Going My Way. 1944. USA. Directed by Leo McCarey. Screenplay by McCarey, Frank Butler, Frank Cavett. With Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh. 126 min.
Having been a devout Roman Catholic for many years, McCarey began to put his religious feelings on film, in a definite shift from his relatively carefree earlier work to a more purposeful examination of ideology. That said, he still treads lightly, focusing mainly on the old-versus-new relationship of Crosby and Fitzgerald, and using their casual screen images to humanize priestly stereotypes. The film won seven Oscars, but don’t hold that against it.