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| Debbie Reynolds and Robert Wagner |
Father Conroy (Bing Crosby) has a parish in the middle of the theater district and holds services at two in the morning. When one parishioner, Harry (Les Tremayne), falls ill and can't work, his daughter, Holly (Debbie Reynolds), takes up the slack. Harry and Father Conroy think she's working as a secretary, but Holly is actually appearing in a nightclub with her smooth and handsome partner and boss, Tony Vincent (Robert Wagner). Now the trick is to keep that wolf Tony at bay while both of them jockey for stardom. When Father Conroy gets a chance to put together a TV special, Tony thinks he's In Like Flynn -- but is he?
Say One for Me is artificial from the first frame to the last, and comes off more like something out of the 1930s than the 1950s. Bing doesn't strain too much to put over his familiar portrayal of Father Conroy, and Reynolds and Wagner are perfectly professional. Wagner sings and dances in this, but he's no threat to Fred Astaire. The supporting cast is perhaps of more interest: In addition to Tremayne, we've got Connie Gilchrist as the priest's cook and housekeeper; Joe Besser -- "Stinky" on The Abbott and Costello Show -- as Tony's manager; and especially Ray Walston in a terrific turn as an alcoholic associate of Tony's. Father Conroy cures the man of his addiction overnight! 
Ray Walston with Der Bingle
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| Judy Harriet as June January |
Verdict: You can stand this for about an hour but unfortunately it's two hours long! **.
2 comments:
I liked the first two Bing-as-priest films, so that is about enough for me. And Debbie is great in Singin in the Rain and later in Mother and In-And-Out but at her heyday she was never one of my favorite personalities. Kinda overly sweet and smarmy in most of those musicals.
-Chris
Yes, she was an acquired taste. I admired her bounciness and obvious talent but she was never really one of my favorites. Robert Wagner helps keep this film from being too nauseating!
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