{"id":21148,"date":"2011-12-13T11:00:41","date_gmt":"2011-12-13T18:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21148"},"modified":"2021-08-30T10:21:18","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T17:21:18","slug":"here-comes-mr-jordan-1941","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21148","title":{"rendered":"Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I know I don&#8217;t look like Joe, but I&#8217;m him just the same!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr-Jordan-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr-Jordan-Poster-202x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-59579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr-Jordan-Poster-202x300.png 202w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr-Jordan-Poster-690x1024.png 690w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr-Jordan-Poster-86x128.png 86w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr-Jordan-Poster-182x270.png 182w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr-Jordan-Poster.png 737w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen his plane crashes, a boxer (Robert Montgomery) with fifty years left to live is prematurely brought to heaven by an overly zealous angel (Edward Everett Horton).  Because his earthly body has been cremated, Montgomery enlists the help of administrative angel &#8220;Mr. Jordan&#8221; (Claude Rains) in finding a new one to inhabit. Out of pity for a beautiful young woman (Evelyn Keyes) whose father has been falsely accused by a heartless millionaire named Farnsworth, he takes over Farnsworth&#8217;s body just after his wife (Rita Johnson) and her lover (John Emery) have tried to murder him. Soon Montgomery finds himself eager to get his new body into shape for a boxing match, and enlists the help of his befuddled former manager (James Gleason).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Angels<\/li>\n<li>Boxing<\/li>\n<li>Claude Rains Films<\/li>\n<li>Death and Dying<\/li>\n<li>Evelyn Keyes Films<\/li>\n<li>Fantasy<\/li>\n<li>Life After Death<\/li>\n<li>Millionaires<\/li>\n<li>Robert Montgomery Films<\/li>\n<li>Untimely Death<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nGiven that I&#8217;m not generally a fan of the <em>film blanc<\/em> genre (discussed at length <a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmblanc.info\/\">here<\/a>), I was surprised to find myself enjoying this Oscar-winning supernatural tale &#8212; remade by Warren Beatty in 1978 as <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2230\"><em>Heaven Can Wait<\/em><\/a> &#8212; as much as I did. Peary argues that &#8220;while there are some delightful moments&#8221; in the script, it&#8217;s ultimately &#8220;schmaltzy and morbid and never hilarious&#8221;. He uncharacteristically gives away major spoilers when describing why he feels the film&#8217;s ending essentially cheats viewers on an emotional level (I won&#8217;t say more), and argues that Beatty&#8217;s remake &#8220;was ruined by the same unsatisfying resolution&#8221;. I don&#8217;t agree. In this case, I&#8217;m more in line with DVD Savant&#8217;s sentiment that <em>Here Comes Mr. Jordan<\/em> remains a &#8220;rare Hollywood classic that hasn&#8217;t dated and never fails to raise one&#8217;s spirits.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>In his review, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2218jord.html\">Savant aptly describes<\/a> the film&#8217;s &#8220;optimistic and uplifting message&#8221; as follows: &#8220;the human soul is a wondrous thing that lives after us, even if it takes new forms and new identities&#8221;, and &#8220;our essential goodness will be passed on to those that follow&#8221;, given that &#8220;love doesn&#8217;t die with one&#8217;s mortal body&#8221;. Even for hard-headed cynics like myself, this message is simply too appealing not to want to believe &#8212; and thus, I gave myself over to the story. To that end, I appreciated the care taken to resolve the undeniably tricky dilemma of Montgomery&#8217;s character supposedly inhabiting new bodies while WE still see Montgomery himself; appropriately enough, other players in the &#8220;outstanding supporting cast&#8221; are given ample time to adjust to the astonishing truth of Montgomery&#8217;s bodily inhabitance &#8212; most notably James Gleason as a cynical manager who takes some convincing that his former boxing champion now resides in a wealthy financier&#8217;s body. <\/p>\n<p>Peary accurately notes that Montgomery is &#8220;perfect as [boxer Joe] Pendleton&#8221;, but I can&#8217;t quite agree with his assertion that &#8220;Rains&#8217;s role should have been stronger&#8221;. I was actually quite impressed by how seamlessly the screenplay incorporates his presence in a story that really should be all about Pendleton. Yet I wasn&#8217;t especially enthused by Rains&#8217;s performance here. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-and-Rains.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-and-Rains-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-59581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-and-Rains-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-and-Rains-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-and-Rains-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-and-Rains-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-and-Rains-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-and-Rains-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-and-Rains.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s certainly competent, and projects just the right amount of avuncular wisdom, but &#8212; perhaps strategically? &#8212; he&#8217;s simply not very charismatic. Meanwhile, Evelyn Keyes (probably best known for playing &#8220;Suellen&#8221; in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=41976\"><em>Gone With the Wind<\/em><\/a>) gives a delightful performance in a minor yet essential role as the woman who inspires Montgomery to give Farnsworth&#8217;s body a try; it&#8217;s a joy to watch her slowly learning to trust, and then love, the man who once caused her indescribable grief. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Robert Montgomery as Joe Pendleton (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-21152\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Young.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>James Gleason as Mr. Corkle<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Gleason.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Gleason-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-21153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Gleason-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Gleason-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Gleason-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Gleason.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Evelyn Keyes as Bette<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Keyes.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Keyes-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-21154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Keyes-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Keyes-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Keyes-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Here-Comes-Mr.-Jordan-Keyes.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller&#8217;s fine, Oscar-winning, feel-good script\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a feel-good classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0033712\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.nytimes.com\/movie\/review?res=9F02EED71530EF3ABC4053DFBE66838A659EDE\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2218jord.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/28067\/here-comes-mr-jordan#articles-reviews?articleId=60070\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/moria.co.nz\/fantasy\/herecomesmrjordan.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/here-comes-mr-jordan\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I know I don&#8217;t look like Joe, but I&#8217;m him just the same!&#8221; Synopsis: When his plane crashes, a boxer (Robert Montgomery) with fifty years left to live is prematurely brought to heaven by an overly zealous angel (Edward Everett Horton). Because his earthly body has been cremated, Montgomery enlists the help of administrative angel &#8220;Mr. Jordan&#8221; (Claude Rains) in finding a new one to inhabit. Out of pity for a beautiful young woman (Evelyn Keyes) whose father has been&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21148\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21148"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75591,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21148\/revisions\/75591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}