In a way, I did understand why I~ ad s fans loved him so.

When I saw Going M~! W(u,t I was as moved as they were by

the character he played. Father O Malley handled that gang

of young hooligans in his parish with such kindness and wis-

dom that I thought he was wonderful too. Instead of coming

down hard on the kids and withdrawing his affection, he

forgave them their misdeeds, took them to the ball game and

picture show, taught them how to sing. By the last reel, the

sheer persistence of his goodness had transformed even the

worst of them into solid Citizens. Then the lights came on and

the movie was over. All the way back to the house I thought

about the difference between the person up there on the screen

and the one I knew at home

But the persona wasn t simply an act. That side of him was

real too. Once he left the house and stepped into the world,

he became another man, that same nice guy everyone loved

in the movies.