Say One for Me

I'm sure that during his career in his later years Bing Crosby was offered the chance to repeat playing Father O'Malley as an older priest and at one point that would have been a natural fit for him. Unfortunately after this film, Bing was done with the clergy.

He tries his best with Father Conroy and his best moments are musical ones especially with Debbie Reynolds, but the story is not convincing. Try as I might, I just can't believe that Robert Wagner turns from opportunistic heel to good guy just to win Debbie Reynolds.

In fact the main problem with the movie is Robert Wagner. A good actor he just doesn't have any talent musically. His big number in the movie was You Can't Love Them All was recorded by Dean Martin and had a modest success. Now if Dino had played his part, he might have overcome the script.

Bing's best number is The Secret of Christmas. In addition to recording it for the cast album of this film, six years later he recorded it for Frank Sinatra's Reprise label in a joint Christmas album with Old Blue Eyes and Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians. That is the superior version to the one he did in Say One For Me.

I am not a Crosby fan by any means but as usual, Debbie Reynolds brights up this film. Fun debut for Stella Stevens as a wisecracking chorus girl.

Say One For Me features a great cast including Bing Crosby, Debbie Reynolds, Ray Walston, Frank McHugh, and Connie Gilchrist. The tunes are engaging, especially the title number and The Spirit of Christmas. Debbie Reynolds sings and dances with engaging verve and Bing Crosby croons with all his customary flair and charm.

Unfortunately, this misbegotten cross between White Christmas and Going My Way suffers from a leaden, self-righteous script which not even its talented director, Frank Tashlin, can rescue. Great comic character actor supports like Walston, McHugh, and Gilchrist are utterly wasted in this nauseating, pointless story of a hip priest in New York's theater district who puts on a show. In fact, there aren't many laughs in this pious piece of sentimental claptrap, which seems incredible given Tashlin's involvement (he was an alumnus of Looney Tunes).

Debbie Reynolds' love interest is portrayed by Robert Wagner, cast against type (in a role originally intended for Frank Sinatra) as an undiscovered musical talent with underworld leanings running a low class dive who first tries to seduce Reynolds' virginal good girl, then engages in a badly written relationship with her which forms the core of this tedious story. Although Wagner can carry a tune reasonably well, he is hopelessly outclassed by Crosby and Reynolds; in addition, Wagner's dancing is unfortunate but happily kept to a minimum (including an inexplicable solo turn performed with athletic mediocrity), leaving Reynolds to carry most of the production numbers by herself. Wagner's acting performance is acceptable if distasteful... but that's the script's fault.

At one time, this film was considered to be one of the 50 worst movies ever made, but recent abominations of much greater magnitude have ousted it from the Hall of Shame. I personally feel that the film is worth a viewing simply for the pleasant songs and musical performances, but you've been warned. The storyline itself is contrived, confused and stomach-turning. In an amusing side note, the opening credits have the same appearance as those in The Sound of Music, over a similar religious opening... One could only wish that this film were half as entertaining!

Tacky Twentieth Century-Fox comedy-drama with music (and an eleventh-hour holiday theme) has Robert Wagner miscast as the wolfish manager of a risqué nightclub. He's having trouble conquering new showgirl Debbie Reynolds, a church-going college kid trying to earn enough dough to pay for her father's operation. Bing Crosby plays the local priest who tracks Debbie down ("She said she was working as a secretary!" ... "Find the typewriter!"), only to steal a joke from the floor-show to help out a local comedian. Wan mixture of spiritual uplift and boy-chases-girl nonsense doesn't quite jell, at least not with old-school comedy vet Frank Tashlin at the helm. Tashlin's pacing is lively enough, and he works well with Reynolds, but the combination of prayer with salty backstage personalities trips him up. The picture never finds an appropriate tone, and Crosby--trading his famous Father O'Malley role from "Going My Way" for the lookalike Father Conroy--phones his performance in. ** from ****

I agree with the previous comment this is an underrated movie. One which many years ago I had taped (on Beta format) transferred to VHS and has watched in dismay the tape fail as the years have gone by. I've looked in vain for a copy and wasn't I delighted when today I caught it on TV (and taped it with loving care)!! I have watched this movie every Christmas for about 25 years; the songs are not classics but they are fun and you won't grow tired of them. The wit between Wagner and Reynolds is sharp without going over the line for the era that the movie was filmed but also the humor isn't too dated for the present time either. The movie deals with adult themes without being dark; unwedded parenthood, alcoholism, the church's need to accommodate with the times. Wagner looks wonderful and Debbie is in her prime. They have good scenes together and smolder well. I love the scene where they are dancing in a club and he gives her insight to his character and the past that molded him, the look she gave him when she realized that he was showing her off to old buds, well I was a young innocent when I first saw this film and I knew the effect it had on her! Watch this movie; a classic it is not (except to me) but it is fun and time well spent- if you can find!