East Side of Heaven

Easy-going Bing (Denny) has a job as a singing telegram and is engaged to receptionist Joan Blondell (Mary). However, things go wrong for Bing when he is tricked into singing Happy Birthday to the influential and controlling character that is C Aubrey Smith (Barrett Snr). He loses his job but gets another as a singing cab driver! They had some weird ideas in those days. The plot takes a crazy turn about halfway through when Bing is charged with looking after a baby and all kinds of confusion and misunderstandings ensue before the film resolves itself into a happy ending.

It's an easy-to-watch film that passes the time enjoyably with 2 points to note. The first is that the baby isn't annoying. In fact, the baby is a scene stealer as you watch her interactions with the characters - it is quite fascinating as she reaches to grab Blondell's hair or casts loving looks at Bing hoping he will croon and cradle her again. I usually can't stand children in films but this one is ok. The second is that Mischa Auer (Nicky) isn't annoying. He plays Bing's roommate and he is actually quite funny. I didn't expect that as he is usually very odd, playing for comedy and never hitting the mark. Well, in this film he is funny! Alongside some humorous dialogue is a very funny bell-boy - check him out!

It's another good film with a misunderstanding about a baby from 1939, the other being "Bachelor Mother" starring Ginger Rogers and David Niven.

"East Side of Heaven" is a fable of New York City with a breezy Bing Crosby as a singer (first a singing telegrapher then a taxi troubadour) whose life is complicated by a friend's marital woes and a baby.

Joan Blondell has a grand showcase for her loveliness and her comedy chops as Bing's fiancée. Mischa Auer steals every scene he is in as the helpful, loafer pal.

The most adorable tot in movies, Baby Sandy, is the plot hinge upon which swings a tyrannical grandfather (C. Aubrey Smith), a worried mother (Irene Hervey) and a grandly unlikable radio host (Jerome Cowan).

You'll wish there really was such a place as the Frying Pan Cafe where waiters and cooks join guests in song. "Hang Your Heart on a Hickory Limb" is just one of the infectious numbers that add the sparkle to this movie.

A truly entertaining comedy-musical the whole family will enjoy.

EAST SIDE OF HEAVEN (Universal, 1939), directed by David Butler, features Bing Crosby, on loan from Paramount, his first starring role for Universal, where he made his debut appearing as one of the Rhythm Boys in THE KING OF JAZZ (1930). Working opposite Joan Blondell for the only time on screen, his competition for this production happens to be an infant named Baby Sandy Henville, in her motion picture debut, billed simply as Sandy. Although not the initial opener to the short lived "Baby Sandy" series, it did introduce little Sandy to movie audiences, with her character in the plot being a boy.

Set in New York City, this good-natured story finds Denny Martin (Bing Crosby) working for Postal Union where he sings telegram messages to customers over the telephone. Aside from sharing an apartment with his Russian born friend, Nicky (Mischa Auer), who lives on astrology readings and wears a bathrobe with the inscription on the back, "Moscow Golden Gloves 1919," Denny is also engaged to Mary Wilson (Joan Blondell), an attractive switchboard operator at the Hotel Raleigh who is loved by Claudius De Wolfe (Jerome Cowan), a radio reporter for the Federal Broadcasting Station, whose catch phrase is, "Are you happy, honey?" and who makes ever effort coming between Mary and Denny. Denny's wedding has been postponed three times already and now a fourth after losing his job for speaking out of turn to millionaire Cyrus Barrett Sr. (C. Aubrey Smith), DeWolfe's sponsor, for interfering into the lives of his good friend, Mona (Irene Hervey) and her husband, Cyrus Barrett Jr. (Robert Kent). Denny's unemployment lasts only a day, having acquired a job the next morning for the Sunbean Cab Company as a "Cruising Troubador" taxi driver singing to his passengers. All goes well until Denny encounters Mona and her infant son (Sandy), who confides in him about her unhappy marriage with her husband always out on drinking binges, thanks to his father. She now wants to locate Cyrus and save her marriage before it's is too late. Unable to break away from her child, whom the grandfather wants to take custody, Denny advises her to leave her baby with a friend she can trust. She does, Denny. Denny, who's never really been fond of children, learns how to act as father and guardian taking the responsibility keeping the renowned infant in his apartment and out of reach of detectives and nosy neighbors. Nicky, experienced in babysitting having raised his three younger brothers (who have since disappeared), helps care for the child by day. Having acquired a baby nearly breaks up his engagement when Mona mistakes Denny's "baby" for another woman. Things really get complicated when Denny returns to his apartment to find Nicky tied up with the baby gone. The next step is for Denny and Nicky to locate the baby before they become accused of kidnapping.

Good tunes by James V. Monaco and Johnny Burke include: "Sing a Song of Sunbeams" (sung by Bing Crosby); "Hang Your Heart on a Hickory Limb" (sung by Crosby and The Music Maids); "Sing a Song of Sunbeams" (reprise); "That Sly Old Gentleman" (sung by Crosby to Baby Sandy); "The East Side of Heaven," "That Sly Old Gentleman" and "The East Side of Heaven" (reprise).

Cleverly scripted and often amusing, especially with the comedy relief by Mischa Auer, placing babies with crooning actors is really nothing new. It's been done before, notably with Maurice Chevalier in A BEDTIME STORY (Paramount, 1933) where he plays a Frenchman who unwittingly becomes an adopted father to Baby LeRoy. Singing cab drivers has also been done before in "Broadway Gondolier" (Warners, 1935) starring Dick Powell. While it's unlikely to come across singing taxi drivers these days, it's anybody's guess the one portrayed by Crosby actually existed, considering the closing credits following the cast of players reading: The "cruising troubadour" suggested on Dave Howell's character.

Rarely seen since its presentation on public television in the 1980s, it's been resurrected as a DVD package tribute to Bing Crosby along with his other Universal venture, IF I HAD MY WAY (1940) in 2006. A feel good movie that should delight many Bing Crosby fans. "Are you happy, honey?" (***1/2)

"East Side of Heaven" isn't a particularly deep or fancy film, but it is fun and is a nice little family film. It's so nice, it's almost worth giving this one an 8.

Bing Crosby plays a struggling singer. He can't find a good job, so he first takes one as a singing telegram man and then as, oddly, a singing taxi driver. During the course of his job, he meets a desperate young lady and her obnoxious and very rich father-in-law (C. Aubry Smith). The old man is determined to take the child away--even though the mother is very competent. So, in desperation, she hides the cute kid with a friend--Bing and his roommate (Mischa Auer). The plot doesn't get a whole lot deeper than that, but it helped that Joan Blondell was on hand to play Bing's fiancée and that the baby was so freakin' adorable. All in all, fluff--but incredibly enjoyable, well written and well made fluff.

By the way, this film is included on the same disc as Bing's "If I Had My Way"--a film that is even better! A wonderful DVD and one worth having in your collection.

If you are a fan of Bing Crosby fan you won't be disappointed by East Side of Heaven. The story is a touch protracted and I did wish Joan Blondell had more to do other than being a reactionary character, she seemed underused in the second half. East Side of Heaven is a nice film to look at, it isn't lavish but it is photographed with style and love and the costumes and sets are equally attractive. The music score is lush and catchy, and the songs don't disappoint either. Hang Your Heart on a Hickory Limb is colourfully staged and snappy and That Sly Old Gentleman and the beautiful ballad East Side of Heaven are classic Bing Crosby. The choreography is neither too simple or too complicated and it's elaborate without being overblown and when the film calls for a more understated touch it doesn't become laboured either. The dialogue is clever and snappy, the funniest moments coming from Mischa Auer and while East Side of Heaven drips with sentimentality it is also in an endearing and touching way, never forgetting to be entertaining either. Bing Crosby is charming and has no trouble being comfortable, he also sings a dream as he always did. Joan Blondell has allure and sassiness but she has had much better written roles. C Aubrey Smith ability to be gruff and classy as well as amusing comes naturally to him, but the most memorable performances come from Mischa Auer who's very funny and in some parts of the film hilarious and the absolutely adorable Baby Sandy. In conclusion, very entertaining and well done, won't disappoint Bing Crosby fans. 8/10 Bethany Cox