Heavenly Days

What a great document of America on the WWII home front! One of the longest running and most fondly remembered old time radio programs was "Fibber McGee and Molly." Fibber's bluster and famously over stuffed closet, Molly's cry of "heavenly days," and many other aspects of the show became part of our culture in the 1940s. And many of those comfortably familiar running gags are included in this film - we even get to see Molly do her "Teeny" voice when she sings a song to the children. But this film is also a great document of the attitude of Americans on the home front in WWII. It was a time of great respect for members of the service, a time when most people proudly and eagerly accepted their duty to help win the war, and a time when Americans willingly believed that we were "our brother's keepers" and had to help refugees from other parts of the world, particularly if they were children. The idea that there is nothing average about the average American is the theme of this film. It teeters dangerously on the edge of being too corny, but its made palatable by the quick but gentle wit of Fibber and Molly. They are impossible to dislike. Gosh, but it's a nice little movie. I only wish the Kingsmen sang more songs.