Going My Way

Director: Leo McCarey

Overview

It took some doing to persuade the staunchly Catholic Bing Crosby to play a happy-go-lucky priest in Going My Way; luckily he acquiesced, winning an Academy Award in the process. Crosby is cast as Father Chuck O'Malley, newly arrived at rundown, heavily in debt St. Dominic's Church. Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald), the cranky, set-in-his-ways curate of St. Dominic's, is none too pleased with O'Malley's breezy, "modernistic" methods. Fitzgibbon is content to adhere to the policies he has followed for nearly 45 years. Without overtly challenging Fitzgibbon's authority (he likes the old buzzard, and the feeling is mutual), O'Malley sets about to win the confidence of the local street toughs, organizing the boys into an angelic church choir. He also forestalls the plans of St. Dominic's mortgage holder Ted Haines (Gene Lockhart) to evict Fitzgibbons by arranging a fundraising choir tour, to be headlined by O'Malley's childhood friend, opera star Genevieve Linden (Rise Stevens). When he's not coming to the rescue of St. Dominic's, O'Malley is smoothing the path of romance for Haines' son (James Brown) and orphaned Carol James (Jean Heather), and arranging for a reunion between Fitzgibbons and his nonagenarian Irish mother. There is sentiment by the bucketful in Going My Way, but director Leo McCarey sagaciously tempers the treacle with moments of genuine hilarity and several delightful (and seemingly spontaneous) musical interludes. In addition to Crosby, Oscars went to Barry Fitzgerald, Leo McCarey, screenwriters Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, and Burke and Van Heusen's song hit "Swingin' On a Star." Bing Crosby repeated his father O'Malley characterization in McCarey's 1945 sequel The Bells of St. Mary's.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/06/2007
UPC:	0025193236920
Original Release:	1944
Rating:	NR
Source:	Universal Studios
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	2:06:00
Sales rank:	4,677

Special Features

Exclusive introduction by Turner Classic Movies host and film historian Robert Osborne; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bing Crosby	Father O'Malley
Barry Fitzgerald	Father Fitzgibbon
Rise Stevens	Jenny
Jean Heather	Carol
Frank McHugh	O'Dowd
Gene Lockhart	Haines
Stanley Clements	Tony
Carl Switzer	Herman
William Frawley	Max
Eily Malyon	Mrs. Carmody
Porter Hall	Belknap
Fortunio Bonanova	Tomasso
George Nokes	Pee Wee
Tom Dillon	McCarthy
Hugh Maguire	Pitch Pipe
Sybil Lewis	Maid at Metropolitan Opera House
George McKay	Mr. Van Heusen
Jack Norton	Mr. Lilley
Anita Sharp Bolster	Mrs. Quimp
Jimmie Dundee	Fireman
Adeline De Walt Reynolds	Mother Fitzgibbon
Gibson Gowland	Churchgoer
Julie Gibson	Taxi Driver
William Henry	Intern
Robert Tafur	Don Jose
Martin Garralaga	Zuniga
Anita Bolster	Mrs. Quimp
Thomas P. Dillon	Officer McCarthy
James Brown	Actor
Robert Dolan	Composer
Jimmy Van Heusen	Composer

Technical Credits

Frank Butler

Frank Cavett

Leo McCarey

Frank Corvett

Frank Butler	Screenwriter
Frank Cavett	Screenwriter
Gordon Jennings	Special Effects
Leo McCarey	Producer,Screenwriter
Buddy DeSylva	Executive Producer
Frank Corvett	Screenwriter

Scene Index

Introduction: Reflections on American Progressivism I. The Progressive Project: Darwinian Foundations and Political Science II. Natural Law and Historical Authority in the Progressive Project III. Progressive Democracy IV. The Methodology of Progressive Political Science V. Progressivism and Its Discontents Bibliography Index

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Disc #1 -- Going My Way
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Editorial Reviews

Going My Way is a pure Hollywood feel-good movie, with enough social message and star performances thrown in to make it appear more substantial that it is. Nonetheless, it scores very high for avoiding the maudlin sappiness that has hindered many similar films, and there is true chemistry between the film's stars, Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. The film has high production values and interesting extras that enhance the story. For example, there are several fine musical sequences for Crosby, a major musical star who became an acting star. It is natural for him to sing, and the musical presence of Rise Stevens, an opera star of considerable stature, gives the film one of its finest moments. Going My Way was popular with both audiences and AMPAS, who gave it seven Oscars, including Best Picture and acting awards for Crosby and Fitzgerald.

Professor Pearson offers a thoughtful and penetrating exploration of the philosophic foundations of Progressive thought. In seeking to better understand the origins and influence of the Progressive science of politics, Pearson is ever respectful of this worthy adversary, all the while taking seriously Progressive thought. Ultimately, Pearson deconstructs the Progressive critique of the American Founding while deftly illuminating why the Constitution is not a problem to be overcome.” —William F. Connelly, Jr., professor, Washington and Lee University “Sidney A. Pearson’s book is not an exhaustive study of the Progressive movement, but as the title implies, a reflection. This is its great strength. Pearson’s probing analysis clarifies both the roots of Progressivism as well as how those principles came to dominate much of the public discourse and most of academia. Progressives grafted Darwinian biology onto social science, thus justifying the Progressive political agenda as historically inevitable. For those who seek to understand how today’s Progressives combine moral relativism with a smug belief that their principles are always right, Reflections on American Progressivism is a must read.” —James F. Pontuso, professor, Hampden-Sydney College

From the Publisher