Heaven Can Wait is a 1943 comedy film made by 20th Century Fox, produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch. The screenplay was by Samson Raphaelson based on the play Birthday by Leslie Bush-Fekete. The music score was by Alfred Newman and the cinematography by Edward Cronjager.
The film tells the story of a man who has to prove he belongs in Hell by telling his life story. It stars Gene Tierney and Don Ameche. The supporting cast includes Charles Coburn, Marjorie Main, Laird Cregar, Spring Byington, Allyn Joslyn, Eugene Pallette, Signe Hasso and Louis Calhern.
It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Color, Best Director and Best Picture.
An unrelated 1978 film, also called Heaven Can Wait, is a remake of an entirely different film, the 1941 Here Comes Mr. Jordan which was based on a 1938 stage play originally titled Heaven Can Wait, hence the confusion.
Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 comedy film directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry. The screenplay was adapted by Elaine May, Warren Beatty and Robert Towne (uncredited) from the original stage play Heaven Can Wait by Harry Segall. The original music score was composed by Dave Grusin.
This movie should not be confused with the 1943 movie also called Heaven Can Wait. This movie is a remake of the 1941 film Here Comes Mr. Jordan. The film was subsequently remade in 2001 as Down to Earth.
Henry Van Cleve presents himself at the gates of Hell only to find he is closely vetted on his qualifications for entry. Surprised there is any question on his suitability, he recounts his lively life and the women he has known from his mother onwards, but mainly concentrating on his happy but sometimes difficult twenty-five years of marriage to Martha. Written by Jeremy Perkins
Joe Pendleton is a quarterback preparing to lead his team to the superbowl when he is almost killed in an accident. An overanxious angel plucks him to heaven only to discover that he wasn't ready to die, and that his body has been cremated. A new body must be found, and that of a recently murdered millionaire is chosen. His wife and accountant, the murderers, are confused by this development, as he buys the L.A. Rams in order to once again quarterback them into the Superbowl. Written by John Vogel
