[5]

Claude Rains is gold in all his scenes as the god-like Mr. Jordan, but I find the movie’s playfully fatalistic view of love and self-purpose too saccharine to swallow. Robert Montgomery is also good as the deceased boxer who, due to heavenly oversight, gets the opportunity to rejoin the living by possessing the bodies of freshly dead strangers. The film was nominated for several Academy Awards, including best picture and best actor for Montgomery, and won the Oscar for best screenplay. There have been two remakes: Heaven Can Wait with Warren Beatty and Down to Earth with Chris Rock.

Academy Awards: Best Story, Best Screenplay

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor (Robert Montgomery), Best Supporting Actor (James Gleason)