OVERLOOKED FILM: DOWN TO EARTH (1947)

 Rita Hayworth plays the goddess Terpsichore in this kinda-sorta sequel to 1941's Here Comes Mr. Jordan, minus the Robert Montgomery character and switching Roland Culver for Claude Rains in the Mr. Jordan role.  Hanging on for the sequel, though, are Edward Everett Horton (as Messenger 7013) and James Gleason (as Max Corkle).

Terpsichore is miffed when she learns that, on Earth, Broadway producer Danny Miller (Larry Parks) is producing a musical comedy, Swinging with the Muses, in which the muses are portrayed as man-crazy tarts vying for the affections of two Air Force pilots who had crashed on Mount Parnassus.  How dare a mere mortal make fun of the Muses, and especially Terpsichore?  She gets permission from Mr. Jordan to go to Earth and set things right.  On Earth, she is to be Kitty Pendleton, and she soon gets Max Corkle as an agent and lands a role in Miller's musical.  Miller cannot help falling in love with Kitty Pendleton (she is a goddess, after all) and soon allows her to convince him to change the direction of the show from a musical farce to a high-minded ballet.  

Of course the play fails on the road and Terpsichore/Kitty has no idea why.  In the meantime, there are gangsters (are there always?) who are invested in the play's success and threaten Miller if he does not return to the original concept...

It's a cute movie, a bit overblown and not helped than many of the stars could not sing and had to have their voices dubbed.  Anita Ellis dubs Hayworth's singing voice, Hal Derwin dubs Larry Parks, and Kay Starr dubs Adele Jergens, who plays the New Terpsichore in the musical.  Third billing goes to Marc Platt as Eddie, Miller's sidekick.  Platt (1913-2014), whose birthday is today, was a ballet dancer, choreographer, and occasional actor -- he played one of the brothers in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and lived to the ripe old age of 100.  Also featured in the cast were George Macready (Gilda, The Big Clock, Detective Story) and William Frawley (I Love Lucy, My Three Sons, Miracle on 34th Street).

Directed by  Alexander Hall, who also directed Here Comes Mr. Jordan.  Scripted by Edwin Blum (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Canterville Ghost, Stalag 17), Don Hartman (Road to Zanzibar, My Favorite Blonde, The Princess and the Pirate), based on characters from the 1938 play It Was  Like That (also known as Heaven Can Wait) by Harry Segall (Monkey Business, Four Jills in a Jeep, Angel on My Shoulder), from which Here Comes Mr. Jordan was based (that film was scripted by Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller).  Here Comes Mr. Jordan was remade in 1978 with Warren Beatty.  The 2001 film Down to Earth with Chris Rock was actually based on Segall's 1938 play and not the 1947 film.  The 1943 film Heaven Can Wait has absolutely nothing to do with any of the above.  Are we clear now?  There will be a quiz after class.

A Hollywood goddess portrays a Greek goddess...what could be more appropriate?

Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5tYHHwTXPI