MovieChat Forums > One Foot in Heaven (1941) Discussion > Dated Movie

Dated Movie

posted 16 years ago by wmoores
19 replies | jump to latest

This movie is very dated; it also has some incongruities. I don't think the parsonages are accurately depicted, especially the one with the leaky roof. The Rev. didn't seem to think much of his family, only of himself. Moving so often without thinking what that did to the family. It was unbelievable that he would go three months without naming their last child. When he finally agreed to accept the name his wife wanted, he changed the name to what he wanted during the baptismal service. I know there is gossip in the church, but I never met any gossipers so cruel that they would imply the minister's teenage son was having an affair. I did like the music. All Max Steiner scores are wonderful. It is a shame these are not available on CDs.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ghostfan 15 years ago

I have to disagree with you on several issues:

One - the story is autobiographical in nature - so I have no doubts that the events did happen.

Two-The minister goes where he is sent -- his bosses tell him when he is moving - not like he has a choice unless he doesn't want to be a minister any more.

Three- If the church/churches you have belonged to have never had a gossip incident, you should count yourself VERY lucky. I have belonged to more than one where some members of the church made the minister's life miserable -- one that even suggested that he "had too many children." Four, I believe, and that was the standard when I was growing up.

[–] wmoores 15 years ago

As I recall, the minister went 'shopping for jobs' after his first position. I have since taped over this movie and cannot verify.

[–] ghostfan 15 years ago

Honestly, not that I remember. I haven't seen it in a while either, but I seem to remember that his bosses more or less told him when the was moving and where. Seemed like every time he had a congregation up and running and he and his wife were comfortable, they were moving him again. One of the things that frustrated his wife. And back then you were stuck with a parsonage (which were sometimes terrible. Not like today, when the minister gets a stipend so he can pick his own house.

[–] Foot_Freakin_Master 10 years ago

What a shame. To me this is a wonderful, tender, thoughtful movie.

[–] SteveMoonlightAllaby 10 years ago

I agree. I thought it was beautiful and charming with excellent performances and an intelligent script. I laughed numerous times and even teared up a little.

[–] tvmoviefan49 7 years ago

You are right. Church politics can be awful and I know of one that was. My husband's parents belonged to a Baptist Church and one year they got a new younger minister who my in-laws thought the world of, but that many of the members grew to dislike intensely. He preached against gambling and the use of alcohol & drugs and since some of them engaged in gambling & drinking, they wanted him to stop those sermons. When he didn't, they got rid of him by falsely accusing him of using drugs. They never had any evidence, but in a small southern town it ruined his and his family's reputations enough that he wound up leaving. I would never generalize that all Christians are bad, because most of them that I have known are good people. It is just very unfortunate that there are some who claim to be Christians who are so bad.

[–] verbumctf 15 years ago

Over the years I've had associations on many levels with priests, ministers, ministers' families, congregations. I vouch that every one of wmoors's 'incongruities' is no incongruity!
Like the medical doctor's service to his patients, the minister's service to his flock takes precedent over his family. It's part of the calling.
And unfortunately, there are instances of congregations' neglecting the material comfort of pastors and pastors' families--numerous instances and real ones--worse than anything in the film.

If you listen carefully, you'll find the film subtly delineated the individual character of March's minister. He'd a dogged obstinacy. The three months wait to christen Frazer was because the parents couldn't agree on the name.

I agree about the music. The hymn played on the new carillon bells was a beautiful ending.

[–] wiyaka-1 15 years ago

I am a Methodist minister's daughter, and I can tell you that this movie is VERY accurate! In the Methodist Church of that era, the minister (or family) had very little, if any, input on when or where he would be moved. Assignments were made at the Annual Conference in June of each year, and some ministers didn't know until then if they would be returning to the home they left to attend the Conference. Many smaller towns did have older parsonages with leaky roofs, among many other things needing fixing. I lived in one, so I know this is true! As for gossip...well, you are dreaming! I myself was the victim of "gossip" of this nature, and have witnessed way too much of this in almost every organized church. I could writ a book of my own! All in all, this movie is one of the very BEST I've ever seen, and would love to get a copy to send to my now 95-year-old father who would love it! The movie also revives the hope that we so badly need in these times.

[–] qblhdon 15 years ago

"... would love to get a copy to send to my now 95-year-old father who would love it!"
Actually, YOU CAN get a DVD of this movie.
Not longer I discovered a site that, somehow, someway, has very good copies of hard-to-find cinemas, and not expensive either.
Here's the link for the One Foot in Heaven DVD.
http://www.freemoviesondvd.com/index3b.htm#onefootinheaven
I got 6 movies for 9.95 per DVD. Terrific source for hard-2-finds.
http://www.freemoviesondvd.com

I hope you get it to your dad.
Good luck.

[–] shandy8 14 years ago

I just watched this movie and was amused by the scene between Hartzell and his sister when he says that sons of ministers tend to have a certain reputation for being 'trouble', and the sister replied that the opposite was true for the daughters of ministers.

Since your father was a minister, maybe you can say whether or not this is true.

[–] emncaity 14 years ago

Ha. More like sons of ministers will tell the truth about being "trouble," while daughters of ministers keep the angelic face while doing whatever they want. Yeah, it's a gross generalization for both sons _and_ daughters, and probably untrue more often than not, but I haven't ever noticed a difference in the rate of misbehavior. Stories about preachers' daughters are as legendary as those about preachers' sons, or at least they were when I was growing up.

[–] trina_crys 14 years ago

Seem to me he very much had a choice weather to go or stay. His wife always asked him if he was going to take the offer. An offer can be declined if one so wished. I really think leaving that last church and town was selfish of him as well.

Kitty Collins: Tell me, little boy, did you get a whistle or baseball bat with that suit?

[–] novastar_6 14 years ago

Three months isn't so bad, in East of Eden Adam waited until his twins were over a year old to name them.

[–] ambrosia-apples 14 years ago

Our son was a week old when we finally named him. For some reason, we always had a name for a girl, but couldn't find a boys name that we liked. We finally had the pressure of "baby boy", to get him a name. :-p

[–] emncaity 14 years ago

Count yourself lucky never to have met gossipers that vicious. They certainly exist.

As for people who go some time without naming a child, it certainly happens.

And what is it you find inaccurate about the way the parsonages are depicted?

As for the minister thinking "only of himself" (a little harsh, I think) and changing the name of the baby, you have to consider the time. In a context of husbands ruling with something close to an iron fist and wives whose duty it was to subsume their lives into the husband's, this marriage and these characters were actually a bit ahead of their time, by comparison. I guarantee you my grandmothers and great-grandmothers could tell you stories about how many women wouldn't dare speak to their husbands the way this wife did--to her credit.

[–] WoodrowTruesmith 12 years ago

The film is moving, especially the final scene. That Max Steiner score, built around a sturdy hymn ("The Church's One Foundation") is magnificent. March was never less than wonderful, and he gives the script his all here, as does Martha Scott.

But...what are we to make of the scene where the minister allows his son's reputation to be permanently tarnished by a lie...so that the minister can blackmail the rich gossips into donating money to build his new church? Is this like the sacrifice of Abraham, only in this case God does not stay his hand?

March's character is weeping in the last scene, and I couldn't get it out of my head that it's because he knows that he, too, bore false witness and wronged his son, in order to accomplish this beautiful new church.

[–] CoriSCapnSkip (1561) 5 years ago

The movie didn't specifically say, but if the son was "un-expelled" from school as he undoubtedly would be under the circumstances, the town can have assumed the gossip against him was a lie.