“Going My Way” is not exactly one of the most perfect of all movies ever made. And it’s not the most deserving “Best Picture” winner of 1944 either. The reasons I make those statements are 1.) It’s somewhat corny and simplistic, with a few subplots and scenes that do work but still could have been left out. And 2.) Many people, including myself, would name “Double Indemnity”, “Gaslight”, “Laura”, “Meet Me in St. Louis” or “Murder, My Sweet” as more deserving winners. But awards aren’t really the best way to judge a movie’s greatness because it’s a matter of personal opinion. And “Going My Way” is a really good movie, despite these flaws.

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.

Impossible to watch this film through same eyes that made it one (if not THE) biggest blockbuster of 1944, but evidently still strikes a chord with people who love feel-good nostalgia like The Sound Of Music. Others will find it rough going indeed (Sound of Music at least had magnificent color location photography and boasted a well-known score) and wonder how this now-corny museum piece possibly scored multiple Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, etc.

Even by standards of the day, strictly routine studio schmaltz but talents of Crosby (in the sort of role he could do in his sleep) and Fitzgerald have bolstered it into something everyone interested in Oscar history should probably see once, if only to ponder what was going on in voters’ minds. Speaks to the charisma of the two leads that they can overcome episodic script, a handful of predictably tedious subplots that include boring outta-left-field interludes with young priest’s former flame (Rise Stevens, who brings show to a halt with an opera number), a star-crossed war-time romance between two charm-free supporting players and the antics of a juvenile delinquent boys’ choir. (Oddly, the Oscar-winning Swingin’ On A Star, meanwhile, is tossed off almost as a throw-away number.) Yes, they sure don’t make them like this any more. . .thank God.