As much as I love Christmas movies, I had never caught up with 1945’s THE BELLS OF ST MARY’S, but I knew it had an incredible pedigree.
Bing Crosby was the #1 Hollywood star in 1944 and hot off his Best Actor winning performance as parish priest Father O’Malley in “Going My Way”. The film he won for Best Picture and Best Director as well for it’s director Leo McCarey, who’s back this time as writer/director.
Father O’Malley finds himself shipped to a new parish, the decrepit St. Mary’s. It seems ready to close and that’s made even more likely as the big businessman next door (Henry Travers from “It’s A Wonderful Life”) has his eye on St. Mary’s land for a parking lot next to his massive new office building.
But Travers and Crosby face their biggest challenge from no-nonsense Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman) who doesn’t understand Father O’Malley’s lax style. She brings some serious challenges to the men in charge in all the right ways, decades before that became more common place.
Bergman was hot off her Best Actress Oscar for “Gaslight” and brings real power to the role. Watching the film nearly 80 years after its release, it still plays very well, heartfelt in all the right ways.
Bing Crosby's performance as Father O'Malley earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, the first time a person received a nomination for playing the same character in two different films.
The final several minutes are an acting class by Crosby and Bergman as one discovers the truth must always be told and the other finds salvation and peace in those words. What better message could there be for a Christmas classic.
Widely considered one of the best sequels of all time, the film grossed a staggering $3,715,000 at the box office in an era where tickets were all 35 cents.
The BELLS OF ST MARY’S still ring as loud and clear as ever, earning a solid B+.
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