Down to Earth (1947) User Reviews

Two tragic stars in a delightful fantasy

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 1 September 2005]

There were many beautiful women during Hollywood's golden years, but only a small percentage would qualify as goddesses. Rita Hayworth was definitely one of that elite group, possibly never more stunningly beautiful as she appeared in "Down To Earth." As Terpsichore, goddess of music and dance, she comes to earth to star -- and correct -- a Broadway show about Terpsichore. Several characters from "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" appear, with Roland Culver taking the Claude Rains' role of Mr. Jordan. Larry Parks plays the producer-director-star, Danny Miller, who has to pay off a gambling debt with this show or die.

Though the music isn't that memorable, the story is charming, and the film contains a lovely performance and great dancing by Hayworth (whose voice is dubbed by Anita Ellis), and she's given excellent support by James Gleason, Culver, and Edward Everett Horton.

Larry Parks, fresh from his star-making role in "The Jolson Story" does a good job but one wonders, had he not been blacklisted, what would have happened to his career. He wasn't a particularly strong leading man. But we'll never know, because a few years later, he was finished.

As for Hayworth, it's a shame that someone so incredibly beautiful and vivacious, who brought so much happiness through her work, could have had such a miserable life - abuse by her father, a string of bad marriages, and finally Alzheimer's. It was her Alzheimer's that helped to bring the disease to national attention. Princess Yasmin Khan, Hayworth's daughter, has become an internationally known spokeswoman and active fund-raiser to increase awareness and finance research to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Besides her glorious presence, Rita had one more gift for the world.

As The Gods Would Have It

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 17 July 2008]

It would seem only natural that the greatest of screen goddesses would be cast as one of the residents of Olympus, but Rita Hayworth more than fills the part. Something tells me that if she and Terpsichore were talking now, Terpsichore would be real happy with Rita.

I don't think she would be all that happy with the film as a whole, but the Greek Deities are a hard subject for the theater. Rodgers&Hart did well by them in By Jupiter, their last original collaboration. But Cole Porter had a misfire with them in Out Of This World. And the team of Doris Fisher and Allan Roberts aren't quite of the caliber of Porter and Rodgers&Hart. No great songs come out of the score here and that certainly would have helped the film a lot.

In Down To Earth, Terpsichore does just that when up in her celestial viewing spot she sees that performer/producer Larry Parks planning a musical comedy that is a satire of the Greek Gods. She's not happy that liberties are being taken with her relations so she comes down and of course gets the dancing lead and the leading man, sort of.

Rita Hayworth was dubbed by Anita Ellis who did her songs in a few of her Forties films. But why people were expecting the voice of Larry Parks in his one duet with Hayworth to be Al Jolson's, those Greek Gods only know. Parks was dubbed by a singer named Hal Derwin and I took a look at Mr. Derwin's credits and he dubbed at various times, Lee Bowman, Gene Nelson, and Bob Cummings in various films. It wasn't Jolson by why would anyone expect that.

Helping out in Down to Earth are three roles from Here Comes Mr. Jordan, one of Columbia's earlier comedy/fantasy hits. Stepping in for Claude Rains as the all knowing Mr. Jordan is Roland Culver. And repeating their roles from Here Comes Mr. Jordan are Edward Everett Horton as the snippy heavenly messenger and James Gleason as the good hearted, but slightly confused Max Corkle who has quit managing fighters and is now an actor's agent. I suppose the job calls for the same skills.

But this film is really Rita Hayworth's show. She's at the height of her screen fame when this was made and one look at her by young fans who might not have been alive when she was will tell you why that woman was the greatest screen sex symbol ever.

So in overcoming a mediocre musical score Rita makes this film as personally her own as Gilda in the previous year. Not as good as Gilda, but all Rita.

Leave the musicals to MGM

[Mike-764 · 7/10 · 20 August 2004]

Danny Miller is producing a musical on Broadway, Swinging the Muses, about two war pilots who end up in the days of Greek mythology romanced by a man hungry Terpsichore, the Greek Goddess of song and dance. This portrayal upsets the real Terpsichore who decides to go down to earth and make the musical accurate. Enter once again Mr. Jordan and messenger 7013, to help her come to the land of mortals and into the play, where she gets the lead role easily (using the name of Kitty Pendleton). Terpsichore/Kitty and Danny have constant arguments over the way the musical is being presented, but Danny becomes so infatuated with Kitty that the musical, in a preview, is presented accurately, which when produced becomes an artistic and symphonic production, but bores the audience to sleep or an early exit. When Danny decides to do the musical the way it was intended to be, Kitty storms off the set and asks Mr. Jordan to return to heaven, but Mr. Jordan informs Kitty that Danny needs this play to succeed, since its being backed by a racketeer, Manion, who Danny owes $20,000 to in gambling losses, and if the show flops, Danny will be "rubbed out". Kitty then decides to return and make the show a success, even though she realizes she will have to return to heaven and lose Danny. The movie is good, but really lacks much of the charm of its predecessor, Here Comes Mr. Jordan. The film is a star vehicle for Hayworth, but she is very enchanting in the role. Parks wasn't romantic leading material, but has the talent to get by (still has his singing voice lip-synced). Culver's Mr. Jordan is less charming and a more serious version than Claude Rains' version, but his performance is still admirable. Horton and Gleason are the only ones reprising their roles from the original. The film's setback is that the musical numbers aren't that good and seem to last forever (the last one from the film is OK, but the two versions of the ancient Greek setting musical drag on for an eternity). Still a good film, but you may be lost or disinterested if you didn't watch Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Rating, 7.

Luscious Rita is the selling point of routine musical...

[Doylenf · 22 May 2001]

Rita Hayworth shows why she was dubbed "The Love Goddess" in this technicolored musical fantasy incorporating some of the supporting players of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" to flesh out its plot about Terpsichore returning to earth to help producer (Larry Parks) put on a correct version of his mythological musical. Unfortunately, the script doesn't provide Larry Parks with a role up to his Jolson impersonations and the chemistry between them isn't quite enough to make this more than a routine musical.

Rita is perfectly cast as a goddess and is at her most ravishing. She has several good dance routines which she performs with her customary grace and skill. Larry Parks, then riding the crest of his popularity after "The Jolson Story", does a workmanlike job in a lackluster role. But she steals as the spotlight as the Greek muse of the theater, unhappy about the way the nine Muses are being portrayed. Along with an angel (Edward Everett Horton), she is allowed to go down to earth in an attempt to give the show some class. It's a pleasant enough fantasy and gives Rita the chance to do some fancy footwork in dance routines staged by Jack Cole. The good cast includes Roland Culver, James Gleason and Marc Platt.

For more about Rita, watch for my upcoming career article slated for publication in FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE sometime soon.

Terpsichore and the Muses

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 2 August 2005]

Alexander Hall, the director of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan", tried to give his old movie a new look by changing it into a musical. It must have sounded like a good idea at the times. The only problem was that this is not as charming as the model in which "Down to Earth" is based on. While the model picture seemed light and inspired, this one doesn't fare as well.

In theory, Larry Parks and Rita Hayworth, would have been a match made in heaven. Both were at the top of their fame. Larry Parks was a good actor who could act and sing as well and Rita Hayworth was a joy to watch, no matter in what vehicle. Somehow, the sparks both actors should have given their fans don't materialize, perhaps because of the way it unfolds on the screen.

There are some unexpected pleasures in the film, although not the unremarkable music. On the other hand, Rita Hayworth is quite good as the Muse who decides to take matters on her own and comes back to show Danny Miller how to stage his musical for the theater. Ms. Hayworth is at her most ravishing self dressed by Jean Louis and looking like the goddess she was! Larry Parks tries to be the suave musical theater man that falls in love with his Terpsichore.

The supporting cast is excellent. James Gleason, who played in the original film, here is seen as a theatrical agent. Roland Culver is the Mr. Jordan, who arranges the trip down to earth. The incomparable Edward Everett Horton is seen as the guardian angel, or Messenger 7013, who is made to follow Terpsichore/Kitty provoking some funny situations. William Frawley plays a small part.

This is a film to watch to see the gorgeous Rita Hayworth as the top of her profession.

Rita will stay young forever!

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 24 December 2009]

This highly enjoyable sequel to "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" (and according to Hollywood legend, the inspiration for "Xanadou") is a colorful musical that gave Rita a chance to escape from the "Gilda" image created the year before. The seemingly haughty goddess Terpsicore goes "down to earth" with "oh-dear" angel Edward Everett Horton at head angel Roland Culver's request to supposedly stop a show about the muses of Mount Ponassus from being ridiculed in the public's eye. There, she takes on the leading role of the show (replacing disgruntled leading lady Adele Jergens) and gives producer Larry Parks a very hard time. When she finds human emotions and falls in love with him, realizing that he has laid his life on the line for this project, she decides to follow his rules and the show goes on. But after opening night, she has to honor her promise to the angels, which finds her emotionally distressed as she goes from being a Broadway diva to an unable to cry muse once again.

When Rita Hayworth smiles, men are transfixed by her beauty. Her long ravishing red hair, photographed to the max here, adds to her beauty. She can sing, dance, act, even charm the socks off the director in spite of being out to sabotage him. She wants to make the show "respectable" at first, but allows her emotions to take over her actions later on. Rita was Columbia's jewel in the crown by this time, and no expense was spared to make her a film goddess to rival the Greek one she portrays. Along for the ride are two hold-overs from "Here Comes Mr. Jordan"-EE Horton and agent Max (James Gleason). Mr. Gleason's character is more of a comical buffoon here than he was in the original film, walking through a moving set door at one point and becoming very befuddled by still being inside the theater. Roland Culver replaces Claude Rains as Mr. Jordan, and is acceptable, but no one can truly replace Mr. Rains in talent and on-screen magnetism.

Larry Parks ("The Jolson Story") is fine as the love interest, not sounding at all like Al Jolson here when he sings. Marc Platt, already a well-respected Broadway hoofer, does a fine job in the dance sequences, but in his conflict backstage with Hayworth, there is never any doubt who would come out the victor if Hayworth hadn't agreed to change her plans. He comes off more as an annoying sidekick to Parks due to his stiff acting. As for the musical numbers, the lyrics aren't always the greatest, even though the bad lyrics of the opening song, "For instance take a chick like me, they call me Terpsiquore", are meant to be parody. The bigamy song is probably the worst number, but "People Have More Fun" (set in New York's Gramercy Park) is fun, and "Let's Stay Young Forever" is very pretty. Look for William Frawley of "I Love Lucy" as the investigator questioning Gleason. While not as good as the two other big color musicals that year ("Mother Wore Tights" and "Good News"), it isn't as bad as critics wrote. I've seen it over 10 times in the past 30 years and enjoy it more than a lot of movies I saw as a child, then re-visited several times as an adult.

PS-Anybody know where I can get a copy of the song they mention, "Who hit Nellie in the belly with a flounder?"

The premise for "Xanadu" is a cute movie but a bad musical.

[mike48128 · 7/10 · 8 May 2012]

I rate this movie a "7" only because Rita Hayworth is gorgeous in every scene; period. Every song in this musical is instantly forgettable, but Rita shines in every number. Her co-star is Larry Parks from "The Jolson Story" movie. A musical sequel to "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" shot in Technicolor! James Gleason and Edward Everett Horton reprise their roles but "Mr.Jordan" is played by someone else in a great silver wig! In most musicals, the storyline is dumb and the songs are great; reverse that here. Kind of a curio, as this exact-same "Muse comes down to Earth" premise was used in "Xanadu". (Olivia-Newton-John plays the same Muse with her name changed so people can pronounce it.) Cute movie. Bad musical.

I just wish the music was better...

[scooteratw · 6/10 · 18 January 2015]

Fine performances from Rita and all the other leads, but oh wow, is the music bad! I love musicals, but watching sequences like the closing number from the show "People Have More Fun Than Anyone" is actually painful. I was struck by how unmoved I was by any of the melodies--and the lyrics are easily forgotten or remarkable only in how awkward they are when sung.

One thing I often notice when watching studio musicals that are set on Broadway is how absurd the sense of scale is when they show performances on a stage. I can grant exceptions for how they completely throw out the idea of people entering from theatrical wings, but the stage is bigger than ENORMOUS, and the sense of perspective is completely ridiculous--. I know, it's a film and I should suspend disbelief, but it makes me chuckle when they start shooting numbers from 6 different angles and there's no visible audience or sides to the stage. And then, magically, there are horses on the stage--for no reason.

Fun costumes, and some fine performances, but there's a good reason why this film isn't remembered--all of the elements just don't add up.

Until I saw this film, I had no idea that they made a sequel to "Here Comes Mr. Jordan".

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 24 September 2010]

Wow, Columbia Pictures really shocked me with how this film began. Believe it or not, it is a sequel, of sorts, to "Here Comes Mr. Jordan". While the main character (Robert Montgomery) is not in the film, many of the other characters are--such as his friend and agent (James Gleason) and the angel (Edward Everett Horton). However, this time they are not dealing with an accidental death and how to rectify it but with the angry Terpsichore (Rita Hayworth). Apparently, this Muse got wind of a Broadway musical down on Earth in which she and the other gods are portrayed incorrectly! She asks Mr. Jordan is she can have permission to go to New York and fix this problem. Jordan agrees and sends his befuddled angel (Horton) along as her assistant and to be sure she doesn't break any rules in fixing the play.

While the producer does immediately fall under Terpsichore's spell and lets her re-write the play as well as star in it, there is a serious problem. The final product is just awful--sort of like a Wagnerian opera and Busby Berkeley hybrid that dumbfounded the audience--and effectively killed the show. While it was SUPPOSED to be bad, I can't see why the Columbia folks also insisted on showing so much of this bad play that was supposed to be bad! In other words, why torment the audience when they can just show tiny snippets and let us know the audience hated it--instead of making the movie audience wonder why the heck they went to see this when there was a perfectly good Clark Gable film playing down the street!! Too, too much...that's for sure! Well, despite the problems, this is only about midway through the film--so it's obvious that something will happen next. What this is and how the whole production is salvaged (if it is) is for you to see for yourself. However, it's not one of the better musicals of the era and is no where nearly as good as "Here Comes Mr. Jordan"--so you'll have to decide if it's worth it!

Oddly, practically everyone in this movie cannot sing--a serious problem as it's a musical!! Many of the characters were dubbed and while Rita Hayworth was gorgeous, it was silly to pick a lead who could sing (though she was a fantastic dancer). I think the reason she was used is because she was the studio chief's (Roy Cohn) pet actress--and he featured her in practically all of the studio's A-pictures during this era. I guess, in an odd way, I can understand this--but why use Larry Parks and a couple others who also couldn't sing?!

Aside from its very dubious views on the afterlife and theology, this is an enjoyable bit of fluff and no more--and certainly not a must-see. However, the main story idea was never good enough to have encouraged some idiots to remake it decades later as the god-awful "Xanadu". Aside from some good music, "Xanadu" should rank as one of the dumbest major studio films of the last 40 years!

So So Musical!

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 26 September 2018]

"Down to Earth" is a sequel of sorts to 1941's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" (1941)with many of the same characters.

In heaven, Greek goddess Terpsichore (Rita Hayworth) is for some reason, unhappy with how she is being depicted in a Broadway play being put together on earth by Danny Miller (Larry Parks). To set things right, she goes to Mr. Jordan (Roland Culver) to ask permission to go to earth to remedy the situation. He reluctantly agrees and assigns Messenger 7013 (Edward Everett Horton) to oversee everything.

Terpsichore adopts the name of Kitty Pendleton and inserts herself into the chorus impressing Miller and his backer gambler Joe Manion (George Macready) in the process. Along the way, she acquires the services of Max Corkle (James Gleason) as her agent. The current lead Georgia Evans (Adele Jergens) quits in a huff and guess who is given the lead in the show instead? She turns on her considerable charms and "suggests" changes to the show in spite of the protests of Danny and his partner Eddie ((Marc Platt). However, Danny finds himself falling in love with Kitty and reluctantly agrees to the changes.

The show flops and Danny becomes worried that Manion might not be happy. So he has it out with Kitty and exerts his authority and goes back to his original script. Kitty walks out in a huff but with the help of Mr. Jordan, she sees the error of her ways on begs Danny to take her back. The show is a success but then Mr. Jordan re-appears and............................................................

Rita Hayworth and Larry Parks were at the top of their games at this time. Hayworth had just appeared in "Gilda" one of her biggest hits and Parks had just done "The Jolson Story", both in the previous year. Hayworth is ravishing and gets to dance in a few numbers. Both James Gleason and Edward Everett Horton reprise their roles from "Here Comes Mr. Jordan". Roland Culver takes over the Mr. Jordan part from Claude Rains.

Unfortunately, both Hayworth and Parks, as well as Jergens, had their singing voices dubbed. The scenario in the opening scene of the universe and the matte painted city are amateurish. The plot of the show is a little confusing and is never really disclosed.

Pleasant escapism fare

[byron-116 · 5/10 · 24 August 2018]

This 1947 film still holds its own due to gorgeous Rita Hayworth, and excellent supporting cast James Gleason and Edward Everett Horton and William Frawley. Some good dance numbers. To surmise, this film is pleasant escapism fare.

Heavenly Goddess Steps Down To Earth

[Noirdame79 · 8/10 · 22 April 2006]

After the success of "Gilda", Columbia put their superstar Rita Hayworth in this musical remake of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan". It did well at the box office, although in later years it has been panned by many as silly, far-fetched fare. I personally don't have a problem with it - it's not on par with Rita's earlier musicals, but it is very entertaining. The color is lush, and Hayworth is breathtakingly beautiful, and certainly suited to play the goddess of music and dance, Terpsichore (her singing voice was again dubbed by Anita Ellis), and Larry Parks is adorable as the young Broadway producer who wants so desperately to succeed. George Macready, who played Hayworth's evil spouse in "Gilda" again appears here in a similar role (with comedic undertones) - his office even seems to be the same as in the earlier film. It's also fun to see William Frawley in a small but memorable role.

Parks, sadly, had a short-lived career, as it was virtually destroyed by the McCarthy witch hunts. And the romance is touching and even a little tear-inducing. The term "Heavenly Goddess" certainly applies to the lovely Rita. Adele Jergens is also great as the original dancer in the show that Kitty/Terpischore replaces. Not the best Columbia musical, but an off-beat film, and worth watching simply because of the dance sequences, color cinematography and Rita at her most enticing.

Cute sequel to 'Here Comes Mr. Jordan'

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 17 May 2023]

The songs in Down to Earth are really bad, but the story is very cute. So if you don't mind a lot of popcorn breaks or fast-forwarding, you can catch one of the rare movies where Rita Hayworth doesn't cash in on her sex appeal. She plays a Greek goddess, one of the nine muses, and while looking down on Earth, she finds out about a playwright's attempt to make a musical about her and the other lovely ladies. The lyrics are offensive, the choreography crass, and the story ridiculous; in a moment of anger, she requests to be sent down to Earth as a human temporarily to "help" the show succeed (and hopefully sabotage it in the process). She poses as an actress, wows playwright Larry Parks, and gets cast as the lead!

Now here's the really adorable part: James Gleason reprises his role as Max Corkle from Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Rita's superior up in Heaven is Mr. Jordan (Roland Culver giving a Claude Rains impersonation), and her chaperone is Edward Everett Horton. There are tons of gags referencing the 1941 comedy, so if you haven't seen that one yet, be sure to rent it beforehand. Rita is very sweet in this movie, and even though the songs and dances are pretty cringe-worthy, it's worth watching. The story is simple but interesting, and the humor is charming.

Mr. Jordan, I want to cry.

[hitchcockthelegend · 5/10 · 8 August 2009]

Miffed about the way a new Broadway musical is portraying Greek mythology, goddess Terpsichore gets herself to Earth and promptly lands a part in the show. As she charms the show's producer, Danny Miller, and he incorporates her ideas into the show, the show becomes a flop, and there may just be a hint of love in the air to further complicate matters.

Down To Earth is like a cake that has been on display in the window all day. It looks nice on the outside but when you get to the inside there really isn't much taste to it. Worthy of a watch primarily because of Rita Hayworth {Terpsichore} in Technicolor {it's easy to accept such beauty as a goddess} Alexander Hall's musical version of his own Here Comes Mr. Jordan is a rather flat and uneventful affair. Not to decry the sweet nature of the story, and it "is" a charming fable, there's too many things wrong to make it fully function as an uplifting musical.

The songs from Doris Fisher and Allan Roberts are weak and uninspiring, and they are further hindered by the overtly evident voice dubbing of the cast. Not normally an issue to me, but when the lyrics are so tepid the focus is drawn to the irritants. Then there is the lack of spark between Hayworth and her leading man, Larry Parks as the show's producer Danny Miller. Parks was riding the crest of a wave after his Oscar nominated turn in Al Jolson the previous year, but here he struggles and looks nothing like leading man potential. The choreography is fine, including a well constructed sequence in a play park, and the set design is easy on the eye. But there is no getting away from it, without Rita Hayworth in the lead, this film would have sank without trace from the musical aficionado's memory bank. A generous 5/10 from me as it looks fabulous on a High Definition TV, where you can see that producer Dan Hartman at least had the vision to put on a glossy show.

Such a pity - so much beauty wasted on such bad music.

[carrie7 · 22 May 2001]

I was very surprised to have stumbled on Down To Earth on early morning television as I was recently having a discussion on Terpsichore (really!).

Anyway, it is a darned pretty film to look at for the Technicolour and Rita Hayworth alone, but it was so sad to see her so wasted on hideously mediocre musical numbers. The costumes and the sets were lovely and her fabulous red hair never looked better! What was so bizarre was this musical sequence she sings about wanting to marry two men -- who are more than eager to comply! Just watching the dancing steps of the two grooms made me uncomfortable.

Having this film based on an all-time classic was another huge error but bringing back Edward Everett Horton was the right move! He is always exceptional in his little character roles...

Good idea, bad execution

[guswhovian · 6/10 · 20 May 2020]

Goddess Terpsichore (Rita Hayworth) comes down to earth when she discovers a Broadway musical is mocking Greek mythology.

Down to Earth is the ill-advised sequel to Here Comes Mr. Jordan. This film has a good plotline, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

There are several big problems: the absolutely awful musical score (I have to give props to the actors for singing the songs), and Larry Parks, who is just about the most uncharismatic leading man I've ever seen. However, the main problem is that they recast Mr. Jordan. Roland Culver does an alright job, but he's not nearly as great as Claude Rains was.

However, there's good stuff as well. Rita Hayworth is perfectly cast as a goddess (she is a goddess, isn't she?), and James Gleason and Edward Everett Horton reprise their roles as Max Corkle and Messenger 7013 respectively. Fred from I Love Lucy appears as a police detective.

This isn't as bad as people say it is, but it doesn't hold a candle to Here Comes Mr. Jordan. First time viewing. 3/5

The Goddess Rita Hayworth escapes unscathed on this lame musical!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 22 July 2023]

Another picture that belongs my teenager years, I'd to confess that don't cheer up at its time just the gorgeous Rita Hayworth, the classy Roland Culver, the funny James Gleason and the downbeat Edward Everett Thornton make it worthwhile.

When a Broadway producer Danny Miller (Larry Parks) devises a weirdo musical over Greek Mythology more specifically over the Goddess Terpsichore, it reaches at Olympus where the own Goddess of dance (Rita Hayworth) stayed annoyed about such rubbish play, at once she asking for to Mr. Jordan a especial permission to down to Earth aiming for fix the matter, the reluctant man in charge to bring the dead people to the heaven accepts whilst she is fully monitored by the complainer Messenger 7013 (Edward Everett Horton), arriving at New York the Goddess Terpsichore got the main role on the Musical playing herself.

Before they asking about your agent to make a contract, the first man that appears at there is the loser agent Max Corkle (James Gleason), Thus Terpsichore appoints him as her agent, as planed previously at Olympus, she explains to the stubborn Miller that such odd play is doomed to failure, letting Miller angry over such wicked comment, indeed the show mixing sausages, coca cola, and worst a polygamic romance as well, all this mess will spoils the play and will be beaten up by the critics, upon a refusal of Miller the sorrowful Terpsichore is about to quit when enters the wise Mr. Jordan exposing that Miller's life is at stake.

Aside all sexy girls involved in the musical numbers are mid-level, far below of Hollywood's standard at its time, the movie is saved by brilliance of Rita Hayworth and those fine actors named above, all the remainder is a waste of time and the outcome doesn't measure up of the real Earth Goddess Rita Hayworth whatsoever, just to make a note it had a remake in 1980's Xanadu, also a failure as a movie except by a stunning soundtrack.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 1978 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD-R / Rating: 7.

HAYWORTH AS GODDESS...!

[masonfisk · 6/10 · 9 September 2020]

A 1947 sequel to Here Comes Mr. Jordan this time starring Rita Hayworth as the goddess who descends to Earth to inspire a mere mortal. On Earth, a struggling producer is trying to mount a musical about the muses but up in heaven the focus of the sing-a-long hears this & asks the big boss to descend to our shores to make sure the presentation is faithful & true to form. No sooner as she's cast, she begins to thrown her weight around forcing the producer to eliminate anything deemed a 'sacrilege' to the point where during the previews, word comes down on the negative side. Fearing she's lost her way (& also the niggling detail she's fallen for the bum), Hayworth comes around & the show reverts back to its initial incarnation wowing the audience's approval. No sooner than the curtains come down, Mr. Jordan, here played by Roland Culver (the original Jordan was essayed by Claude Rains), signals to Hayworth her time is done & she has to go back. Essentially flipping the characters from the predecessor (in the original the recently deceased man is given a new body to inhabit while here the granter becomes the grantee), the story, directed by Alexander Hall (who also helmed Jordan), gives a meaty showcase to Hayworth who is luminous throughout even though the numbers themselves are forgettable & flighty w/the supporting players wan & wax figure like as compared to Hayworth's vibrant firebrand. A couple of remakes worth mentioning are 1978's Heaven Can Wait where Warren Beatty played the hapless deceased football player getting a new lease on life & Chris Rock took a turn remaking the material as well entitling it Down to Earth in 2001. Co-starring William Frawley (from I Love Lucy) as a cop & James Gleason, reprising his role from the original as a talent agent (who also name-checks the hero from the previous story).

goddess hayworth

[petersjoelen · 7/10 · 16 March 2024]

A nice charming romantic musical in which goddess Hayworth can shine.

The element of a somewhat modern fairy tale is beautifully told and the heavenly scenes are also both beautiful and amusing.

Hayworth can shine as the goddess Terpsichore, who is outraged by the interpretation of her in a musical on earth and decides to ask God if she can intervene, he gives permission. But in the meantime he has a double agenda.

The story is nicely completed, it starts quite light-hearted but becomes a bit more serious towards the end without losing its light-heartedness.

Who else but Hayworth could play a goddess so beautifully.

Nice-Looking, But That's About It

[ccthemovieman-1 · 3/10 · 11 August 2007]

It looks like everyone agrees on this film. It's all about the glamor girl of the '40s: Rita Hayworth. As a movie, this isn't the best.

There is nice Technicolor to this film and certainly no complaints from this male looking at Hayworth playing "Terpsichore," a Greek goddess. Rita looked like she was having a lot of fun making the film. I hope she was because I am fan of her's...but that doesn't mean I have to like all of her films.

Most people agree, critics alike, this movie was just a vehicle to show off Hayworth's looks and dancing talent. However, I don't think the dancing came off that well, either. I preferred her dancing earlier in the decade in a couple of Fred Astaire movies. Rita was really something in those movies - a fabulous dancer.

This was the musical version of the 1941 hit film, "Hear Comes Mr. Jordan" That was a far, far better movie than this one. The songs are insipid (and Rita's voice is dubbed by Anita Ellis) and the story even worse.

This pretty-looking fluff was good escapism for audiences back in 1947, still recovering from the long, horrific World War II. Today, however, this doesn't translate well. At least it wound up being an inspiration for somebody as it spurned the 1980 musical ,"Xanadu," starring Olivia Newton-John.

unusual dancing

[t1z2f · 5/10 · 13 August 2005]

From the dance fan's perspective this film has one particularly unusual number. The long "Greek Ballet" - end result of Terpsichore's meddling, done in the out-of-town tryout, is a marvelous send-up of Martha Graham and the modern dance movement of the period in general. Very unexpected in a popular star vehicle, particularly because it's fairly long and doesn't really feature Hayworth or Platt very prominently. One wonders how Cole got away with doing it and keeping it in the film. Well worth watching.

The contrast with the original "Kiss of the Muse" dance, and the (abbreviated) final show version of the Greek ballet makes an enlightening statement about "highbrow art" vs. entertainment.

It's a shame that Adele Jergens didn't get more opportunites to dance in films. She does a marvelous job as the first Terpsichore in the over-the-top "Kiss of the Muse" number. Marc Platt's dance skills were also underutilized - he's in all the numbers, but the choreography don't really make any demands on his skills.

A dancing queen goes down to earth to teach mankind a lesson, which is refused

[clanciai · 9/10 · 30 March 2020]

The music, at best, is a bit remindful of Cole Porter, particularly "I've got you under my skin", which it almost makes a pastiche of. On the whole, the music is the worst part of this movie. All the rest is perfectly excellent, and Rita Hayworh plays a part that matches her more than perfectly, as she was probably never better and never had a more gratifying part to play. The show numbers are lavish and sumptuous in abundant luxury, which turns the film into a feast for the eyes, while the plot is part ingenious and part very silly. Terpsichore the muse at Mount Olympus gets annoyed at the way vulgar Americanism twists, parodies and blasphemes the dignity of the eternal muses by depicting them as flippant show girls, so she decides to do something about it, goes down to earth and intervenes, trying to turn that show into some serious highbrow performance of dramatic ballet, but the public doesn't want that and goes to sleep or leaves the show - the vulgar lot wants vulgar entertainment. Roland Culver appears as some Claude Rains type of a manager of the metaphysical set-up and knows what it is all about having complete control, which no one else has. The show rolls on to constant outbursts and wallowings in silly business, until there is an ingenious twist to the end, putting all things in order. It's not a great film, the music is deplored by most music lovers, but it certainly is great entertainment and indeed worth watching for the sake of Rita Hayworth, as she was more unique in many ways than most great queens of the cinema.

Beautiful failure

[ZiggyMama · 2/10 · 11 April 2007]

As many others have already said, this poor attempt at a musical is painful to watch, like a train wreck, you know its awful but you can't look away. Gorgeous Technicolor & big stars could not save this film from the inelegant choreography, weak & clumsy dialogue, and ill-conceived musical numbers. The songs are awkward and there is not one with a tune anyone can remember, much less hum along with. In the transitional five years between the war years of the early forties and the optimistic dawn of the fifties, this film falls short as though the writers had no direction, no target audience, no message to convey. It's a bit of fluff with a big budget but small ideas.

In the finale, Rita energetically climbs and flings herself around the set like a rag doll on a string, all the while singing about having fun. But she looks like a manic, insane person, she has no idea where she is going next. It doesn't look like fun at all!

The direction seemed amateurish, instead of wider shots of the dance group during the opening night of the play, the camera wanders around the confusing scene, often becoming filled with a bewildering mass of arms. I kept worrying that the live flames of the torches being waved around would catch in the billowing costumes & I wondered if they'd had any injuries during the filming.

And on a purely superficial note, the choice to lighten Rita's signature bright red hair and smoky eyes gave her a pale, insipid look that did nothing to reinforce her presence on the screen.

Too bad this film didn't have more scenes like the one where Terpsichore pleads with Mr. Jordan to let her stay on Earth. Rita was classic when she could cry on the screen. She was a much better serious actress than a comic one.

In Technicolour!

[Chaz-19 · 21 April 2000]

I suppose that Technicolour was a big selling point when this film came out (1946). The colour is beautiful to look at, but much of the rest of the film is rather slim. In this film, Rita Hayworth is a muse who becomes upset when she learns that a Broadway musical is going to portray her as a jive crazy love machine. She heads to earth to correct matters and the audience settles in for 101 minutes of unmemorable musical numbers and several poorly choreographed dance scenes.

Allow me to guess what happened here. Columbia was looking for a musical vehicle for Hayworth, then at the top of her career. They had script for a B musical ready to roll, but they needed to beef it up a bit. So what they did was steal a few of the characters from a past hit, HERE COME MR. JORDAN, added Technicolour, and hoped that it would prove enough of a draw. If you do watch this film, note how poorly the JORDAN characters are worked in - especially Max Corkle.

Elements of the Broadway musical DOWN TO EARTH also appear in Fred Astaire's THE BAND WAGON, which came out in 1953 - but the numbers in the later film were far more memorable. I had enjoyed HERE COMES MR. JORDAN, and was curious as to what the sequal would be like. My curiosity has been satisfied - yet another half-baked movie sequel.

Terpsichore and the Psychopomp

[JamesHitchcock · 5/10 · 22 January 2020]

Hollywood's most beautiful leading ladies are often referred to as "goddesses", and in "Down to Earth" one of those ladies, Rita Hayworth, gets a chance to play a goddess in the literal sense. Her contemporary Ava Gardner was also to play a goddess in "One Touch of Venus" from the following year.

Danny Miller is a Broadway producer putting on a musical called "Swingin' the Muses". Yes, it's just as bad as it sounds. The plot revolves around a pair of Air Force pilots who crash on Mount Parnassus, the legendary home of the Nine Muses, the Ancient Greek goddesses of the arts. Now theatrical productions can occasionally cause offence to various sections of the population, but Miller's does so in a quite unexpected quarter. The offended party is the Muse Terpsichore herself, the goddess of dance, who is annoyed that Miller's story depicts her as a "man-hungry trollop". She descends to Earth in order to put him right.

Now descending to Earth is not as easy for a goddess as one might think. In order to do so Terpsichore needs assistance from a being known as Mr. Jordan, originally a character in a play called "Heaven Can Wait" which had been adapted for the cinema as "Here Comes Mr. Jordan". (There is no connection with Ernst Lubitsch's film "Heaven Can Wait"). Although he is not referred to as such in the film, Jordan is a psychopomp, a spirit charged with ushering the souls of the dead into the next world, in this case by flying them there in an airliner. He can also ferry immortal beings in the opposite direction, and it is through his good offices that Terpsichore arrives in New York. Once there, using the name Kitty Pendleton, she auditions for, and wins, the star part in Miller's show.

The next development is pretty predictable; Danny falls in love with the supposed "Kitty", never suspecting that she is anything other than a beautiful young actress. Terpsichore takes advantage of his infatuation to rewrite his show, turning it from a vulgar piece of razzamatazz into a highbrow ballet. This proves to be a disaster. The only people who like the new production are a group of pretentious "longhairs"; everyone else loathes it. (The word "longhair" appears to have been an American expression for an intellectual culture-vulture, and could be used even about people who did not literally have long hair). This means that Danny has serious problems. If the show is a failure, he stands to lose more than his money. His main backer is a gangster who has threatened to kill him if the show flops. So how can he bring his show back "down to earth", win back the public and retain "Kitty's" affections, all without getting himself shot?

With a nonsensical plot, a weak leading man in Larry Parks and so-so song and dance numbers, "Down to Earth" could have been an even bigger flop than Danny's production threatens to be. The one thing that saves it is the presence of the lovely Rita. I don't mean that she gives her greatest acting performance; great acting demands a good script, something which this film conspicuously lacks. What Rita brings to the film is not technical acting skills but something rather different, that indefinable star quality which she possessed in spades, combined with her undoubted talent as a dancer. (Like some other dancing actresses- Cyd Charisse is another who comes to mind- was less talented as a singer, and her singing voice was here dubbed). There is also a decent contribution from Roland Culver as Jordan.

The film's take on culture, namely that lowbrow kitsch is always preferable in the eyes of the Great American Public to anything with cultural pretensions, reminded me of another film from a few years later, namely the Fred Astaire vehicle "The Band Wagon". Personally, I found that the ballet sequences were about the only interesting part of "Down to Earth", but that probably means that I am an incorrigible longhair. Without Hayworth, the rest of the film would have been virtually unbearable. As it is, it serves as a record of one of Hollywood's greatest goddesses, and also of what lowbrow kitsch looked like seventy-odd years ago. 5/10