Bing was almost as fine an actor as he was a singer. His portrayal of Fr. O’Malley won the hearts of Americans. But Bing wasn’t the man who won an Oscar for this film!
Leo McCarey based this on his own Irish parish priest at St. Monica's in Hollywood. That would be Monsignor Nicholas Conneally. He would have him over often for dinner and was struck by the clerics lively tales of life in Ireland and in CA too.
Mnsr. Conneally was my grandmother's first cousin. He would stop here in Massachusetts often to see her on his frequent trips back to Ireland.
I just watched (and enjoyed) this film a few days ago. I had put it off, although I knew it was kind to Catholicism, because I assumed it would be sentimental. Barry Fitzgerald adeptly skirted that kind of cloying performance. He was best in that late scene where everything is shown in the slump of his shoulders and the bend of his neck. The other priests were also likable and believable. I did think they could have worked in a few time-lapse shots to show the young ruffians developing into literal choirboys—the transformation was a bit too rapid. There were some timeless characters that most real priests would recognize in their flocks—-those wayward boys, the rebellious girl (and boyfriend), the troublesome gossips. I confess I kept wondering when the Ingrid Bergman character would appear—yet another film I’ve put off. Well, Rïse Stevens was an unexpected treat. I did not know she acted in movies.
Margaret, I don't know of another film with Rise Stevens in it. If this was your first time viewing the film, I recommend seeing it again. There are a lot of subtleties that are easy to miss, especially on the small screen. Every scene with Bing and Fitzgerald is golden. By the way, in old films Hollywood was very respectful of the faith in general.
Every time I see it I cry at the end…in a good way! Have you ever seen any episodes from the television show based on the movie? Gene Kelly took over the Bing role.
Leo McCarey based this on his own Irish parish priest at St. Monica's in Hollywood. That would be Monsignor Nicholas Conneally. He would have him over often for dinner and was struck by the clerics lively tales of life in Ireland and in CA too.
Mnsr. Conneally was my grandmother's first cousin. He would stop here in Massachusetts often to see her on his frequent trips back to Ireland.
I just watched (and enjoyed) this film a few days ago. I had put it off, although I knew it was kind to Catholicism, because I assumed it would be sentimental. Barry Fitzgerald adeptly skirted that kind of cloying performance. He was best in that late scene where everything is shown in the slump of his shoulders and the bend of his neck. The other priests were also likable and believable. I did think they could have worked in a few time-lapse shots to show the young ruffians developing into literal choirboys—the transformation was a bit too rapid. There were some timeless characters that most real priests would recognize in their flocks—-those wayward boys, the rebellious girl (and boyfriend), the troublesome gossips. I confess I kept wondering when the Ingrid Bergman character would appear—yet another film I’ve put off. Well, Rïse Stevens was an unexpected treat. I did not know she acted in movies.
Margaret, I don't know of another film with Rise Stevens in it. If this was your first time viewing the film, I recommend seeing it again. There are a lot of subtleties that are easy to miss, especially on the small screen. Every scene with Bing and Fitzgerald is golden. By the way, in old films Hollywood was very respectful of the faith in general.
Every time I see it I cry at the end…in a good way! Have you ever seen any episodes from the television show based on the movie? Gene Kelly took over the Bing role.
Me, too, Donna. That last scene is tremendous. And no, we haven't seen the TV show! Thanks for that tip! I love Gene Kelly.