Review for Here Comes Mr. Jordan

‘Here Comes Mr. Jordan’ (1941) was a huge success when released, even scooping a bunch of Oscars, and it was probably partially down to its unique originality, now lost in the mists of time. It seems a perfectly good and entertaining film today, but after years of similar plots being played out ad-nauseam, it’s tough to see it in that light.

Based on a play called ‘Heaven Can Wait’, its optimistic and humorous plot, where the hero finds he is actually dead and yet can re-occupy recently deceased bodies, was quickly aped by other films including a sequel (‘Down to Earth’, released six years later) as well a couple of out and out remakes (‘Heaven Can Wait’ in 1978 and ‘Down to Earth’ in 2001) as well as dozens of ‘funny angel’ films throughout the 40’s and 50’s, and countless TV episodes including ‘The Twilight Zone’ which played out at least half a dozen.

So when it comes to rewinding to the source, it’s quite something that it holds up at all. Joe Pendleton (played by the handsome Robert Montgomery, though it was originally slated for Cary Grant) is a boxer known to friends and fans as ‘the flying pug’, who just happens to have a notable penchant for playing a saxophone, usually out of tune, as well as flying his own planes. Whilst flying to another match, he loses control of the plane which plummets nose-cone first into the ground.

Next thing he knows, he’s being walked around a misty runway by a man who tells him he has died. Naturally Joe protests, and, technically he’s right. The over-keen new angel spirited him away a micro-second before the collision to avoid any unnecessary pain. Due to the irregularity, the gaffer, one ‘Mr. Jordan’ decides that Joe can return to earth, but only if he is happy to occupy another recently deceased man’s body.

Mr. Jordan, who can be seen by no one by Joe, takes him down to a house where a wealthy but crooked business-man has just been murdered by his wife and business colleague. But when they arrive, Joe overhears a sob story from a beautiful young girl, Bette Logan (Evelyn Keyes), who has come to the house to beg the murdered man to let her father return the useless bonds he has conned him into buying to avoid a prison sentence. Joe decides to help and occupies the body of the crooked business man with hilarious consequences – not least when he steps back downstairs to greet his wife and her lover who had only just finished him off.


Joe then proceeds to put right all the moral wrongs of the businessman by going against all the advice of his advisors and giving back all the money he has procured dishonestly. The truth is he’s fallen in love with Bette and she is starting to have feelings for him too.

However, there’s also his boxing career to think about. How can he just stand-by and listen to a crooked match which he should rightfully have won? So he sends for his old trainer who doesn’t believe it’s Joe to start with – before eventually leaving the businessman’s body to get inside a boxer’s body who has been stabbed for refusing to take a fall, whilst still in the ring. Just before that he said his goodbyes to Bette, though suggested that if she should ever meet a boxer to ‘look deeply into his eyes’. Well, I won’t spoil the ending, suffice to say it all works out just fine!

Whilst Montgomery is excellent (actually Elizabeth Montgomery’s, from Bewitched, father and you can see the resemblance), Claude Rains is excellent as the under-played Mr. Jordan of the film’s title. Most the comedy is derived from his coach, Max (James Gleason) who does a great, if somewhat typical turn as a non-believer who suddenly gets it.




The 1.33:1 OAR ratio print and 2K transfer are, as you’d expect with a Criterion release, really top notch. There is plenty of detail in the wonderfully rich, high-contrast monochrome picture which is a pleasure to watch.

There are some good contextual features too.

· A new conversation between critic Michael Sragow and filmmaker/distributor Michael Schlesinger which is great fun as the two both share great affection for the film, as well as a massive amount of knowledge of the film industry of the period.

· A really fun Audio interview from 1991 with Elizabeth Montgomery discussing her father, actor Robert Montgomery, as well as life in Hollywood as a child and her experiences in Bewitched. Despite protesting that she has a cold (clearly audible), she remains a sparkling and entertaining interviewee.

· A Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of Here Comes Mr. Jordan from 1942 starring Cary Grant, Claude Rains, Evelyn Keyes, and James Gleason – so pretty much the same cast but with the lead played by the person for which it was originally intended. A nice added feature.

Finally, you get a trailer and printed essay in a leaflet insert by critic Farran Smith Nehme.

In short, this is an exceptionally good version of a classic film which, if it sounds like your bag, probably will be.