Heavenly Days

Moviecut—Heavenly Days

source: Heavenly Days

Heavenly Days

If'n you're a fan of Fibber McGee and Molly then you already have listened to at least some of their patriotic radio shows - this film is better than those. Fibber is not nearly as dumb &/or sleazy as he often was in those moralistic episodes. Molly is charming as always - she had a great voice and laugh. Wish more of their word-play had gotten into the film, there's never too much of that. And it does suffer from not having any of the other regular characters in the film - could have had at least some brief appearances by Alice Darling or Beulah (though Marlin Hurt couldn't have pulled THAT off) but at least Lillian showed up. If you want an idea of what the home-front was like during WW II this is a good start complete with America's favorite couple of the time.

Heavenly Days commits a serious comedy faux pas: it's desperate to teach us a civics lesson, and it won't stop until we've passed the final exam. Fibber McGee and Molly take a trip to Washington, where they see the senate in action (or inaction, if you prefer), have a spat with their Senator (Eugene Palette in one of the worst roles of his career), get acquainted with a gaggle of annoying stereotypical refugee children, and meet a man on a train reading a book by Henry Wallace. Henry Wallace!! A year later, he was considered a near communist dupe, but in 1944, he was A-OK. Add in some truly awful musical moments, a whole lot of flagwaving hooey, and a boring subplot about newspaper reporters, and you've got a film that must have had Philip Wylie ready to pen Generation of Vipers 2: D.C. Boogaloo. Drastically unfun, Heavenly Days is another reminder that the Devil has all the best tunes.

I watched this little comedy on the eve of the 2006 Congressional election. I got strange feelings as I realized how so many of the scenes were relevant then and were relevant as I watched it. Watch Molly (Marian Jordan) in close up with her eyes ready to shed tears as she sits on the train with World War II troops. A truly great acting moment, something about her expression that made me want to tear up as well as I thought about troops fighting for us now. It a little silly, a little funny, and extremely revealing for those who are trying to understand how civilian Americans coped with the reality all around them at the height of World War II. And isn't it always fun whenever Fibber McGee opens up that closet?

This film has been called 'corny' or 'campy' by some, but it calls us back to a time when patriotism was on the minds of most Americans. For many, the welfare of all the people took a front seat to one's personal needs.( See the train scene when the Jordans sacrifice their seats for war-bound GI's.) The tunes in the show will have you singing for days. For collectors of classic comedy, this is a must.

What's not to like about this movie? I got to see the McGees in the flesh, I betcha'. I got to see the inside of the famed overstuffed McGee closet. I got to hear McGee sing (and nicely, too) along with The King's Men. I got to see some touching tributes to the WWII efforts: rationing, keeping lips zipped, giving up seats for soldiers, tending Victory Gardens, caring for war refugees. I got to hear and see Molly doing her Teeny voice. There was even some neat special effects when Fibber talks to himself in the form of a Revolutionary War flutist. Yah, maybe it's a little corny and overly sentimental but mostly in charming ways. The signs of racial inequality are as present here as in practically any other movie from the 40's. The plot is flimsy and strains credulity at times, but not unbearably so. Despite its flaws, it's a must-see for any fan of the radio show--especially those who've only *heard* the McGees in action.