East Side of Heaven (1939)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

David Butler

Writers:

David Butler (story)
William M. Conselman (writer)

Release Date:

7 April 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

HANGING OUT with the STARS !

Plot:

A man finds himself the father, by proxy, of a ten-month-old baby and becomes involved in the turbulent lives of the child's family. |

Plot Keywords:

Baby | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Denny Martin
Joan Blondell	...	Mary Wilson
Mischa Auer	...	Nicky
Irene Hervey	...	Mona Barrett
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Cyrus Barrett Snr.
Robert Kent	...	Cyrus Barrett Jr.
Jerome Cowan	...	Claudius De Wolfe
Baby Sandy	...	Sandy, the Barrett Baby
Jane Jones	...	Mrs. Kelly, One of the Singing Cooks
Rose Valyda	...	Singing Cook
Helen Warner	...	Singing Cook
Jack Powell	...	Happy Jack, the Chef
Matty Malneck	...	Orchestra Leader

Also Known As:

Three's Company (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Universal Pictures

Soundtrack:

East Side of Heaven

That Sly Old Crooner from Paramount

East Side of Heaven is one of two pictures Bing Crosby did for Universal. In exchange. I believe Paramount got the services of Allan Jones for The Great Victor Herbert and Honeymoon in Bali. Crosby's second film for Universal was If I Had My Way.

This one for Universal was done on the same skimpy budget that Paramount normally gave 1930s Crosby vehicles. But loan outs are good to see because you get a chance to watch a leading star with players that are not from his home base. Crosby gets a spirited leading lady in Joan Blondell in their one and only film together. Similarly he has supporting players like Mischa Auer, Irene Hervey, C. Aubrey Smith and

Jerome Cowan who are all very good and also never worked with Crosby again.

Crosby is first a singing telegraph messenger and later a singing taxi driver who's going out with Joan Blondell and she's a switchboard operator at a radio station. Jerome Cowan who plays a Walter Winchell like columnist has eyes for her. An old friend of Bing's, Irene Hervey who married a wealthy heir, deposits her baby with Bing while she sorts out her marital problems caused by her meddling father-in-law, C. Aubrey Smith. The baby is believed kidnapped and the fun begins.

Bing has four good songs to sing, written by Jimmy Monaco and Johnny Burke. Two of his patented philosophical numbers, Sing a Song of Sunbeams and Hang Your Heart on a Hickory Limb, a ballad East Side of Heaven and the hit of the movie That Sly Old Gentlemen sung to put Baby Sandy to sleep.

The plot involving a potentially kidnapped baby was very relevant with the news of the Lindbergh baby fresh in everyone's mind. Fortunately all is righted at the end.

IF you love Bing as I do, see this movie.