Heaven Can Wait (1943 film)

Heaven Can Wait
theatrical poster
Directed by	Ernst Lubitsch
Produced by	Ernst Lubitsch
Written by	Play: Leslie Bush-Fekete Screenplay: Samson Raphaelson
Starring	Gene Tierney Don Ameche Charles Coburn
Music by	Alfred Newman
Cinematography	Edward Cronjager
Editing by	Dorothy Spencer
Distributed by	20th Century Fox (theatrical) The Criterion Collection (DVD)
Release date(s)	August 11, 1943
Running time	112 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Heaven Can Wait is a 1943 American comedy film produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch. The screenplay was by Samson Raphaelson based on the play Birthday by Leslie Bush-Fekete. The music score was by Alfred Newman and the cinematography by Edward Cronjager.

The film tells the story of a man who has to prove he belongs in Hell by telling his life story. It stars Gene Tierney, Don Ameche and Charles Coburn. The supporting cast includes Marjorie Main, Laird Cregar, Spring Byington, Allyn Joslyn, Eugene Pallette, Signe Hasso, Louis Calhern, Tod Andrews, and Clara Blandick.

Plot

An aged Henry van Cleve (Ameche) enters the opulent reception area of Hell, to be personally greeted by "His Excellency" (Cregar). Henry petitions to be admitted (fully aware of the kind of life he had led), but there is some doubt as to his qualifications. To prove his worthiness (or rather unworthiness), he begins to tell the story of his dissolute life.

In late nineteenth century Manhattan, Henry is the spoiled only child of stuffy, clueless, wealthy parents Randolph (Calhern) and Bertha (Byington). His paternal grandmother (Blandick in an uncredited role) is also doting and naive, although his down-to-earth grandfather Hugo van Cleve (Coburn), a self-made millionaire understands Henry quite well. Henry grows up an idle young man, with a taste for attractive showgirls. One day, Henry overhears a beautiful woman lying to her mother on a public telephone. Intrigued, he follows her into a bookstore and pretends to be an employee to get to know her better. Despite learning that she is engaged, he begins making advances, finally confessing he doesn't work there, whereupon she hastily departs.

Later, obnoxious cousin Albert (Allyn Joslyn) introduces the family to his fiancee, Martha (Tierney) and her feuding parents, the Strabels (Pallette, Main). Henry is shocked to find that his mystery woman and Martha are one and the same. It turns out that Albert was the first suitor of whom both her parents approved. Fearful of spending the rest of her life as a spinster in Kansas City, Martha agreed to marry him. Henry convinces her to elope with him instead. Everyone (except Grandpa van Cleve) is scandalized. Eventually, they are received back into the family. They have a son, but on the eve of their tenth anniversary, Martha finds out about Henry's continuing dalliances with other women and goes back to her parents. Henry and Grandpa follow her there. Henry begs her forgiveness and talks her into "eloping" a second time, much to Grandpa's delight.

On his 50th birthday he starts making advances towards a chorus girl(Helene Reynolds) when she reveals she is his son's current girlfriend. He buys her off for $25,000.

Martha passes away shortly after their twenty-fifth anniversary. Henry continues his relations with young women and lives to a ripe old age. He dies under the care of a beautiful nurse after portending her coming in a dream. After hearing Henry's story, His Excellency denies him entry and suggests he try the "other place", where Martha is waiting for him, hinting that there might be "a small room vacant in the annex".

Awards

It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Cinematography - Color, Best Director and Best Picture.

Unrelated namesake

A 1978 film, also called Heaven Can Wait, is a remake of an entirely different film, the 1941 Here Comes Mr. Jordan, which was based on a 1938 stage play originally titled Heaven Can Wait.

External links

• Heaven Can Wait at the Internet Movie Database
• Heaven Can Wait at AllRovi
• Criterion Collection essay by William Paul
• Film-series' opening speech by James Bowman