Oh, God! You Devil
| Oh, God! You Devil | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical Release Poster |
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| Directed by | Paul Bogart |
| Produced by | Robert B. Sherman Irving Fein (executive producer) |
| Written by | Andrew Bergman |
| Starring | George Burns Ted Wass Ron Silver Roxanne Hart |
| Music by | David Shire Jack Hayes (orchestrator) |
| Cinematography | King Baggot |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | November 7, 1984 |
| Running time | 97 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $21,538,850 (USA) |
Oh, God! You Devil (1984) is a black comedy/fantasy film starring George Burns, Ted Wass, Ron Silver and Roxanne Hart.
Directed by Paul Bogart and produced by Robert M. Sherman. The screenplay was adapted by Andrew Bergman.
Oh, God! You Devil is the third and final installment in the Oh, God! series, based on the novel of the same title by Avery Corman.
George Burns received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance.
[edit] Plot
Burns plays the dual roles of both God and the Devil. The Devil — Harry O. Tophet — is a lively character, taking pleasure in petty acts of PG-rated malice (such as making a waiter fall into a pool).
The story tells of a struggling rock singer/musician, Bobby Shelton (played by Wass), who cannot get a break. His wife, Wendy (Hart), is going to have a baby, and Bobby, desperate to support his family, announces that he would sell his soul to the Devil to get ahead. The Devil suddenly appears, calling himself "'Harry O. Tophet" and offers Shelton a deal — seven years of unprecedented fame and fortune in exchange for his soul. Shelton balks at the deal and so Tophet renegotiates claiming that it will be for a "trial period." Shelton signs the document, but his signature transforms into that of Billy Wayne, the last person to whom Tophet offered this deal.
Shelton discovers that, though he now has the fame he wanted, he has lost his identity — he is now Billy Wayne. As such, his family is now someone else's — the former Billy Wayne, whose life Tophet now controls. Realizing that he is trapped, Bobby Shelton asks for help from God, who has been watching over him. God appears and offers to help.
During a climactic poker game between God and the Devil, God offers to stop protecting all those on "his list" in exchange for Bobby's soul. (Meanwhile, Bobby has become so despondent, that he is in his dressing room attempting suicide by liquor and pills.) If God wins, the Devil would be prevented from meddling with any of those on the list, even if they request his assistance. Considering the loss too high, Tophet folds, and finds that God had been bluffing, telling Tophet that he folded because "I put the fear of Me in you."
Bobby rises from the floor of the dressing room, leaving behind the corpse of Billy Wayne who had committed suicide. The Devil will have to come up with a new scam to hustle unsuspecting souls. In the end, God meets with Bobby and tells him about how his father once prayed for him when he was a sick child, and that since then, God has had a eye on him. After warning Bobby that next time, he will not bail him out, Shelton returns to happiness in a simple life with his loving wife and daughter.
[edit] Cast
- George Burns as God and the Devil (Harry O. Tophet)
- Ted Wass as Bobby Shelton
- Ron Silver as Gary Frantz
- Roxanne Hart as Wendy Shelton
- Eugene Roche as Charlie Gray
- Janet Brandt as Mrs. K
- Robert Desiderio as Billy Wayne
- John Doolittle as Arthur Shelton
- Julie Lloyd as Bea Shelton
- Belita Moreno as Mrs. Vega
- Jason Wingreen as Hotel Manager
- Susan Peretz as Louise
- Robert Picardo as Joe Ortiz
- Arthur Malet as Houseman
- James Cromwell as Priest
- Arnold Johnson as Preacher
- Brandy Gold as Bobby's Daughter
- Lois Wilde as Casino Patron (uncredited)
[edit] External links
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