For Heaven's Sake

Utterly charming comedy with Clifton Webb and Edmund Gwenn delightful as a pair of guardian angels tasked with getting a little girl born to a self absorbed but good hearted couple.

Joan Bennett comes across well as the prospective mother, a warm presence this film came along just as she was segueing from her period as a film noir chippy to character and mother roles. Joan Blondell is great fun as a flashy screenwriter injecting her special brand of zip whenever she's on screen. Robert Cummings is bland as the father to be but he fades into the background and doesn't hurt the picture.

As enjoyable as the two Joans are this is really Clifton's show and he makes the most of it especially after he temporarily returns to earth in human form and has many misadventures. A sweet, feel good film in the best sense of that phrase.

For those of you who haven't been able to find FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE and want to, look no further than the Fox Movie Channel -- the movie's on FMC as I type this! The movie itself is an odd but amiable comedy starring Clifton Webb as an angel going incognito as a rancher (Clifton Webb as an urbane, persnickety angel going rustic -- there's a mindbender for you! :-) to help theater folk Robert Cummings and Joan Bennett get over their self-absorption and start a family (feeling dizzy yet? :-). Although its tone is uneven, veering between hilarity and mawkishness, it's still watchable thanks to the great cast, particularly Webb, Edmund Gwenn as a fellow angel, and Gigi Perreau and Tommy Rettig as two kid angels who are growing up in Heaven because their parents-to-be keep putting off starting a family. I found the kid angels' part of the story to be the most touching and intriguing, with its concept of children who are already "old souls" when they're born, so they turn out to be "child prodigies" because they already know so much (Webb has a delightful grouchfest about that). Anyway, if you're a sucker for Clifton Webb and heartwarming dramedies where angels solve people's problems, keep your eye on your cable listings, or if your cable company doesn't carry the Fox Movie Channel, now might be a good time to bug them to pick it up! :-)

"For Heaven's Sake" is a most unusual movie....far different than the typical movie of the era. Clifton Webb and Edmund Gwenn play angels whose job it is to find parents for children waiting to be born. One of the unborn kids (Gigi Perreau) is a problem case for Webb's character...she insists on being born to a power couple from Broadway (Bob Cummings and Joan Bennett). But these people are too self-absorbed and career-oriented to be parents...but the child refuses to give up on the notion that they'll one day be her parents. In frustration, eventually Charles (Webb) takes human form and decides to deal with the couple directly. He poses as 'Slim'...a Texan who is quite stereotypical. And, over time, he REALLY comes to like being human...with all its vices as well.

The notion of seeing Clifton Webb playing a rich Texan is strange to say the least! He usually was the embodiment of sophistication and breeding and not the type to wear bolo ties and talk about life on a ranch! Strange casting indeed!

So is it any good? Well, if you love Clifton Webb, you'll like the film. Even though it's one of his weaker films, he himself is quite nice in this against type role. In fact, because so much of the focus of the film is of him and his performance, the movie really doesn't give most of the rest of the cast anything to do other than be there for Webb. This isn't so much a criticism...just an observation. Additionally, I loved the special effects at the beginning of the picture...they were amazing for 1950. However, the film itself is very, very weird...so much so that I guarantee that many folks will give up on it before it's complete.

Great escapist fantasy, perfect 1950s era storyline and shooting. Clifton Webb couldn't be better as cowboy-playing angel trying to get this writer-couple to want a baby who's been waiting for parents.

The acting, staging, storyline, acting all terrific, great fun, poignant, simple.

For Heaven's Sake has a number of witty lines and an interesting premise. If you charted this movie you would see a dip into sentimentality every time Edmund Gwenn shows up. He's such a joke killer in this film. Luckily, he doesn't show up too often. Robert Cummings, never an outstanding presence, turns in a forgettable performance as the theatrical husband and the proximity of his mediocrity somehow manages to suck the life out of the wife, played by Joan Bennett who is usually better than she comes across here. Clifton Webb, sans mustache, is a hoot. In my favorite scene he plays bebop on the harp. It's worth sitting through the whole film just to see that scene.