Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

Boxer Joe Pendleton (Robert Montgomery) is all set to fight to become the Champion. Unfortunately he's in a plane crash and a collector (Edward Everett Horton) "takes" his soul to Heaven. But the collector acted too quickly...Joe WASN'T supposed to die! The Head Collector Mr. Jordan (Claude Rains) gets him the temporary body of Bruce Farnsworth--whose wife and secretary are trying to kill. And he falls in love with Bette Logan (Evelyn Keyes). How long will he be in Farnsworth---and will he want to leave and will he live?

I caught this on TV when I was a kid in the 1970s. I loved it! Soon after I saw the lousy 1978 remake "Heaven Can Wait" with Warren Beatty as Pendleton (he's no Montgomery). I just saw it again and I still love it!

The plot is pretty silly but the whole film is done with a very light touch and the cast pulls it off. Nobody seems to be taking it too seriously (which is good). Montgomery is very good in his role--if a little too over the top at times. Keyes is sweet and charming--she does wonders with the "good girl" role. Horton is very funny as one of the collectors and Rains is just fantastic as Mr. Jordan--a perfectly done performance (no surprise coming from Rains). More screen time with Jordan could have helped. But as it is it's just very good. I'm only giving it an 8--it's funny...but not enough. The jokes made me smile once in a while, but that's about it. A huge hit in it's day.

This (understandably) won two Academy Awards for Best Story and Screenplay. It was nominated for Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Director and Cinematography.

Worth seeing.

Fmovies: 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.

Here comes mr jordan is my all time favourite movie and being only fourteen and not having seen many movies i believe that this would be impossible for any other movie. sure there are others but the scenes, the acting, the effects, and the atmosphere of the movie are so beautiful i cry every time i see it. i hope one day they re-release it at the cinema because this sort of movie should be recognised for it's brilliance. leonard maltin gave it four out of four stars and being the respected critic he is i completely agree. i advise you to see it again and again for a classic such as here comes mr jordan should never die

jemima faith

Here Comes Mr. Jordan fmovies. During a flight in a personal airplane, a young boxer by the name of Joe Pendleton crashes into a wooded area - just within the first ten minutes of the beginning of Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Unfortunately, a heavenly escort prematurely plucks his body from the plane before the actual crash, thereby rendering Joe body-less, yet technically alive. Joe's body is promptly cremated, so his new friend, Mr. Jordan, promises Joe a new form and they begin a search for a replacement. The 1941 film centers around Joe Pendleton, an affable man and a capable boxer, who is on his way to a fight whenever he meets his untimely death. With the help of Mr. Jordan, Joe attempts to reverse his misfortune with a new body and a fresh opportunity to enter the title fight. Along the way, however, he meets the unexpected: a beautiful, independent, and charmingly belligerent woman that he falls hopelessly in love with. The film centers around Joe's struggle to realize his dream of winning a title fight, however, it is truly a romantic comedy with themes that tend to focus on love and the fulfillment of our dreams. The makers of the film use Joe's different forms to impart their view that love is a connection between two people, while the body is simply a shell and love is a faceless awareness that sees through physical realities. Don't be turned off by this seemingly heavy theme, because Joe's constant wisecracks and frequent squabbles with the man who took him from his body keep the film light and enjoyable. Despite the occasional sluggish scene, this timeless film offers enough clean-cut comedy and bearable romanticism to warrant a viewing. It deals with an important subject without taking any importance away from keeping the film light and fun to watch.

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.

Hollywood would probably be better off in looking to its past than at its future. The late 30s and early 40s produced a string of films that will not be equaled, or surpassed in a very foreseeable future.

Take this film. It has been re-adapted a couple of times and sadly to say, those new movies pale in comparison. There are no stars with the caliber of a Robert Montgomery, Claude Rains, Edward Everett Horton, or Evelyn Keyes, actually, or in the horizon. To get actors of this caliber in a film today, would be a monumental task to accomplish.

This film, an adaptation of a stage work, translates to the screen with such ease that is hard to surpass. Directed by Alexander Hall, with panache, is a pleasure to sit through it and enjoy.

The cast is absolutely flawless. The great Robert Montgomery is very charming in his triple 're-incarnation'. Claude Rains is perfect, as is Edward Everett Horton as heavenly figures on earth. Evelyn Keyes is so beautiful. How about Rita Johnson? She cuts such a sophisticated figure. John Emery is oily enough as the evil secretary Abbott. And James Gleason's appearance has the right amount of know how and bewilderment in understanding the situation.

This picture makes us realize how ahead of her time the brilliant Edith Head was. Her costumes are a perfect touch to enhance the appearance of the stars of that era. Wow! What style and sophistication she had! No one can come close to her.

This is an original to be savored by discerning film aficionados.