Sadly i consider those two soundtrack albums to be the weakest ones Bing recorded like some of Elvis Presley's soundtrack albums during the 1960s a few good  tracks would have made a good extended player 45 rather than an album there were too  many weak songs even "Hey Jude Hey Bing" was an easier to listen all the way through still it's good to have to complete a collection.

Unfortunately I could have done without Robert Wagner' s singing intrestingly Frank Sinatra may have been considered for the part that Robert Wagner played which probably explains Frank Sinatra's recording of "I Couldn't Care Less" which remained unreleased until the 1970s as Sinatra was a bigger name than Wagner  his part would have had to be equal in porportion to Bing's in the film.

Actually i thought Robert Wagner acted his part of a young heel well and also danced well but probably should not have sung any of the songs that he was given to sing which were dreadful anyway.

Say One For Me is not one of the best Bing’s movies but I believe that the general criticism is little farfetched (it was in a book with the 50 worst movies of all times). Bing’s sublime (as Gary Cooper said to Bing while handing him the Oscar) perrformance of Father O’Malley (Going My Way, Bells of St Mary’s) doesn’t compare favorably with his more tight portrayal of Father Conroy,
Frank Taslin director and writer of the movie didn’t write a script suitable to Bing’s persona and didn't exploit all the potentials of the subject and of Bing's acting. Though he has director or screenwriter in many successful Bob Hope’s comedy’s, Martin and Lewis musical’s etc. The oversimplified unreal characters are in my opinion the problem of the picture. The story is also flat and predictable without real escalation.

 But the picture is not at all bad, in my opinion both Robert Wagner and Debbie Reynolds are very talented, and the soundtrack is strong (I think that the music was nominated for the Academy Award of best music score). Wanger singing is not great but he dances and acts well enough to get away with it and he was always good portraying unsympathetic characters like Tony (in Kiss before dying 1956 for example). Bing’s voice is also in good shape and he has some good scenes (for instance when he sings I couldn’t Care Less or when tries to sell his jokes to Robert Wanger). Also the cinematography is great, CinemaScope and Deluxe Color were rare at the time (thought It’s not VistaVision or Technicolor) The overall picture is not a masterpiece, but it is easy to see with pleasant music and fine actors.
 
Thought the critics were mixed from the beginning the movie was a commercial success making more than 4,000,000 USD in box office.
 

Last edited by Pantelis Kavouras (11/10/2024 9:17 pm)