Down to Earth (1947)

Director:

Alexander Hall

Writers:

Edwin Blum (original screen play) &
Don Hartman (original screen play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 August 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

She Sings And Dances like an Angel!

Plot:

Upset about a new Broadway musical's mockery of Greek mythology, the goddess Terpsichore comes down to earth and lands a part in the show...

Plot Keywords:

Greek Mythology | Broadway | 1940s | Immortality | Heaven

Cast

Rita Hayworth	...	Terpsichore / Kitty Pendleton
Larry Parks	...	Danny Miller
Marc Platt	...	Eddie
Roland Culver	...	Mr. Jordan
James Gleason	...	Max Corkle
Edward Everett Horton	...	Messenger 7013
Adele Jergens	...	Georgia Evans
George Macready	...	Joe Manion
William Frawley	...	Police Lieutenant
Jean Willes	...	Betty (as Jean Donahue)
Kathleen O'Malley	...	Dolly
William Haade	...	Spike
James Burke	...	Detective Kelly
Dorothy Hart	...	The New Terpsichore (as Dorothy Brady)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Acuff	...	Stage Hand (uncredited)
Dusty Anderson	...	Muse (uncredited)
Arthur Blake	...	Nathaniel Somerset (uncredited)
Billy Bletcher	...	Conductor (uncredited)
Al Bridge	...	Police Captain (uncredited)
Rudolph Cameron	...	Stage Manager (uncredited)
James Carlisle	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Lucille Casey	...	Muse (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Tom Daly	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Frank Darien	...	Janitor (uncredited)
Jean Del Val	...	Croupier (uncredited)
Matty Fain	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Mary Forbes	...	Mrs. Fenimore Hume (uncredited)
Raoul Freeman	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Harriette Ann Gray	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Grayce Hampton	...	Dowager (uncredited)
Tom Hanlon	...	Race Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Roulette Player (uncredited)
Winifred Harris	...	Dowager (uncredited)
Edward Harvey	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Jo Hattigan	...	Muse (uncredited)
Myron Healey	...	Sloan - Pilot (uncredited)
Ernest Hilliard	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Doris Houck	...	Muse (uncredited)
Bert Howard	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Fred Howard	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Virginia Hunter	...	Muse (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Francine Kennedy	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Flight Attendant (uncredited)
Peggy Maley	...	Muse (uncredited)
Lynn Merrick	...	Muse (uncredited)
Shirley Molohon	...	Muse (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Ottola Nesmith	...	Dowager ('I adore musicals..') (uncredited)
Mary Newton	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Jack Norton	...	Sleeping Man in Audience (uncredited)
Robert Ryan	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Fred F. Sears	...	Bill - Orchestra Leader (uncredited)
Count Stefenelli	...	Frenchman (uncredited)
Nick Stewart	...	Porter (uncredited)
Kay Vallon	...	Rosebud Truelove - the Human Pretzel (uncredited)
Dorothy Vernon	...	Wardrobe Woman (uncredited)
Lillian Wells	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Cecil Weston	...	Dowager (uncredited)

Directed by
Alexander Hall

Writing credits
Edwin Blum		(original screen play) &
Don Hartman		(original screen play)
Harry Segall		(play "Heaven Can Wait")

Produced by
Don Hartman	....	producer

Cinematography by
Rudolph Maté		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Viola Lawrence

Art Direction by
Stephen Goosson		(as Stephen Goossón)
Rudolph Sternad

Set Decoration by
William Kiernan

Costume Design by
Jean Louis		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Clay Campbell	....	makeup artist
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wilbur McGaugh	....	assistant director

Art Department
Charles Black	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
George Cooper	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Ned Scott	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Francis Cugat	....	associate color director: Technicolor

Music Department
George Duning	....	composer: additional music
Philip Faulkner Jr.	....	music recordist (as Philip Faulkner)
Heinz Roemheld	....	composer: additional music
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director (as M.W. Stoloff)
Fred Karger	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Arthur Morton	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Saul Chaplin	....	production arranger
Jack Cole	....	dances stager
Norman Deming	....	assistant to producer
Earle Hagen	....	production arranger
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Fred Karger	....	production arranger

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1947) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1949) (France) (theatrical) (as Columbia Films S. A.)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Pioneer Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #11676) | USA:TV-G

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

In the newspaper montage, the third item in the Lyons Den column reads: "Save up your gas money and go over to Danny McGuire's place in Brooklyn. You'll see the current Vanity cover in the flesh." This is the plot for Cover Girl (1944), Rita Hayworth's previous movie for Columbia, so in effect the characters of Kitty Pendleton and Rusty Parker are playing at the same time in different venues, even though they're both played by the same person.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The same news item about twins getting a two-week tryout keeps appearing in different newspaper columns over the course of several months.

Quotes:

Joe Manion:That's very touching. But unless I have my $20,000 by tomorrow morning...
Danny Miller:You'll have one of your gorillas bump me off.
Joe Manion:You've been seeing too many movies.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Arena: Screen Goddesses" (2012)

Soundtrack:

Let's Stay Young Forever

A Little History of this Title

I just saw this film for the first time on TCM this week and was pleasantly surprised. I was attracted to it first because it was a musical and second for the mythical theme. The plot involves Terpsichore (Hayworth) and the muses coming to earth which made me think of the upcoming Broadway Musical version of the cult favorite "Xanadu". I had no idea going in that it is actually a sequel to one of my favorite films "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" which was remade as "Heaven Can Wait" in 1978 starring Warren Beatty and again in 2001 with Chris Rock. This latest version borrowed from this film and was titled "Down to Earth"! Look for James Gleason as Max Corkle and Edward Everett Horton as the fussy Messenger 7013, roles they created in the original film. By the way, there is another link to this film, the 1943 film "Heaven Can Wait" starring Gene Tierney and Don Ameche, but this film had nothing to do with "Here Comes Mr. Jordan."