Robert Cummings plays an angel in Heaven Only Knows, and his Boy Scout persona fits in perfectly in the role. Sent down to Earth to save the soul of a gangster, Brian Donlevy, he has his work cut out for him. It all started out as a misunderstanding up in Heaven - Brian never got a soul to begin with! Had he, he would have lived a wonderful life with heart, morals, and love.
Now, soulless, he runs a saloon and is carrying on with a dance hall girl, Marjorie Reynolds. Bob gets sent down in human form to set things right and teach Brian that there's another way of living. In a wonderful quote, he says, "Goodness, that is, true goodness isn't measured by its reward. It's something you do because it comes from the heart, because you must do it. Even if no other soul does it, knows about it, or cares. Reward or not. So, you see, the good heart need never falter." How do I have such a quote memorized verbatim? Because after seeing this movie, I rewound to that scene and wrote down the speech. That piece of paper is taped to my refrigerator. It's a simple story, made the year after It's a Wonderful Life, and the same year as The Bishop's Wife, that has been forgotten over the years. But it's inspiring and heartwarming all the same.
Now, soulless, he runs a saloon and is carrying on with a dance hall girl, Marjorie Reynolds. Bob gets sent down in human form to set things right and teach Brian that there's another way of living. In a wonderful quote, he says, "Goodness, that is, true goodness isn't measured by its reward. It's something you do because it comes from the heart, because you must do it. Even if no other soul does it, knows about it, or cares. Reward or not. So, you see, the good heart need never falter." How do I have such a quote memorized verbatim? Because after seeing this movie, I rewound to that scene and wrote down the speech. That piece of paper is taped to my refrigerator. It's a simple story, made the year after It's a Wonderful Life, and the same year as The Bishop's Wife, that has been forgotten over the years. But it's inspiring and heartwarming all the same.