This is another classic and little-seen comedy but one that has been re-made several many times with varying degrees of success. It is perhaps best known under its original title of "Heaven Can Wait", the 1978 version starring Warren Beatty which I, unlike some critics, find a worthy nod to the original film. In this one our hero is a prizefighter, played by the debonair Robert Montgomery, who a bumbling heavenly messenger, the inimitable Edward Everett Horton, has taken before his time. Together with his mentor, the unflappable Claude Rains, they must find a new body for the next 50 years as Montgomery's own has been prematurely cremated. Is this beginning to sound familiar?
The film won Oscars for best original story and screenplay and was nominated in several other categories as well which is something that none of the re-makes can boast. However the one annoying bit that has always bugged me about this movie is the extremely phony Brooklynese accent that Montgomery uses in his role -- so out of keeping with his screen persona. Finally I must mention James Gleason, another recognizeable face from films of this period, who plays Montgomery's fight manager with great aplomb and hysteria mixed.
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