden Globe winners
Category:Best Picture Academy Award winners
Category:English-language musical comedy-drama films
Category:Films about Catholicism
Category:Films about the succession of Catholic priests
Category:Films about Irish-American culture
Category:Films adapted into television shows
Category:Films directed by Leo McCarey
Category:Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award–winning performance
Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award–winning performance
Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe winning performance
Category:Films scored by Robert Emmett Dolan
Category:Films set in New York City
Category:Films that won the Academy Award for Best Story
Category:Films that won the Best Original Song Academy Award
Category:Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award
Category:Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Globe
Category:Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award
Category:Paramount Pictures films
Category:Photoplay Awards film of the year winners