Here Comes Mr. Jordan

Boxer Joe Pendleton is days away from his championship bout when his private plane goes down and the agents of death take him away to heaven. Unfortunately for Joe, the agent acted too fast and, had he waited he would have seen Joe recover the crashing aircraft and make it away safely. Problem is in the time taken to sort this out (which has involved top agent Mr Jordan), Joe's earthly remains have been cremated with no chance of him just being returned to his body. So begins a search for another body for Joe, a search that ultimately leads to millionaire Farnsworth – who has just been murdered by his wife and her lover.

Looking at the basic plot (and even the detail of the ending) it does strike me as rather amazing that this did get made as a studio picture because it does have a dark streak to it that could easily have undercut any comedy, whimsy or romance and alienated the audience. Watching it again recently it does still surprise me that it pulls it off but somehow it is light, funny and with plenty of charm and somehow even the rather ambiguous ending comes off as lifting and happy. A big part of this for me is the cast because they get the delivery just right – in particular Robert Montgomery. Some have said that Rains dominates his scenes but I totally disagree, Montgomery owns the film because the tough but kind nature of his character is the engine that drives it to success. He is note perfect and his performance kept me with the tone of the film. Rains is nearly as good but is more of a cool presence in each scene.

Hall's direction holds it together and makes the tone so that we never lose the slight hint of darkness but prevents it ever getting in the way of the comedy and fantasy of the piece. Here Comes Mr Jordan has been remade several times recently and you can see why because this original is charming and fresh with solid comedy and whimsy held together by a couple of great performances.

Joe Pendleton dies prematurely when a heavenly messenger takes him before his time. This film examines how that messenger and his supervisor try and placate Mr. Pendleton with other bodies. This is a charming, fun, almost innocent film from a bygone era. Robert Montgomery is very good as the saxaphone-playing boxer who outwardly seems rough but inwardly has a heart of gold(okay, it gave me cliches too). The cast in this film excels. Montgomery is ably assisted by Claude Rains, James Gleason, Evelyn Keyes, and, my personal favourite, Edward Everett Horton. Rains plays the heavenly Mr. Jordan trying to fix Horton's heavenly blunder. Rains is as always very good, and his scenes in particular bring a warm glow to the screen. My favourite moments, however, are the scenes with rains and Horton talking "shop" and the ones with Horton and Montgomery bantering back and forth. Horton is a forgotten mine of comedic ability. Many reviewers seem obligated to make comparisons between this film and its most famous remake Heaven Can Wait. I like them both. Both films have qualities that exceed the other. Why we have to say one is better solely because it is older(or newer) is beyond me sometime.

I was watching it, randomly switching channels.

Opening scene is this introduction, that you read and it came across as a serious balls-to-the-wall drama. It gained my curiosity as to what kind of movie could be taking itself THIS seriously! Next scene is Montgomery boxing, playing a sax, and flying an airplane. It was funny, the banter was excellent, and I was laughing out loud.

10 mins later he dies!

The movie had so many 180' turns in it, but they all flow and keeps the viewers on their toes, at least it did me. I literally cried at times, and then the next scene had me hurting with laughter. The supporting cast, especially; Edward Everett Horton, James Gleason, and Evelyn Keyes were magnificent! This has now become one of my favorite movies! I give it a 9/10.

"Here Comes Mr. Jordan" stars Robert Montgomery as Joe Pendleton, a prize fighter who, hurtling toward earth in his damaged plane, is taken to heaven prematurely by a new heavenly worker (Edward Everett Horton).

Upon reaching the gates, it appears that the book states that Joe isn't scheduled to head skyward until 1991. An attempt to return his spirit to his body fails since Joe was cremated; Joe ends up in the body of a business tycoon, Farnsworth, just drowned by his wife and male secretary, except Farnsworth is suddenly not dead.

Joe as Farnsworth meets Bette (Evelyn Keyes) and falls in love with her while wreaking havoc with the man's money and business and continuing to aggravate his wife and secretary. Then Mr. Jordan comes to him with some really bad news.

This is a delightful movie, and though "Heaven Can Wait," its '70s remake, was very enjoyable, how could it be as good or better when Claude Rains and Robert Montgomery are in the original?

Montgomery, who for years did light comedy as an elegant leading man, is wonderful as a streetwise prizefighter. James Gleason, as Joe's manager Corkle, has some great comic moments when he meets up with Farnsworth and Farnsworth claims to be the dead Joe.

Evelyn Keyes is lovely in the ingénue role, and Rita Johnson makes an excellent murderous wife. Claude Rains played the devil in another film, and as Mr. Jordan apparently works with the Head Honcho on the other side. He exudes warmth and calmness and performs beautifully opposite the more volatile Montgomery characters.

This film was released before Pearl Harbor, but everyone knew the U. S. would be entering the war. Thus began a spate of these films - "A Guy Named Joe," "Heaven Can Wait," "The Bishop's Wife," "Angel on my Shoulder," "It's a Wonderful Life," "Down to Earth," and others.

The fascination with death, angels, destiny, and souls was understandably rampant as reflected by Hollywood from 1941-1948 as people sought to understand what happened to their loved ones.

"Here Comes Mr. Jordan" is one of the really fine examples of this genre, with beautiful performances and story. I shed some tears at the end. Perhaps you will too.

Boxer Joe Pendleton is killed in an airplane crash, while training for a championship match, however Joe wasn't to die for sometime far into the future. In order to make things right, Mr. Jordan (in charge of all arrivals for the hereafter) searches for another body that Joe can use until his time is up. The body of financier Bruce Farnsworth is the selection after he is killed by his wife and secretary in order to continue their romance and get ahold of his finances. Betty Logan appears to get Farnsworth to settle the matter concerning her father, who was sent to prison in a deal swindled by Farnsworth, and Joe frees her father, but falls for her as well. In the meantime, Joe (as Farnsworth- everyone sees Joe as Farnsworth but Joe sees himself as his true being-) starts training for the championship fight (it was Joe's natural destiny to become champ), with the help of Joe's trainer, Max Corkle. This upsets Julia Farnsworth, who then decides to make certain that Joe/Farnsworth is killed. Joe and Mr. Jordan work to make sure Joe can find another body in order to become boxing champ, bring Julia and Abbott to justice, and keep the romance alive between Joe & Betty. This film has such a beautiful charm (even though it seems hokey at times, but it has the ability to bridge gaps between audiences easily. An excellent script, crisp direction, and excellent performances by the cast (Gleason standing out as the befuddled trainer Corkle.) The ending is both brilliant and touching. Rating, 9.