- Overview
The body of a young actress is brought to her home town by the man who loved her. He knows that she wanted all the church bells to ring for three days after she was buried, but is told that this will cost a lot of money. The checks that he writes to the various churches all bounce, but it is the weekend and, in desperation, he prays that a miracle will happen before the banks reopen. It does, but not in the way he hoped.
- Release Date
27 March 1948
- DirectingIrving Pichel
- Budget
$2,000,000.00
- Revenue
$2,100,000.00
- Stars
Videos
User Reviews
See moreCinemaSerf
09 July 2022
This is actually quite an uplifting tale of an actress (Alida Valli) who wants to be buried back in her home town. Snag is, her one and only film is considered a bit of a stinker by the producer (Lee J. Cobb) and so when she dies the day after it's completion, a well-meaning Hollywood press man (Fred MacMurray) has to resort to creating a bit of a public interest storm to facilitate her last wish. To that end, he manages to convince local priest (Frank Sinatra) to let the body lie in his church and for the bells to ring for three days... It's told cleverly, partially using flashback, in a gently paced manner that does demonstrate some of the finer aspects of humanity countered by some of the less kind ones. Unfortunately, it does tend to over-correlate the better aspects of the story with the church a bit too much; not exactly a religious white-wash, but certainly a little naively simplistic when it comes to the characteristics of the benign journalist against the evil, malevolent producer. On the face of it, it is quite a fun film with a good performance from MacMurray and a slightly implausibly saintly Sinatra; but just a touch too sugary for me...
More Like This
The Good German
An American journalist arrives in Berlin just after the end of World War Two. He becomes involved in a murder mystery surrounding a dead GI who...
See more
The Blue Angel
Prim professor Immanuel Rath finds some of his students ogling racy photos of cabaret performer Lola Lola and visits a local club, The Blue Angel...
See more
Blackmail
London, 1929. Frank Webber, a very busy Scotland Yard detective, seems to be more interested in his work than in Alice White, his girlfriend...
See more
Sunset Boulevard
A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
See more
Roman Holiday
Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her...
See more
M
In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt...
See more
On the Waterfront
Terry Malloy is a kindhearted dockworker, and former boxer, who is tricked by his corrupt bosses into leading his friend to death. After falling in...
See more
Pickpocket
Michel takes up pickpocketing on a lark and is arrested soon after. His mother dies shortly after his release, and despite the objections of his...
See more
Manhattan
Manhattan explores how the life of a middle-aged television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best...
See more
A Streetcar Named Desire
A fading southern belle moves in with her sister in New Orleans where her ferocious brother-in-law takes stabs at her sanity.
See more
All About Eve
From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo...
See more
Murder She Said
Miss Marple believes she's seen a murder in a passing-by train, yet when the police find no evidence she decides to investigate it on her own.
See more
Murder at the Gallop
Miss Marple and Mr. Stringer are witnesses to the death by heart attack of elderly, rich Mr. Enderby. Yet they have their doubts about what...
See more
Murder Most Foul
A murderer is brought to court and only Miss Marple is unconvinced of his innocence. Once again she begins her own investigation.
See more
Murder Ahoy
During an annual board of trustees meeting, one of the trustees dies. Miss Marple thinks he’s been poisoned after finding a chemical on him. She...
See more
Shanghai Express
A beautiful temptress re-kindles an old romance while trying to escape her past during a tension-packed train journey.
See more
Scarface
In 1920s Chicago, Italian immigrant and notorious thug, Antonio 'Tony' Camonte, aka Scarface, shoots his way to the top of the mobs while trying to...
See more
The Best Years of Our Lives
It's the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has...
See more
Broken Blossoms
The love story of an abused English girl and a Chinese Buddhist in a time when London was a brutal and harsh place to live.
See more
City Lights
A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind flower girl. His on-and-off friendship with a wealthy man allows him to be the girl's benefactor and...
See more