Angel on My Shoulder [Blu-ray]

Director: Archie Mayo Archie Mayo

Overview

In this comedy, Paul Muni plays a recently murdered gangster who finds himself roasting in Hell. Muni can't believe that he's in for All Eternity and keeps trying to "bust out," which brings him to the attention of the Head Man (Claude Rains), who calls himself Nick. Nick strikes a bargain with Muni: There's a troublesome honest judge on Earth who's been shipping too many souls to Hell; if Muni will take over the judge's body and begin performing bad deeds, Nick will set him free. Muni readily agrees, eager to settle the score with the ex-partner (Hardie Albright) who bumped him off. Once he "becomes" the judge, however, Muni discovers that he is utterly incapable of performing any misdeeds--and when he falls in love with the judge's fiancee (Anne Baxter), Muni becomes determined to wriggle out of his agreement. Angel on My Shoulder is based on a story by Harry Segall, whose previous play Heaven Can Wait was filmed as Here Comes Mr. Jordan, also with Claude Rains.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/05/2021
UPC:	0089859907821
Original Release:	1946
Source:	Vci Entertainment
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00
Sales rank:	26,696

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Paul Muni	Eddie Kagle/Judge Frederick Parker
Claude Rains	Nick
Anne Baxter	Barbara Foster
Onslow Stevens	Dr. Matt Higgins
George Cleveland	Albert
Hardie Albright	Smiley Williams
James Flavin	Bellamy
Erskine Sanford	Minister
Marion Martin	Mrs. Bentley
Jonathan Hale	Chairman
Murray Alper	Jim
Joan Blair	Brazen Girl
Fritz Leiber	Scientist
Kurt Katch	Warden
Sarah Padden	Agatha
Addison Richards	Big Harry
Ben Welden	Shaggsy
George Meeker	Mr. Bentley
Lee Shumway	Bailiff
Russ Whiteman	Intern
Jimmie Dundee	Gangster
Mike Lally	Gangster
Saul Gorss	Gangster,Actor
Duke Taylor	Gangster
Edward Keane	Prison Yard Captain
Chester Clute	Kramer
Ed Agresti	Attorney
Sam Ash	Actor
John Barton	Actor
Chet Brandenburg	Actor
James Carlisle	Actor
Maurice Cass	Lucius
James Dime	Actor
Joel Friedkin	Malvola (uncredited)
Joe Gilbert	Actor
Robert Haines	Actor
Noble Johnson	Trustee in Hell
Archie Twitchell	Police sergeant (uncredited)
Dimitri Tiomkin	Composer

Technical Credits

Harry Segall

Roland Kibbee

Archie Mayo	Director
Harry Segall	Screenwriter
Roland Kibbee	Screenwriter
David W. Siegel	Producer
Howard Anderson	Special Effects,Special Effects
Harry Redmond	Special Effects
Charles R. Rogers	Producer
Frank Webster	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Joseph I. Kane	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

The flip side of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Angel on My Shoulder is an amusing and engaging fantasy comedy that suffers a bit from its structural similarities to the earlier "repossessed body" picture. The gimmick in Angel, of course, is that it is the Devil that is offering a soul a second chance at life, and for nefarious reasons; but the basic throughline is much the same as in the Jordan. Still, Angel has its own style of humor, with its fish-out-of-water premise given a few nice twists, and the screenplay in general bubbling along with snappy dialogue and nifty little turns. Angel works, however, because of it gives its two male leads the chance to shine. Paul Muni over-the-top performance is a load of fun, made the more so when one realizes that it's over the top in a remarkably controlled way. This fine actor knows that there are ways to underplay one's overplaying, and he demonstrates this time and again throughout. As the Devil, Claude Rains makes "sinister" seem like a heavenly compliment. He rages, he thrashes, he insinuates, he cajoles, and it's all as appealing as one might wish. Add in Anne Baxter, doing quite well with a "reactive' part, and some swiftly paced direction by Archie Mayo and the result is a spiffy way to pass some time.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler