The last rose of summer

by chuckofish

Well, summer is really over. Our fall term starts on Monday and I am trying hard not to panic as the reality of a full-fledged online session looms. I am no Zoom expert, but I suppose people expect me to be. I will be winging it per usual.

It was a hard week and after I crashed each night I watched some old movie or another. I saw one really bad one–Going My Way (1944) which, of course, won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Script–good grief!

There was nothing “best” about this movie, but I guess people were in the mood for schmaltz as WWII bore on. This was phoney baloney all the way. Phooey. Even the song “Going My Way” (which also won the Oscar) is totally forgettable.

Bing Crosby plays Father Chuck O’Malley, who is transferred from his parish in East St. Louis, Illinois to a struggling church in New York City in order to help a “lovable” old priest played by Barry Fitzgerald, who pulls out all the Irish malarkey stops. I forced myself to watch the whole thing, but it was hard, like doing penance.

Going My Way was the highest grossing picture of 1944 and that obviously counted for a lot.

Every Catholic in America must have gone to see it, twice. Two great movies from 1944–Double Indemnity and Laura–didn’t even make it into the top 10!

We also watched Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951) which is the third in the Mr. Belvedere series starring Clifton Webb. (I read about this one here.) It is about an Episcopal old folks home where everyone is depressed, including the clergyman who runs it and the resident nurse who loves him.

Mr. Belvedere arrives (to do research) and turns things around. In my opinion, this is a much better movie, mostly due to the presence of Clifton Webb. But everyone is better. The direction is light and the story moves right along. Although there is no Irish crooning, Mr. Belvedere does get the nursing home residents to sing. It even features Zero Mostel in an early role.

Well, I am ready for the weekend. And I am taking my cue from the @madcapcottage boys:

I like that 2 pm rule. I guess I need a kicky sweater.

Have a good weekend!