Immaculate Conception presents 'The Bells of St. Mary's'

Two special presentations of “The Bells of St. Mary's” at the York Theatre in downtown Elmhurst will benefit Immaculate Conception High School, DuPage County's oldest Catholic coeducational college prep high school. The 1945 Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman classic will be shown at 1:30 and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at the York Theatre, located at 150 N. York St. in Elmhurst. Tickets are $5.

Dec. 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and ICHS, home of the Knights, was originally named St. Mary's, which makes the film the perfect vehicle for a Knights fundraiser. Festivities include popcorn, treats and festive holiday games and prizes.

“The Bells of St. Mary's” stars Bing Crosby as Father O'Malley and Ingrid Bergman as Sister Benedict. St. Mary's is a city Catholic school that has fallen into disrepair, and Father O'Malley and Sister Benedict must put aside their good-natured rivalry to save the school. The film was released in 1945 and garnered Crosby and Bergman Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress as well as a nomination for its director, Leo McCarey, in the Best Director category. This classic also received nominations for Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and Best Music, Song. It won for Best Sound, Recording.

To purchase tickets, a ticket order form can be downloaded from the ICHS website, www.ichsknights.org. Alternatively, contact Carolyn Hansen at chansen@ichsknights.org or (630) 530-3494. Seating is limited, so advance ticket purchase is recommended.