A remake of Alexander Hall's much superior 1941 supernatural romantic comedy Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Warren Beatty and Buck Henry's 1978 Best Picture nominee Heaven Can Wait will be screened as the next feature of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Great To Be Nominated" series.
Heaven Can Wait will screen on Monday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Actress Dyan Cannon, executive producer Hawk Koch, editor Robert C. Jones, and camera operator Nick McLean will participate in a post-screening discussion.
Unlike Alexander Hall's Here Comes Mr. Jordan, which starred Robert Montgomery, Evelyn Keyes, Claude Rains, Edward Everett Horton, and Rita Johnson – all of them in top form (even the usually unbearable James Gleason was acceptable in it) — most of the magic and humor in Heaven Can Wait feels contrived. The chief reason: Warren Beatty, utterly miscast in a role made to order to — well, somebody else. (Can't think of a Robert Montgomery or a William Powell or a Cary Grant or a Joel McCrea in the Hollywood of the late 1970s.)
What prevents Heaven Can Wait from being a complete failure is the supporting cast (especially Dyan Cannon and Charles Grodin), and leading lady Julie Christie. Cannon and Grodin are quite funny; and when Christie is on-screen, the magic is real. Also, I must admit that the movie does look good, thanks to William A. Fraker's cinematography and to the film's Oscar-winning production design team. (See below.)
In Heaven Can Wait, Beatty stars as a professional football quarterback who, following a road accident, is taken to heaven too early. He is then brought back to Earth in the body of a recently deceased millionaire. Dyan Cannon is his unfaithful wife, Julie Christie the woman who comes to love him, and James Mason is Mr. Jordan — a role originally intended for Cary Grant, who refused to come out of retirement to do it.
Heaven Can Wait won an Oscar for Art Direction (Paul Sylbert, Edwin O'Donovan; Set Decoration: George Gaines). It received eight other nominations: Actor in a Leading Role (Warren Beatty), Actor in a Supporting Role (Jack Warden), Actress in a Supporting Role (Dyan Cannon), Cinematography (William A. Fraker), Directing (Beatty, Buck Henry), Music — Original score (Dave Grusin), Best Picture (Beatty, producer) and Writing — Screenplay based on material from another medium (Elaine May, Beatty).
The Oscar-nominated animated short Oh My Darling and the Oscar-nominated live-action short Teenage Father will be screened prior to the feature.
Passes for the remaining screenings in part four of "Great To Be Nominated" are $30 for the general public and $25 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. A $5 discount is available for those who wish to renew their passes from parts one, two or three of the series. Individual tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Passes and tickets may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. Curtain time for all features is 7:30 p.m., and pre-show elements will begin at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.
Well… I wouldn't call my "Beatty utterly miscast" statement prejudiced.
After all, there have been a few — admittedly, very few — times when I found Beatty adequate. Cases in point: "Bonnie & Clyde" and "Reds."
But surely, Beatty has his fans, and so does "Heaven Can Wait." The film was a gigantic hit at the time.
"Beatty utterly miscast". Good god. Please don't keep your personal prejudice against an actor a secret.
Beatty is wonderful. His chemistry with especially Jack Warden and Buck Henry is respectively touching and hilarious. He's a perfect center to a perfect ensemble cast. Period.