Going My Way (TV series)

Going My Way is an American comedy-drama series starring dancer and actor Gene Kelly. Based on the 1944 film of the same name starring Bing Crosby, the series aired on ABC with new episodes from October 3, 1962, to September 11, 1963.^[1][2] The program was Kelly's first and only attempt at a weekly television series.^[3] The series was cancelled after one season of 30 episodes.^{[citation needed]} The program was also broadcast in England, where the trade publication Sponsor reported that it was "a smash in the London market", rated in the top 10 programs there in 1963.^[4]

Going My Way
Fred Clark and Gene Kelly in the episode "A Matter of Principle" (1962)
Genre	Comedy drama
Written by	Richard Baer Mark Weingart Joe Connelly Emmet Lavery
Directed by	Joseph Pevney Robert Florey Alan Crosland, Jr. Paul Stewart
Starring	Gene Kelly Dick York Leo G. Carroll Nydia Westman
Theme music composer	Jack Marshall Cyril Mockridge
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	30
Production
Producer	Joe Connelly
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Kerry Productions Revue Studios The My Way Company
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	October 3, 1962 (1962-10-03) – April 24, 1963 (1963-04-24)
Related
Going My Way

Synopsis

Kelly stars as Father Chuck O'Malley, a Roman Catholic priest who is sent to St. Dominic's Parish located in a lower-class section of New York City. Dick York portrays Chuck's boyhood friend Tom Colwell, the director of a secular neighborhood youth center. Also co-starring is Leo G. Carroll as the aging pastor, Father Fitzgibbon. Nydia Westman is Mrs. Featherstone, the housekeeper of the rectory.^[2] Episodes focus on Father O'Malley's attempts to connect with the congregation and his relationship with the elderly Father Fitzgibbon.

Guest stars

Ed Begley Raymond Bailey Dave Barry Patricia Barry Don Beddoe Whit Bissell Willis Bouchey Eddie Bracken Steve Brodie Argentina Brunetti Ellen Burstyn Richard Carlson Paul Carr Nancy Carroll Linden Chiles Virginia Christine Fred Clark Richard Conte Ellen Corby Jerome Cowan William Demarest Richard Denning Lawrence Dobkin Ivan Dixon Keir Dullea James Dunn Dan Duryea James Edwards[5] Anthony Eisley Ross Elliott Robert Emhardt Mary Field Dianne Foster Preston Foster Robert Foulk Anne Francis Beverly Garland Connie Gilchrist Virginia Gregg Don Keefer Barry Kelley

George Kennedy Kip King Henry Kulky Arch Johnson Harry Lauter Cloris Leachman Peter Leeds Forrest Lewis Joanne Linville Richard Long Nora Marlowe Kevin McCarthy Frank McHugh Ralph Meeker Roger Mobley Joanna Moore Harry Morgan Patricia Morrow Bill Mumy Barbara Nichols Jeanette Nolan Pat O'Brien Gerald S. O'Loughlin J. Pat O'Malley Willard Parker Vic Perrin Michael J. Pollard Simon Scott Vito Scotti Mickey Shaughnessy Fay Spain Harold J. Stone Buck Taylor Lee Tracy Gary Vinson Ray Walston Jack Warden James Westerfield James Whitmore Jane Wyatt

Episode list

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Back to Ballymora"	Joseph Pevney	Story by : Juanita Vaughn Teleplay by : Emmet Lavery	October 3, 1962 (1962-10-03)
Co-Starring Will Kuluva as Mr. Remplevich, Russell Collins as Barney O'Dowd, Robert Emhardt as Joe Feeney. cast Nydia Westman as Mrs. Featherstone, Argentina Brunetti as Mrs. Severino, Lauren Gilbert as Dr. Warnake, Jeff Pevney as The Boy.
2	"The Crooked Angel"	Joseph Pevney	William Fay	October 10, 1962 (1962-10-10)
Co-Starring Ralph Meeker as Jack Slade. cast Dennis Joel as Eddie Slade, J. Pat O'Malley as Healy, Edward Holmes as Nolan, Ralph Manza as Charlie, Celia Lovsky as Mother Gabriel. Herbie Faye as The Customer, Wally Young as Felix Slade, Frank Sully as The Golf Attendant and Phyllis Love as Sister Mary Mathew. and Willard Parker as Monsignor Joseph Francis Giblin. Uncredited: Nydia Westman [Mrs. Featherstone]
3	"The Parish Car"	Joseph Pevney	Story by : Joe Connelly Teleplay by : Mark Weingart and Joe Connelly	October 17, 1962 (1962-10-17)
cast Nydia Westman as Mrs. Featherstone, Jerome Cowan as Tim Murphy, Virginia Christine as Mrs. Randall, Barry Kelley as Capt. Donovan, Gary Vinson as Bruce, Ken Lynch as Lt. Harris, Raymond Bailey as Rudy Blanchard. Hugh Sanders as Murray Cranston, Peter Leeds as The Policeman, Harry Lauter as Frank, Johnny Eimen as Tim Wheelen, Eddie Hanley as The Clerk, Cy Malis as The Worker, Marian Morley as The Secretary.
4	"The Father"	Alex March	Story by : Caryll Houselander Teleplay by : Mark Weingart and Joe Connelly	October 24, 1962 (1962-10-24)
Co-Starring Arnold Moss as Mr. Fernandez. cast Nydia Westman as Mrs. Featherstone, Miriam Goldina as Aunt Teresa, Doug Lambert as Randy Simpson, Mary Field as Sister Agnes. Harry Ellerbe as The Man, Paul Langton as The Businessman, Kitty Kelly as The Middle - Aged Woman and Cliff Norton as The Taxi Driver. with Angela Dorian as Carmel. Uncredited: Shep Houghton [bus depot clerk]
5	"A Man for Mary"	Joseph Pevney	Story by : John Fante Teleplay by : George Tibbles	October 31, 1962 (1962-10-31)
Guest Star Anne Francis as Mary Dunne. Co-Starring George Kennedy as Mike Lewis, Robert Strauss as Curt Meyers. cast Nydia Westman as Mrs. Featherstone, Connie Gilchrist as Mrs. Riordan, Chet Stratton as Orville Kelton, John Harmon as Bruno Martin, Raymond Cavaleri as Julius, Andrea Darvi as Angela, Judy Strangis as Maria, James Secrest as Stan Walker. and Gerald O'Loughlin as Joe Bianchi.
6	"Like My Own Brother"	Robert Florey	Richard Baer	November 7, 1962 (1962-11-07)
Co-Starring Harry Morgan as Al Everett, Paul Carr as Jerry Everett. with Nydia Westman as Mrs. Featherstone, Paula Winslowe as Anne, Melinda Plowman as Jane, Sam Weston as Jack Marcus, Bob Hopkins as The Policeman, George Spicer as The 1st Boy, Johnny Scoggins as The 2nd Boy, Dan Krohn as The 3rd Boy, Warren White as The 4th Boy. with Eddie Bracken as Danny Everett. The opening credits start without a prologue.
7	"Not Good Enough for Mary"	Bernard Girard	Richard Baer	November 14, 1962 (1962-11-14)
Guest Star Jack Warden as Carl Wiczinski. Co-Starring Virginia Vincent as Mary Cipollaro, Al Ruscio as Jimmy Cipollaro. cast Nydia Westman as Mrs. Featherstone, Angela Clarke as Mama Cipollaro, Anne Barton as Lois Cipollaro, Mike Ragan as The Driver.
8	"A Matter of Principle"	Fielder Cook	Richard Baer	November 21, 1962 (1962-11-21)
Co-Starring Fred Clark as John Murphy. Cast Peter Helm as Frank Murphy, Nydia Westman as Mrs. Featherstone, Chris Warfield as Doctor Thornton, Simon Scott as Larry Raymond, George Furth as Lester, Kip King as Joey. Jerry Ziesmer as Fred, Charla Doherty as Harriet Hall, Jesse Kirkpatrick as Heath, Brad Morrow as Robert Stern, Scott Wells as Milton Blumenthal and Virginia Gregg as Margaret Murphy. The end credits appear over a freeze frame image of the church's interior staircase, rather than over the standard filmed courtyard scene.
9	"Mr. Second Chance"	Allen Reisner	Story by : Robert Hardy Andrews Teleplay by : Mark Weingart and Joe Connelly	November 28, 1962 (1962-11-28)
Co-Starring Dan Duryea as Harold Harrison. cast Nydia Westman as Mrs. Featherstone, Dorothy Green as Mrs. Harrison, Maggie Pierce as Marilyn Harrison, Willis Bouchey as Bill Fleming, Ross Elliott as Ken Hamlin, Steve Terrell as Tony, Frankie Darro as The Elevator Operator. Uncredited: Bess Flowers, Ted Mapes [wedding guests]
10	"Ask Me No Questions"	Robert Florey	Mark Weingart and Joe Connelly	December 5, 1962 (1962-12-05)
and Nydia Westman as Mrs. Featherstone. Co-Starring Kevin McCarthy as Ray Corbin. Joanne Linville as Nora Corbin. with Roger Mobley as Michael Corbin, Mary Field as Sister Agnes, Nestor Paiva as Mr. Osborne, Allan Ray as The Man, Ralph Montgomery as The Postman, Jimmy Joyce as The Cab Driver.
11	"Keep an Eye on Santa Claus"	Unknown	Unknown	December 12, 1962 (1962-12-12)
12	"A Dog for Father Fitz"	Unknown	Unknown	December 19, 1962 (1962-12-19)
13	"A Saint for Mama"	Unknown	Unknown	December 26, 1962 (1962-12-26)
14	"Tell Me When You Get to Heaven"	Unknown	Unknown	January 2, 1963 (1963-01-02)
15	"My Son the Social Worker"	Unknown	Unknown	January 9, 1963 (1963-01-09)
16	"My Memorial for Finnegan"	Unknown	Unknown	January 16, 1963 (1963-01-16)
17	"Don't Forget to Say Goodbye"	Unknown	Unknown	January 23, 1963 (1963-01-23)
18	"The Shoemaker's Child"	Unknown	Unknown	January 30, 1963 (1963-01-30)
19	"The Slasher"	Unknown	Unknown	February 6, 1963 (1963-02-06)
20	"One Small Unhappy Family"	Unknown	Unknown	February 13, 1963 (1963-02-13)
21	"Has Anybody Here Seen Eddie?"	Unknown	Unknown	February 20, 1963 (1963-02-20)
22	"Blessed Are the Meek"	Unknown	Unknown	February 27, 1963 (1963-02-27)
23	"Cornelius, Come Home"	Unknown	Unknown	March 6, 1963 (1963-03-06)
24	"The Boss of the Ward"	Unknown	Unknown	March 13, 1963 (1963-03-13)
25	"Run, Robin, Run"	Unknown	Unknown	March 20, 1963 (1963-03-20)
26	"The Reformation of Willie Henratty"	Unknown	Unknown	March 27, 1963 (1963-03-27)
27	"Custody of the Child"	Unknown	Unknown	April 3, 1963 (1963-04-03)
28	"Florence, Come Home"	Unknown	Unknown	April 10, 1963 (1963-04-10)
29	"Hear No Evil"	Joseph Pevney	Richard Baer	April 17, 1963 (1963-04-17)
30	"A Tough Act to Follow"	Unknown	Unknown	April 24, 1963 (1963-04-24)

Production

Going My Way was broadcast on Wednesdays from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time.^[2] Its competition included The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Virginian, and Kraft Television Theatre. Joe Connelly was the producer. Directors included Joseph Pevney^[6] and Fielder Cook. Writers included Arnold Bernstein^[5] and Emmet Lavery was the writer.^[6]

The series was produced by Revue Studios,^[7] as parent company MCA owned the rights to the original film through its subsidiary, EMKA, Ltd., which in 1957 bought Going My Way and many other pre-1950 sound feature films from Paramount Pictures.^{[citation needed]}

John H. Breck, Inc. sponsored the program, promoting its Breck Shampoos. The company had sponsored some specials in previous seasons, but this was its first sponsorship of a series. The $3.2 million that it spent for 50 weeks was double what the company had spent on TV advertising in any previous year, and it matched the most that the company had spent on both TV and print advertising in any previous year. The company hoped "to attract families, with large shares of women."^[8]

Critical response

A review in the trade publication Variety said that the show had potential based on its family-show appeal and the co-stars, but it acknowledged the strength of competition on other networks. Kelly and Carroll were said to be well-cast, but the plot was described as thin.^[9]

Home media

On December 6, 2011, Timeless Media Group released Going My Way: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.^[10]

References

1. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 331. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
2. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 393. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
3. Levy, Claudia. "Song-and-Dance Man Gene Kelly Dies; Breezy, Athletic Style Graced Film Musicals of '40s and '50s", The Washington Post, February 3, 1996. Accessed November 2, 2008. "He won an Emmy in 1967 for his television production of Jack and the Beanstalk and appeared often on television, starring in one short-lived 1962 series, Going My Way, based on the Bing Crosby movie."
4. "Top drawer". Sponsor. March 18, 1963. p. 58. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
5. Deane, Pamala S. (October 1, 2014). James Edwards: African American Hollywood Icon. McFarland. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-7864-5816-5. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
6. Hyatt, Wesley (October 6, 2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
7. "This Week - Network Debuts". Ross Reports. October 1, 1962. p. 94. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
8. "A Breck switch: tv surpasses print". Sponsor. October 22, 1962. pp. 34–37. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
9. "Going My Way". Variety. October 10, 1962. p. 32. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
10. "Going My Way - the Complete Series - 30 Episodes!". Amazon. 6 December 2011.

External links

• Going My Way at IMDb