FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE (1950)

Heavy handed whimsy which wastes a potentially good cast. The movie came at the end of what was a short cycle of angel movies during and after WWII, such as A GUY NAMED JOE, HERE COMES MR. JORDAN, THE BISHOP'S WIFE, and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE; it's pretty clear that Hollywood had exhausted the theme by the time this was made. Robert Cummings and Joan Bennett are a show biz couple (he's a producer, she's an actress) who are so devoted to their careers that they have neglected to start a family; the little unborn soul which has been waiting seven years to be born (Gigi Perreau) hangs around pining away in their apartment; Clifton Webb and Edmund Gwenn are angels who have come down to earth to help nudge the couple along to grant Perreau's wish. Hearing the couple refer to needing an "angel" for their next show, Webb materializes as a rich Texan (he imitates Gary Cooper) who might back their next play. Joan Blondell is the author of the play; Jack LaRue is a gangsterish actor who can't quite get the hang of flipping a coin, George Raft style. Tommy Rettig (later the boy in TV's "Lassie") is another unborn soul who pops up occasionally; Whit Bissell is a psychiatrist who observes Webb. I like Bennett but I've never been a big fan of Cummings; they come off like a second-string version of Broadway couple Hugh Marlowe and Celeste Holm in ALL ABOUT EVE, and in fact, there is a specific EVE reference to the play "Footsteps on the Ceiling." Webb tries hard, and his Cooper imitation is fun for a while, but he's just not as casual and charming as he needs to be. Gwenn looks tired, and it feels like he thinks he's above the material, which both he and Webb are. A couple of the special effects are good, and Webb gets off a great line to Gwenn: "Successful angels do *not* use sarcasm!" A minor fantasy entry, recommended only for die-hard fans of the actors involved. [FMC]