Heaven Can Wait (1943)

Ernst Lubitsch's Heaven Can Wait is one of the more

unusual marriage comedies of the studio era, depicting a
couple's relationship across the decades. Indeed, the
passing of time and the effect it has on the film's characters
is one of the main underlying themes, and it connects nicely
with Lubitsch's nostalgic vision of the past. The photography
and turn-of-the-century production design, though lavish,
never overwhelm the film's comedy but add a wholly
appropriate burnish. Don Ameche perfectly embodies the
sly charms of Henry Van Cleve in what must surely be his
greatest role.
As the film opens, we find genteel womanizer Henry Van
Cleve in the afterlife having to account for his previous
existence. At the reception room for Hades he explains to
Satan that his sins make him unqualified for Heaven, and
he proceeds to recount both his long marriage to the
forgiving Martha (Gene Tierny) and his lifetime of romantic
adventures.
Birth and death are the primary motifs of the film, which
spans Henrys lifetime by way of several major birthdays. At
his 26th birthday, the irresponsible Henry has fallen in love
with a woman he just met, but he doesnt even know her
name. In the sort of coincidence that is lauded in classical
films and criticized in modern ones, she just happens to be
Martha, the fiance of Henrys snotty cousin Albert. When
Albert holds a party to show off his future wife, Henry quite
literally sweeps her off her feet and whisks her off into the
night to be his bride.
The story leaps ahead a decade to another birthday, and
we see that while Henry and Martha are married and have a child; the marriage is hardly a happy one. Henry is
not exactly the ideal husband, and has a wandering eye. He never really cheats on Martha, but he desperately
needs to know that young women still find him attractive (handled knowingly in the film by way of "the Lubitsch
touch" more on that later). Martha leaves him just before his birthday, but Henry tracks her down and manages
to convince her to give him a second chance. Henry and Martha manage to navigate the problems that go with
married life; its not a perfect marriage, but their love endures.
As we jump forward to each birthday, we also
learn of a death that has occurred in the
interim: Henrys parents, his grandfather (a
show stealing performance by Charles Coburn)
and, eventually, Martha herself. Heaven Can
Wait is a light-hearted comedy, but one also
tinged with the sadness that comes with living a
long life. Henry inevitably winds up alone, but
still tries to make the best of it, always looking
for new happiness while still fondly
remembering the only real love of his life. I am
reminded of the saying: "Growing old is hell, but
is sure beats the alternative."
What was "the Lubitsch touch?" The term was
a rather poorly defined one that referred to a
certain sophisticated, continental sensibility
towards sexuality and social mores in the films
of the German born director. His characters
often had a somewhat more
"open" understanding of what
was acceptable in society and
in marriage, and his films
dealt with material that was
somewhat daring (and also
quite popular) for its time.
Above all, however, "the
Lubitsch touch" was a
marketing gimmick used by
studios to advertise a
particular product to
audiences; you knew what to
expect in a Lubitsch film. This
was rather unusual in the pre-
auteur era when Hollywood
marketed only its stars,
leaving directors as
anonymous behind-the-
scenes figures; by way of "the
Lubitsch touch" Ernst
Lubitsch became one of the
first directors to be widely
recognized by name to the
America movie-going public.
"The Lubitsch touch" can also be partly attributed to the work of screenwriter Samson Raphaelson. Raphaelson
was a self-taught writer who made a name for himself in theater: youve probably heard of a little play he wrote
called The Jazz Singer. Raphaelson wrote or co-wrote most of Lubitschs best-known features, including One
Hour With You (1932), Trouble in Paradise (1932), and The Shop Around the Corner (1940). He became known
for his razor-sharp dialogue and rapidly moving comedy plots. The Lubitsch-Raphaelson pairing is one of the best
known director-writer collaborations in Hollywood history. Heaven Can Wait, made for twentieth Century Fox, was
their last completed film as a team (they later worked together on The Lady in Ermine (1948) but Lubitsch died
during production the film was later completed by Otto Preminger.)
Being made in 1943, Heaven
Can Wait lacks some of the
naughty innuendo of
Lubitsch's pre-Code films
such as Trouble in Paradise,
but it moves far beyond that
Art Deco fantasy world to
sketch out a gently mocking,
yet complex character
portrait. In its warmth and
humaneness it recalls The
Shop Around the Corner,
which is to say it's one of
Lubitsch's richest and most
moving films. It can be argued
that these two films, together
with To Be Or Not To Be
(1942), represent the true
peak of Lubitsch's career.
Thankfully, however, Heaven
Can Wait is not entirely
devoid of innuendo - perhaps
the biggest laughs come from
the section detailing the
young Henry's dalliance with
the family's French maid,
Yvette Blanchard (Signe
Hasso). At one point she says
to Henry, "Your soul is bigger
than your pants." The film's
comedy extends to the
musical quotations on the
soundtrack, among them "By
the Light of the Silvery Moon,"
"The Merry Widow Waltz" and
"Home on the Range." The
later represents the corn-fed,
irascible Strables, and its use
is surely ironic given that one
of the song's lines is "...and
the skies are not cloudy all
day" - the Strables' ranch is
under a constant deluge of
rain. Another highlight, as
mentioned earlier, is a spirited
performance by Charles
Coburn as the grandfather
Hugo Van Cleve. Coburn is
considered one of the better character actors of the studio era; in films such as this, The Devil and Miss Jones
(1941), and The More the Merrier (1943), Coburn was far more than just one of so many Hollywood eccentrics,
always waiting off camera to trot out his carefully cultivated crazy routine. In his best films Coburn brought a
sense of humaneness and wisdom to his performances, thus adding not just to the film's comedy, but also to its
emotional resonance. A tip of the hat to Mr. Coburn.
The Criterion DVD has a resplendent color transfer that shows off the film's production design to the best
advantage. It's as clean and bright as possible with extremely little color fringing, an artifact common on
Technicolor prints due to misalignment of the color layers. In a couple places the elements are apparently dupes
and thus not as sharp, but any such caveats run the risk of making the transfer sound less stellar than it actually
is. Extras include: a conversation with critics Molly Haksell and Andrew Sarris; a Bill Moyers interview with
screenwriter Samson
Raphaelson; an audio-only
seminar with Raphaelson
conducted by Richard Corliss
in 1977, recordings of
Lubitsch at the piano, and the
theatrical trailer. For Eric
Benchley fans, the trailer
includes clever voiceover
commentary by him.

Notes From The

Archives
The working title of this film
was Birthday. An English
translation of Lazlo Bus-
Feketes' play, also entitled
Birthday, opened in New York
on December 26, 1934.
According to a May 20, 1942
Los Angeles Examiner news
item, Ginger Rogers was
considered for the leading
female role, and on November
25, 1942, Hollywood Reporter
noted that producer/director
Ernst Lubitsch was in talks
with Joseph Cotten to play the
role of "Henry Van Cleve."
According to a modern
source, Lubitsch and Samson
Raphaelson wrote the part for
either Fredric March or Rex
Harrison, but studio
production chief Darryl F.
Zanuck asked Lubitsch to test
Don Ameche. Studio publicity
releases announced in early
1943 that Reginald Gardiner
was originally set for the part
of "Albert Van Cleve," and
Frank Orth was to play "a
loquacious taxi driver."
Contemporary sources reveal
that Simone Simon was cast
in the part of "Mademoiselle,"
but, according to a February
4, 1943 Hollywood Reporter
news item, Simon left the picture after her demands to have her part expanded and her name billed higher in the
cast list were not met. Signe Hasso was borrowed from M-G-M to replace Simon, and actress Spring Byington
was also borrowed from M-G-M for the production. Although studio publicity lists include Robert Michael
Chambers in the role of "Henry Van Cleve" as an infant, and a Hollywood Reporter news item includes Gretl
Dupont in the cast, their appearance in the completed picture has not been confirmed.
According to a June 25, 1943 Hollywood Reporter news item, Twentieth Century-Fox president Spyros Skouras
believed that the picture was "one of the most important films ever to be released by the organization." Heaven
Can Wait, which was Lubitsch's first production for Twentieth Century-Fox and his first film in Technicolor,
received Academy Award
nominations for Best Picture,
Best Cinematography (Color)
and Best Direction. In 1946,
Don Ameche noted in The
Saturday Evening Post's "The
Role I Liked Best" column that
the role of "Henry Van Cleve"
was his favorite to date
because, "in both the time
and the emotional sense," it
had "greater scope than any
other picture I have played
in." On October 10, 1943,
Ameche and Maureen O'Hara
starred in a Lux Radio
Theatre broadcast of Heaven
Can Wait. Modern sources
include Claire James,
Roseanne Murray, Marion
Rosamond, Adele Jergens
and Ruth Brady in the cast as
Ziegfeld girls.
 Credits
Heaven Can Wait - 1943 - Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.

Producer: William Goetz

Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Writer: Samson Raphaelson

Cast:
Gene Tierney ... Martha
Don Ameche ... Henry Van Cleve
Charles Coburn ... Hugo Van Cleve
Marjorie Main ... Mrs. Strable
Laird Cregar ... His Excellency
Spring Byington ... Bertha Van Cleve
Allyn Joslyn ... Albert Van Cleve
Eugene Pallette ... E.F. Strable
Signe Hasso ... Mademoiselle
Louis Calhern ... Randolph Van Cleve
Helene Reynolds ... Peggy Nash
Aubrey Mather ... James
Tod Andrews ... Jack Van Cleve (as Michael Ames)

Cinematography: Edward Cronjager

Visual Effects: Fred Sersen
Editing: Dorothy Spencer
Music: Alfred Newman
Art Direction: James Basevi, Leland Fuller
Sound: Eugene Grossman, Roger Heman

Production Dates: February 1st April 10th, 1943

Premiere Information: New York August 11th, 1943
Release Date: August 13th, 1943