Heavenly Music (1943) User Reviews

A decent time-passer.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 31 July 2012]

This short film is included as a special feature with the Judy Garland film "Introducing Lily Mars". Like so many MGM releases, a couple of shorts that debuted the same year as the feature are included--this one and a cartoon.

Aside from Eric Blore (who is wonderful as always), the actors and actresses in this one are minor MGM actors who are pretty much unknowns today. The idea back then was to try out short films with potential stars and give them a chance to show their stuff. While Frederick Brady sang nicely, apparently he didn't connect with the audiences and mostly played minor roles during his career.

The film begins in Heaven. Brady stands before the pearly gates and is met by Blore. He is then introduced to some very famous composers like Tchaikovsky and Beethoven--as Brady is a musician himself. They want him to sing--and when he does, it doesn't seem like the singing is coming from him (he could have improved his lip syncing a bit). The old time composers are angered, as they hear parts of their music in Brady's compositions--and he then goes on to say that ALL music bears similarities to each other--as the room breaks into an argument. Can they work out their differences and let him join their ranks? How about if a cute angel helps give him inspiration? Overall, this is a decent time-passer. While it's chock full of music, the plot makes it more palatable. Plus although he has trouble keeping his lips in sync, Brady did have a lovely voice.

By the way, if this is Heaven, why does Beethoven STILL have a problem with deafness? Can't they fix something like that?!

Silly, but kind of cute

[preppy-3 · 6/10 · 24 March 2003]

Oscar winner for Best Short Subject of 1943.

A composer tries to get admitted to the Hall of Music in Heaven. He has to convince some of the world's greatest dead composers that he's worthy. This leads to "humorous" talks and interplay among the composers. The songs and music are the only reasons to see this short. The acting is pretty bad and the humor is very lame. Still, it's kind of fun (in a silly way) and it's only 22 minutes. Worth catching.

Fascinating Look At Pop Culture's View of High Culture, Circa 1943

[reprtr · 7/10 · 5 April 2021]

I'll leave others to speculate on how this short won the Oscar in its category -- though I suspect it stood out from the more physical comedies and the war-oriented short subjects that were likely all too common at the time, and was an entertaining and slightly wistful reminder of what Hollywood aimed at when it aimed high in the years before Hitler came to power.

I do wonder, watching it anew, however, if it was from this short that Steve Allen got the idea for his series "Meeting Of Minds," in which actors playing historical figures would meet in a "Firing Line"-type setting and argue their differences, because there is some of that going on in the fanciful plot of this film, and it almost looks like it could have been the pilot for the Allen series. (Oh, and as to another reviewer's contention that the authors of this script cribbed their plot from "Carousel," that reviewer ought to check his dates).

All of the music is good listening, and the portrayals are entertaining, and it is interesting that, in the middle of World War II, the producers allowed the portrayal of Richard Wagner (whose music was embraced by Hitler personally, and his regime) to have as much prominence as it does here. (Of course, in a later time, someone might have insisted that there be a representation of Gustav Mahler, and perhaps that Mendelssohn be portrayed, as well -- then the sparks could have flown between the three).

But this is fun viewing, and worth 12 minutes of your time.

Postmodern p.s.

[eebyo · 21 February 2004]

I just caught this movie today on Turner Classic, and it's very sweet - but most noteworthy is the leading man, who's a ringer for the young Bill Clinton (and, this being 1943, with a much better haircut than Bill ever had in the '70s). It's also an eye-opener for anyone who thinks the 1940s were an era of servile deference to the Dead White Euroguys of cultural history; our young bandleader is polite, but he argues tough with the millennium's heavyweight composers, and he scores his points. Recommended.

Getting Into Heaven Through Artistic Infuence

[boblipton · 6/10 · 9 July 2019]

No, it's not the cornpone country music sung and performed by Gene Kelly, Phil Silvers and a bunch of dogs in SUMMER STOCK. It's advertising crooner Fred Brady being met at the Pearly Gates by a disapproving Eric Blore. He's directed to the Hall of Music. There he must prove himself worthy on an odeon stage covered with cotton wool before a committee of 19th Century Romantic composers headed by Beethoven.

No Haydn, no Mozrt, no Scarlatti. It seems that great art is always the art of two generations ago, isn't it? Especially when you listen to Baroque works like the Surprise Symphony and hear "Pop Goes the Weasel." With only seven notes in the scale, as Mr. Brady points out -- and demonstrates -- everyone steals from everyone else. It ain't where you got it, it's what you do with it.

Some Oscar winners, like CITIZEN KANE, stand the "test of time" . . .

[oscaralbert · 6/10 · 16 July 2015]

. . . and others, such as TOM JONES, do not. HEAVENLY MUSIC obviously falls into the latter category. Blatantly stealing its angelic anteroom concept from CAROUSEL, it spends the remainder of its 22-minute running time conducting a Round Table discussion on musical plagiarism among all the classical composers MGM felt might be familiar to most Americans in the early 1900s. When it's up to the newly-deceased main character "Ted" to write "something original" in 10 minutes in order to save himself 200 years in Purgatory, his "masterwork" sounds totally derivative (not surprising, since an angelic muse wrote it for him). Yet dudes such as Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, Paginini, and the Strausses go Ga-Ga over it, as each jazzes it up in his own personal style. This posthumous composition even seems to be taking the radio waves by storm in the Land of the Living. While it may not be enough to make Ludwig turn over in his grave, I've no doubt that Wagner's coffin is still spinning (since he has much less to do nowadays, other than to beg the Six Million for an occasional cooling touch).

Is it really "kosher" for "Angels" to be kissing in "Heaven" . . .

[pixrox1 · 7/10 · 9 July 2019]

. . . or is HEAVENLY MUSIC simply one more ploy for the Super Rich People to Lord it over the rest of us? Though "Joy" doesn't "go all the way" with newbie "Ted" during the part of this tale covered in HEAVENLY MUSIC, it's surely implied that she MIGHT, given all the foreplay presented here on screen. As soon as she sets eyes on new arrival Ted, Joy gets all "hot and bothered" about him. It's demonstrated that this "saintly" duo generate at lot of "chemistry," but could sulfur be the key element involved in their attraction? IF marriages can take place in Heaven, as some American Cultists claim, then certainly divorce MAY follow, as surely as the Almighty made "little green apples." In the inevitable eventuality of such a post-mortem split, making it official might not be as simple as hopping on the bus to Reno. Furthermore, divvying up "community property" could turn into somewhat of a nightmare. Perhaps Heaven lacks a no-fault divorce statute, which raises the possibility of a cheated-upon outraged spouse's Private Eyes lurking behind Cloud Nine and pretty much every other fluff ball waiting to whip out their trusty Polaroids. HEAVENLY MUSIC certainly sounds a lot of notes, but most of them are sour.

Some okay moments, but never deserving of an Oscar nomination, let alone the win

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 20 February 2017]

"Heavenly Music" is a 22-minute black-and-white sound film from 1943, so this one will have its 75th anniversary next year. The director is Josef Berne and as short as it may be, there were several writers working on this one here. It is the story of a successful musician, a real star, who died (we don't find out how) at a pretty young age and he is now at the pearly gate. Offered the possibility to be entered in the music hall of fame there, he has to deal with the likes Of Tschajkowski, Beethoven and others who will decide about his fate. Luckily, an angel groupie is right by his side and supports him in whatever he tries to impress the grandmasters that he wants to join. It is a decent little film I guess and (classical) music lovers will certainly enjoy it. I also liked lead actor Frederick Brady's voice a lot, but honestly in terms of story-telling, even with the fantasy aspect in mind, this is not an awards-worthy film at all. The music is really the only factor very much working in its favor, but I guess the Academy wanted something that has for once nothing to do with war or the dark political climate in 1943 and that's why they picked this one over for example a film that deals with women soldiers. Back to this one here, the main reason why I reduced my rating from 6 to 4 out of 10 is probably because the ending is really nothing but music and they lost me there completely. The inclusion of a little rascal is also more random than that it makes sense for any reason. Don't watch.

The Old Music Masters

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 2 August 2009]

This two reel short subject won the Oscar in its category in 1943 and deservedly so. It's a nice affectionate look at the similarities and there were many between the product the old masters were putting out back in the day and what was being given out with on the Hit Parade of 1943.

Bandleader Ted Barry has died and gone to heaven and he'd like to be in the digs with the musicians so he can just jam for eternity. After some preliminaries with records keeper Eric Blore, Barry goes before a jury of the greatest musicians ever and the committee of jurors is headed by Ludwig Von Beethoven as played by Steven Geray.

Back in those days a lot of musical themes were taken from the classics, Freddy Martin made a career of it. But Barry shows even the Old Masters copied from each other.

Lot's of nice music with some nifty heavenly sets, music to please all kinds of tastes.

Look at the date, folks. Look at the date.

[richard-1787 · 7/10 · 28 January 2024]

None of the previous reviewers seem to have put this short in historical context. It was produced and shown in 1943, when things were still going badly for us in the war. Europe was still occupied by the Fascists. The Europe of almost every composer on those risers: Beethoven, Wagner - Hitler's favorite -, Brahms, Paganini, Schubert, LIzst, etc.

And yet their place as the great masters of music is never called into question.

There is more to this short than meets the eye. MGM bothered to hire musicians who could compose versions of the American's song that are really in the styles of the various composers mentioned. A lot more work was done here than for the average short. So yes, this short didn't win that Oscar just by chance.

This is propaganda in the good sense, and that would not have been lost on moviegoers of the time.

Worth watching for the music and Eric Blore

[llltdesq · 9/10 · 13 July 2001]

This short won the Oscar for 2-reelers and its understandable. The concept is a trifle cute but the music is worth the price of admission and Eric Blore (familiar to anyone who's watched just about any Astaire and Rogers film) does a marvelous job here. Entertaining, if lightweight and well-executed for the most part. Turner Classic Movies runs this occasionally as filler and runs it in March as part of their "31 Days of Oscar" festival. Recommended.

fine MGM short

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 27 January 2024]

Bandleader Ted Barry (Frederick Brady) arrives at the Heavenly Gates. He's interviewed by gate keeper Mr. Frisbie from Public Relations, but he seems uninformed about Barry. He's brought inside by angel Joy to the Hall of Music where he must prove his worth before the icons of the past.

It's an MGM short that actually won an Oscar. I do have an issue with the premise. The entry test has nothing to do with morality, but it's all about the value of his music. That seems to go against western moral values. Otherwise, this is fine. The music is fine. I like the little section where Barry points out music being copied from previous icons. It's fine.

There's A lot Better Out There

[Michael_Elliott · 10 August 2009]

Heavenly Music (1943)

** (out of 4)

This two-reel short from MGM actually won an Oscar but the end result, to me, didn't deserve the honor. Bandleader Ted Barry dies and gets the honor of going to Heaven where some famous musicians are waiting. Once there the musician has to go in front of some of the greatest musicians in history, including Beethoven, to decide if he belongs among them. This is a decent short but I'm still scratching my head as to why this was voted Best Short Subject (Two-Reel). The music is decent at best. The performances decent at best. Even the characters are only decent at best. The best moments are some rather campy ones with Beethoven but these aren't enough to make it a complete winner. Barry's voice wasn't overly impressive to me nor was his acting skills.