When in Rome

I was drawn to the film by TCM's summary and by the presence of two estimable actors. Van Johnson and Paul Douglas never quite made Hollywood's A-list but for my money they are two very accomplished practitioners of the thespian art.

Johnson, as Father Halloran, shares a ship cabin with Joe Brewster (Douglas) who, unbeknownst to Halloran, is on the lam from San Quentin. Halloran is on his way to Rome for Holy Year, and his and Brewster's paths become intertwined.

The movie seems to want to be a lighthearted comedy but in the end becomes quite touching, as Halloran becomes Brewster's confessor. The script is excellent and the action moves along well.

In addition the movie is a wonderful travelogue of pre-Vatican II Rome, in stunning black and white. And to a dinosaur like myself it is bittersweet to watch a movie from a time when religious devotion was respected and taken seriously. Today anti-Catholicism is, as some wag commented, "the last respectable bigotry of the intelligentsia."

Be sure not to miss this overlooked little gem.