Going My Way (1944)

The oft told, familiar tale of the young, hip character (Bing Crosby) coming over to take over the old, over-the-hill, establishment character (Barry Fitzgerald, looking a bit like Dominique Pinon, ...and even vaguely like Bob Hope, if you squint.)

First getting rejected by one and all, then warmly accepted by the overall community, and finally by the crotchety superior (and/or side character.)

An extra point for making it with a ‘religious*’ theme (The Sound Of Music (1965), El Padrecito (1964).)

Other tropes:

• The too-young actor playing a too-old superior.
• “Let’s put on a show!” add to that the song which will save the church, (or community center, or whatever,) once sold.
• Pseudo hipness, which even the film addresses (“Schmaltz isn’t selling this season!”) I dunno, but Bing Crosby has never seemed hip to me.

I suspect, at the time, even old people really didn’t have a problem with this 'hip', swinging priest who pays lip service to Boogie Woogie piano and mostly concentrates on the full-fledged traditional: Ave Maria, Adeste Fideles, Silent Night (which I guess make it qualify as a Christmas movie,) and even manages to include the Carmen Habanera.

Sure, Crosby is young enough to play a young priest character, but at no point does he strike me as any sort of rebel (he golfs!) – is 1944 too early for the concept of a rebel priest?

Turns out schmaltz was selling that season because this comedic musical drama beat Double Indemnity (1944) to the Oscar. …As I’ve mentioned, how many other films are variations on this theme?

The same schmaltz has been sold repeatedly, and for a long time, proof of which is that it was immediately followed up with Leo McCarey’s The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945.)

When I was in high school back in the early 80s, a local radio station KPOP AM 1360 used to play stuff from the 40s and early 50s.

I guess the audience for that music was still alive then.

The Mule used to play there, I remember my mom (b. 1939) commenting on how goofy the song was.

Were Dr. Demento active in 1944, he'd eat it right up!

Is it any wonder that the film's equivalent to The Big Store's 'Tenement Symphony' is dropped and instead the talent scout goes for the corny, novelty song with the nonsense lyrics?

Not that either of the pieces is hip at all!

Best things about the film are the music (for those into that sort of thing) and the wonderful, warm relationship that develops between the young and the old priest.

Nice to see later-day Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, but it’s also bittersweet seeing him, knowing about his soon-to-be fate.

It’s also a bit disturbing seeing him slapped around in a scene which was meant to be funny(?)

Also, with a cameo by William “Fred Mertz” Frawley.