Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald) has been at St. Dominic's in New York since it was built, but the financially strapped parish is in arrears on the mortgage payment, and Mr. Ted Haines Sr. (Gene Lockhart), of the S&L that holds the note, would like nothing better than to be able to foreclose on the church, because then he could raze the building and turn it into a parking lot. Meanwhile, the Bishop has sent a young priest, Father Chuck O'Malley (Bing Crosby) to St. Dominic's to look into the situation, and very quickly the good Father finds that he has his hands more than full.
Sent to take charge without "taking charge," in deference to Father Fitzgibbon's tenure, Father O'Malley has his work cut out just trying to save the church; but that's not all he has to contend with. Found alone on the street by a local policeman, a girl named Carol James (Jean Heather) is brought to St. Dominic's, and Father O'Malley realizes that without some help, she's headed for nothing but trouble. He also encounters a lad named Tony Scaponi (Stanley Clements), the leader of the gang that has been terrorizing the neighborhood, and turning that situation around becomes a priority on Father O'Malley's "to-do" list. Then there is Mr. Haines Sr. to deal with. But most especially in need of all (though he doesn't realize it himself) is Father Fitzgibbon, and this, too, Father O'Malley recognizes. Now it's just a matter of addressing all of these needs at once; and as Father O'Malley finds out, it's no easy task.
There's something of the Angel, Dudley (played by Cary Grant in "The Bishop's Wife"), in Father O'Malley, as he is not only sensitive to the needs of those he encounters, but knows how to resolve their conflicts in a way that suits the best interests of all concerned. His solutions may be those of a perfect, pie-in-the-sky world and not necessarily a reflection of reality, but it works because it captures the spirit of what this movie is all about: caring and lending a helping hand to those who need it. The solutions may be unrealistic and overly simplified, but the feelings and emotions of the characters are very real, and McCarey's ability to capture that essence of humanity is what earned this film the Oscar for Best Movie of 1944 (McCarey received Oscars, as well, for Best Director and Original Story).
As Father O'Malley, Bing Crosby gives one of his best performances, which earned him an Oscar for Best Actor. But as good as he is in this part, the award is something of a surprise; the Father O'Malley Crosby presents has the patience of a Saint and insight to match, and his mild mannered approach to the character makes his portrayal the kind that are usually overlooked and under-appreciated because of the apparent facility of the delivery. And Crosby does make it look easy-- which also makes it very real, striking a chord as perfect as the solutions to the problems he solves along the way. It's interesting to note that when Crosby recreated the role a year later in "The Bells of St. Mary's," though he slipped back into the character readily enough, it didn't seem to have that same depth or impact as in this one, but more of a "been there, done that" feel. Then again, this story and the characters with which he is surrounded here are much richer and have much more definition than those of the sequel, and this film is much more emotionally involving.
Barry Fitzgerald received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Father Fitzgibbon, and well deserved it was. Father O'Malley may be the anchor of this film, but Father Fitzgibbon is it's soul. And the final scene-- unexpected and extremely moving-- leaves no doubt about it. That scene, in fact, so powerful in it's simplicity, veritably sums up the sentiment of the entire movie. It's a triumph for Fitzgerald, as well as McCarey, but the one who really comes out the winner is the viewer.
The supporting cast includes Frank McHugh (Father Timothy), William Frawley (Max), James Brown (Ted Haines, Jr.), Rise Stevens (Genevieve Linden), Eily Malyon (Mrs. Carmody), Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer (Herman) and Adeline De Walt Reynolds (Mrs. Molly Fitzgibbon). A heart-felt and uplifting discourse on the brighter side of the human condition, "Going My Way" reflects the good there is to be found in humanity if we but take the time to seek it out. An entertaining, feel-good film, this is what the magic of the movies is all about.
The one drawback is the long operatic scene with Rise Stevens, this interrupted the flow the movie, but you can always resort to the fast forward button. Otherwise, enjoy!
There is no coherent plot, and action moves from one (barely developed) sub-"story" to another. The underlying story works best when it deals realistically with life in a rather poor parish: the super-religious gossip, kids in a bit of trouble, young couple who are sleeping together (but making it sound innocent), pastor faced with financial problems, charismatic younger priest who is a good influence on the young in spite of themselves. (I must add that those of us who have known the "real life" counterparts of all, as I certainly have, will find it refreshing that political correctness does not distort them!) Unfortunately, several major influences in the story are distracting and rather annoying. I've known many a "real" Father O'Malley, and his organising kids into a group (to their great benefit) is indeed realistic, but their emerging as a highly polished classical choir in short order is absurd. Fr Chuck's totally "by chance" meeting with the old girlfriend who just happens to be headlining at the Met, and who both gets the entire Metropolitan Opera orchestra to present the demonstration of Chuck's tiresome tune to publishers, then arranges a highly lucrative concert tour for the now-brilliant boy choir, would have best been eliminated, since it gives the production an entirely artificial quality - as bizarre as their having been granted three wishes! Nor is anything accomplished by the church going on fire...
Yet there is enough here that one cannot help but love - and which are true but no longer possible to find. I, for one, greatly miss the days when such colourful characters as Mrs Quimp and Father Fitzgibbons were standard in many a parish - when working class, city neighbourhoods like this had not been either reduced to slums nor turned into luxury flats for the rich - when many kids were helped immensely by associations with dedicated priests. As well, it is a light-hearted, affectionate presentation, with much of the type of delightful humour that died out with Irish priests of Bing's generation.
It's like a visit to the old neighbourhood, with lots of friends with whom to renew acquaintance. For a restful few hours, one can relax and pretend that one could still turn a corner and find that it is all still there.
The movie is a great star vehicle for Bing Crosby, who portrays a priest named Father O'Malley sent to help another church run by cranky old Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald). Fitzgibbon, who's run the church for 45 years ("46 in October"), is in debt problems with the savings and loans run by Ted Haines Sr. (Gene Lockhart). Fitzgibbon, at first, is not excited by his new assistant's unorthodox methods of practice, such as wearing a baseball uniform when his priest clothing gets wet. He also doesn't care much for O'Malley's liking of golf along with fellow priest Father Timothy (Frank McHugh), remarking that there is too much work to allow games. Fitzgibbon tries to go to the bishop to get O'Malley transferred. But after hearing good things about Father O'Malley and being patient, O'Malley starts to grow on him. Eventually, the old bat starts to lighten up until, by film's end, his church is out of debt and he claims to be ten years younger. He even starts playing golf and other games.
Fitzgerald is very good in the role, being sensitive or strict when the time comes. The interaction that he and Crosby have is marvelous. I also love his leprechaunish voice, which is most likely because he comes from Ireland. He received Oscar nominations for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, the only such incident in the academy's history, and deservedly won Supporting Actor.
But Bing has several very good to great scenes, which were probably a major factor in his Best Actor win. His performances of the title song and, with the help of the choir, "Swinging on a Star" are upbeat and entertaining. I also enjoyed the scene where he gives advice to a troubled young girl named Carol James (Jean Heather) on how to be a better singer and she follows it (A wise move I might add).
Now for the movie's problems. There are a couple scenes that could have been excised from the film at the cutting room. About half an hour through the film, after visiting the bishop, Fitzgibbon is talked into keeping O'Malley at the church. But then, he leaves the church at night only to return some hours later. What does this scene mean? I think it was meant to show Fitzgibbon is thinking about whether he wants to stay in charge, for when he returns he says its only temporarily. Also, after that scene, there is one between him and O'Malley that shows character development for Fitzgibbon in how he longs to see his mother, whom he hasn't meet in 45 years. Yet another scene that could have been taken out is when O'Malley watches a performance of "Ava Maria" at the Metropolitan by singer Genevieve Linden (Rise Stevens), an old friend of "Chuck" (The nickname used by his friends). Both the song and Steven's performance of it are great, but it doesn't do much except slow the pace. And her impressive singing isn't enough to sway a publisher into buy some of Chuck's songs.
There are also a couple of subplots. First with Carol and Ted Haines Jr. (James Brown), son of the Savings and Loans manager. This plot shows how O'Malley's advice helped the two straighten out their lives. Ted Sr. visits his son to find out why he quit his job, and finds out it was for a reason relevant to the time. There is also a plot that has some punk kids, who are more of a nuisance than a threat, getting help from O'Malley by forming a choir. By the film's end, they are straightened out and like singing even more than baseball or, the worst of their crimes, hijacking poultry trucks.
The movie has several touching moments, most notably the ending when Fitzgibbon receives a big surprise. The surprise was arranged by O'Malley whom, since he is being transferred out, did it as a farewell gift. I admit that I'm not one for crying, having been hardened by too many action movies (Plus I wasted a lot of tears of "Titanic" back when I was 10 years old). But my eyes were just a bit misty as the choir started "Too-ra-Loo-ra-Loo-ra". Maybe in a few years I will come back and find this to be even sadder. For now, I'll read more of mother's Harlequin romances.
I found certain themes here to be similar to those covered in a later movie: "It's a Wonderful Life". O'Malley influences and helps out many people in the movie who wouldn't have been better off without him. The only difference is that O'Malley, unlike the later film's protagonist, already knows that he has done great things before the movie ends. At the end, he walks out of the church with no formal thanks. He doesn't need one because he's the kind of person who doesn't ask in return.
With a fine supporting cast, great songs, many humorous and touching scenes, "Going My Way" is movie I'm glad I watched. It may not be the best Oscar winner, but it made me sigh in one respect: Though "Double Indemnity" is an excellent (One of my favorites), how many remakes, homages, and spoofs have been done of that compared to "Going My Way"? I guess schmaltz doesn't sell.
