The Bells of St. Mary's

US (1945): Drama/Comedy/Musical

The sequel to Going My Way (1944) is a sprightly Leo McCarey concoction again featuring the ever-likable Bing Crosby. In this outing, Father O'Malley finds himself at cross-purposes with Ingrid Bergman's Sister Superior. While helping the nuns educate and discipline the local children, and improving a little girl's unhappy family life, he also finds time to save the school from demolition by a greedy land developer. Bing sings "Adeste Fidelis," "The Bells of St. Mary's," and "O Sanctissima" with a children's choir, and sings "Aren't You Glad You're You" and "In the Land of Beginning Again" solo. Cast also includes Henry Travers, William Gargan, Ruth Donnelly, Joan Carroll, Martha Sleeper, Rhys Williams, Richard Tyler and Una O'Connor. When Crosby and Bergman were shooting the dramatic finale of the film, Bergman gave Crosby a passionate kiss. The priest serving as a consultant on the film made a horrified objection, not realizing it was a gag. Bergman won the Golden Globe for Best Actress. (RKO) (amctv.com)

 Use this link to view the trailer for the theatrical re-issue of The Bells of St. Mary's on TCM.com.

8 nominations, 1 Award