In If I Had My Way, Bing Crosby gets to show off his dramatic acting talents as well as sing a few songs and entertain his usual audience. He's a construction worker, and when his friend and coworker dies, he's left in charge of his orphaned daughter. Gloria Jean is the pretty, tween, beautiful-voiced daughter who manages to adjust to her new surroundings brilliantly. She was supposed to be a replacement for Deanna Durbin, but her career didn't take off, so if you want to see her in a movie, you don't have too many to choose from.
Parts of this movie are good, like the beginning set up, but one of the main characters is incredibly off-putting. El Brendel, Bing's oafish Swedish friend, is so annoying, I'm not sure I would have preferred Mischa Auer, who played Bing's Russian sidekick in East Side of Heaven. Why wasn't Felix Bressart more utilized? He's foreign, but actually likable! Charles Winninger also joins the supporting cast, and while he's such a pro that he does make you forget about El, he doesn't have as big a part, so he doesn't make the entire movie better.
The entire setup of the film is that Bing Crosby is a bit of a flighty guy who can't handle taking care of a child. He tries to pawn Gloria off onto some other relatives, but along the way, there are obstacles, misunderstandings, and a lot of character growth so that Bing learns to love his new responsibility. It's Bing, right? He never plays a full bad guy! Overall, it's cute and won't hurt you, but you might like East Side of Heaven better.
