GUEST REVIEWER: THE BELLS OF ST. MARYS

The late Bruce Kogan is back with his usual great reviews. This is the first time his review is being published since 2021. Bruce passed away in 2021...

Leo McCarey and Bing Crosby had such a mega-hit on their hands with Going My Way that a sequel in this case really was inevitable. If The Bells of St.Mary's does not quite hit the heights of Going My Way it's got nothing to apologize for. One thing that I do like about it is that you don't have to have watched Going My Way to get into the spirit of this.

Bing repeated his Father O'Malley character and in doing so got a second Oscar nomination. Until Al Pacino was nominated for Michael Corleone in both Godfathers One and Two, Crosby was the only performer ever to have been nominated twice for the same role. Because of Father O'Malley, Bing Crosby became probably the most well known Catholic lay person on the planet. And for better or worse it's the Crosby that is remembered when the knives came out for him after he died.

With Ingrid Bergman the damage was more immediate. Today if you asked the average movie goer to quickly name the part Bergman is best known for it would be Ilsa Lund from Casablanca. Back in the late 40s however the answer would be Sister Benedict. How a Swede who is identified as Swedish in the film could be a Catholic, let alone a nun is a mystery to me. But that's how good an actress Ingrid Bergman was. She became the personification of holiness so when Ingrid Bergman announced she was pregnant with Roberto Rosellini's child the reaction of the public was swift and terrible. Banish her from Hollywood and she was. Such is the power of the mass media. Consider folks like Errol Flynn and Robert Mitchum who had reputations as hell-raisers before scandal hit them. Such is the power of the silver screen and the images it creates.

Bing has some good songs here, he sings the title tune with different lyrics for the screen then for his record. It's the school anthem and he sings it with a chorus of nuns to back him. Those nuns do sing well and in key. I wonder if it was the inspiration for Sister Act.

Crosby also has two of his patented philosophical numbers, Aren't You Glad You're You and In The Land Of Beginning Again. And in keeping with the nature of the film, he sings Adeste Fideles and O Sanctissima.

Among the supporting cast I would single out Joan Carroll as the girl boarding with the convent housekeeper and Martha Sleeper as her mother. Sleeper had both looks and talent, she should have had a bigger career.

The Bells of St. Mary's is what we would deem fine family entertainment. It's also how the Catholic Church likes to see itself. It's a milestone movie for the careers of its stars. But what a cost...

BRUCE'S RATING: 9 OUT OF 10

MY RATING: 10 OUT OF 10

THE BELLS OF ST. MARYS AND THE POSTWAR AUDIENCE

The Bells Of St. Marys was more than a typical 1940s feel good film. It marked one of the first films in harrowing post-war era. Harrowing is a word that barely scratches the surface of the emotional abyss that is war. The uncertainty, the fear, and the profound loss cast long shadows over the human experience. At the end of it, there is often yet another difficult journey: rebuilding. It can be tumultuous. 

In the wake of World War II, as the world struggled to rebuild and heal, Leo McCarey's The Bells of St. Mary's in 1945 not only became the highest-grossing movie of its time but also offered solace and hope to a weary audience. This film captures the essence of wartime struggle, not through the lens of battlefields and violence, but by delving deep into the hearts and minds of its characters. The film's main characters, Sister Benedict (played by Ingrid Bergman) and Father O'Malley (portrayed by Bing Crosby) are determined to achieve their shared goal of saving a school in financial crisis in spite of their differences and despite a myriad of constraints they face.

The Bells of St. Mary's is a feel-good tear-jerker sequel to McCarey's 1944 film Going My Way, which was the highest-grossing film of the year and won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In The Bells of St. Mary's, Bing Crosby reprises his role as Father O'Malley, a charismatic priest assigned to a struggling Catholic school, St. Mary's. There, he clashes with the school's traditional principal, Sister Mary Benedict. Father O'Malley's unconventional approach to leadership conflicts with Sister Benedict's strict way of instilling discipline in the students. For example, when Father O'Malley finds two students fighting, he praises the one who threw the best punches, declaring him the winner. This move doesn't sit well with Sister Benedict, who had advised students against retaliation. Father O'Malley argues that boys should be prepared for the world, which they may have to face war in one day. Considering that this is immediately after World War II, it makes sense, even to the conservative Sister Benedict, who secretly trains the bullied boy on self-defense and encourages him to face bullies head-on.

78 years after its release, The Bells of St. Mary's retains its relevance. In an era marked by division and turmoil, the film's message of unity, understanding, and compassion is as vital as ever. It serves as a timeless lesson that, even in the face of adversity, individuals from diverse backgrounds as exemplified by Father O'Malley and Sister Benedict can come together to create positive change. The enduring popularity of the film attests to its ability to transcend time and inspire new generations...

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REMEMBERING: JOAN CARROLL (1931-2016)

Joan Carroll, a former child star who appeared in Meet Me in St. Louis opposite Judy Garland and The Bells of St. Mary's with Bing Crosby, has passed away, it was recently accounced.

Carroll died Nov. 16 near her home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, her son, Joe Krack, said.

Carroll played Garland's younger sister Agnes, who pulls a dangerous prank with the youngest sister, Tootie (Margaret O'Brien), in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). The actress was sidelined for a few days during filming after she needed an emergency appendectomy.

Carroll then portrayed the struggling eighth-grade parish student Patsy who at first doesn't get any sympathy from Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St. Mary's (1945).

Carroll made quite the impression as Ginger Rogers' younger sister Honeybell in Primrose Path (1940), then was loaned by RKO so she could appear on Broadway as Geraldine in Panama Hattie, a Cole Porter musical comedy about sailors in the Panama Canal Zone that starred Ethel Merman and ran from October 1940 to January 1942. (Shirley Temple had turned down the part.)

"For sunshine and sentiment, little Joan Carroll, who is now fully 8 years old, is wholly captivating," Brooks Atkinson wrote in his review for The New York Times. "She and Miss Merman get along together beautifully, and gruff old codgers are going to choke a little this Winter when tot and temptress sing 'Let's Be Buddies' and bring the house down."

Carroll also appeared opposite Ruth Warrick in two films: Obliging Young Lady (1942), in which she played the daughter of wealthy divorcing parents, and Petticoat Larceny (1943), where she was a young radio star who goes undercover to better understand her roles (and then gets kidnapped).

The Bells of St. Mary's was her last film. She continued to live in Beverly Hills, got married and then moved with her family to Colorado, her son said.

Born Joan Marie Felt in Elizabeth, N.J., Carroll and her folks came to California in 1936 when she was 5. She made her film debut in One Mile From Heaven (1937) opposite Claire Trevor and later appeared in Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939), Basil Rathbone's Tower of London (1939), Anne of Windy Poplars (1940) and Tomorrow, the World! (1944).

Survivors include her other children Ann Marie, Mary Anne and James; her brother James; 14 grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren. A donation in her name may be made to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, P.O. Box 128, Los Gatos, CA 95031.

Carroll was 85 years of age.

BELLS OF ST. MARY'S ON BLU-RAY

It is good to see another Bing film on the latest newer medium Blu-Ray. I am not sure if there are any special features on this issue and or if it will be released on DVD...

Olive Films have revealed that they are planning to bring to Blu-ray Leo McCarey's The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), starring Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, and Henry Travers. The release will be available for purchase in November.

Witty, heartwarming and utterly charming, The Bells of Saint Mary's delivers all the entertainment of its predecessor, the Academy Award-winning Best Picture (1944), Going My Way. Bing Crosby recreates his Oscar-winning (Best Actor) role as parish priest Father O'Malley, who is sent to revive the financially ailing parochial school. The easy-going O'Malley is immediately at odds with no-nonsense Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman in a Golden Globe-winning performance) on how to educate children. Beyond their delightful battle of wits lies a bigger problem. The skinflint businessman next door (Henry Travers, It's A Wonderful Life) wants St. Mary's condemned. Only a miracle can save it now. How a devilish situation finds a heavenly solution remains to be seen in this captivating family classic that was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress.

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