Going My Way: 1944

Bing Crosby stars in Going My Way as a priest who is sent to St. Dominic's Cathedral to save the church from sinking under its financial burdens. With Crosby starring, the film naturally includes multiple musical numbers in which Crosby croons to the audience and woos the ladies, even as a priest. The film is best described as heartwarming (t's the first Best Picture of this blog to make me cry a little at the end, but I won't tell you why).

Crosby's Father O'Malley is a young priest who is described by the elderly Father Fitzgibbon (played by Barry Fitzgerald, who won an Oscar for supporting actor for this role) as "progressive". The contrast is stark between the priests: Father Fitzgibbon isn't curmudgeonly but he's close. He's very old school and very Irish. At times, his Irish brogue makes him difficult to understand. As the story progresses, however, Father Fitzgibbon seems to become younger under the influence of Father O'Malley, and the two men become friends.

It's not surprising that this film won Best Picture in 1944. With World War II raging, audiences needed a story unrelated to the war that would make them feel good about people, and this film does exactly that. It's easy to escape into New York City and the woes of St. Dominic's. There is a brief reference to the war when one character says goodbye to his wife before he reports for duty, but other than that, it's almost as if the war doesn't exist. Instead, the worst conflict is between Mrs. Quimp and all her neighbors and landlord. Mrs. Quimp is the self-righteous Catholic who even seems to try Father Fitzgibbon's patience, and her ridiculous claims lends humor to the film, as do the boys who Father O'Malley forms into a successful choir.

Simply put, this film will make you happy. And sometimes, that's what we need. It's nice to see that the Academy recognizes films like this.