Here Comes Mr. Jordan 1941
I really like Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait from 1978, which is not based on Heaven Can Wait from 1943, but on this movie from 1941. The plot is basically the same, but instead of a football player, the main character is a boxer. The 1941 movie plays a little more broadly, almost like a sitcom, whereas I feel like Beatty's version makes a lot of improvements in a successful effort to make the movie more cinematic. Claude Rains makes a great Mr. Jordan, always kind, confident, and in control, trying to deal with this soul who winds up in heaven 50 years too early. Robert Montgomery (Elizabeth Montgomery's father) gets to play the boxer, Joe Pendleton. It is a juicy role and he plays it well, but again, Warren Beatty brought more nuance to the role. His love interest is played by Evelyn Keyes, whose role is less developed, and who has some unfortunate hair styles and wardrobe early on. James Gleason gets a big role as Joe's manager, who has to deal with Joe's death and reappearance in another body, but again plays the comedy too broadly. While a lot of the details in the two movies diverge, they match almost perfectly towards the end. The basic idea for the movie is very good, setting up a lot of comedy, so no wonder this movie won an Oscar for best screenplay. This is a good movie for its time, but Beatty was able to really polish it into something sharper and more modern.
Written: 09 Dec 2024
Owned on: Digital