Heaven Can Wait

1943
Approved
1h 52m

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

13K

YOUR RATING

Gene Tierney, Don Ameche, Charles Coburn, Laird Cregar, and Marjorie Main in Heaven Can Wait (1943)

An old roué arrives in Hades to review his life with Satan, who will rule on his eligibility to enter the Underworld.

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Comedy Drama Fantasy Romance

An old roué arrives in Hades to review his life with Satan, who will rule on his eligibility to enter the Underworld.An old roué arrives in Hades to review his life with Satan, who will rule on his eligibility to enter the Underworld.An old roué arrives in Hades to review his life with Satan, who will rule on his eligibility to enter the Underworld.

Director
- Ernst Lubitsch
Writers
- Samson Raphaelson
- Leslie Bush-Fekete
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

13K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Ernst Lubitsch
Writers
- Samson Raphaelson
- Leslie Bush-Fekete
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 2 wins & 3 nominations total

Trivia
In a 1983 interview, "A Conversation with Don Ameche", he said this movie was the favorite of all the films he worked on.

Goofs
In the breakfast scene just before Martha (Gene Tierney) goes home to her parents, Mr. Strable is served a large second helping of pancakes. Moments later when the camera gives him a medium shot, the stack is gone and the butler refills his plate.

Quotes
Mademoiselle: In your papa's time, papa kiss mama and zen marry. But this is 1887! Time of bicycle, the typewriter est arrive, soon everybody speak over ze telephone, and people have new idea of value of kiss. What was bad yesterday is lot of fun today. There is a wonderful saying in France: "Les baisers sont comme des bonbons qu'on mange parce qu'ils sont bons." This mean: "Kiss is like candy. You eat candy only for the beautiful taste, and this is enough reason to eat candy."
Henry Van Cleve: You mean I can kiss a girl once...
Mademoiselle: Ten times! Twenty times! And no obligation.

Connections
Featured in Worth Winning (1989)

Soundtracks
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
(uncredited)
Music by Gus Edwards
Played during the opening credits and often in the score

User reviews96

Review

Featured review

10/10

Underrated masterpiece

Utterly perfect Fox picture with handsome Don Ameche and stunningly beautiful Gene Tierney. It also stars the wonderfully hilarious Charles Coburn as Ameche's grandfather.

A well written, well acted and well directed film that is unjustly underrated and should be rediscovered. The entire film is shot in gorgeous full Technicolor and handled by director Ernst Lubitsch capable hands.

It details the story of a man, played by Ameche, who thinks that he deserves to go to hell after he dies. He then proceeds to recount his life story to the devil (Laird Creger). A true delight that is not to be missed.