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Earthbound

  • 1940
  • Approved
  • 1h 7m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
134
YOUR RATING
Lynn Bari, Warner Baxter, and Andrea Leeds in Earthbound (1940)
MysteryFantasy

A murdered man (Baxter) helps his widow (Leeds) bring his killer (Bari) to justice.A murdered man (Baxter) helps his widow (Leeds) bring his killer (Bari) to justice.A murdered man (Baxter) helps his widow (Leeds) bring his killer (Bari) to justice.

  • Director
    • Irving Pichel
  • Writers
    • Samuel G. Engel
    • Basil King
    • John Howard Lawson
  • Stars
    • Warner Baxter
    • Andrea Leeds
    • Lynn Bari
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.5/10
    134
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Irving Pichel
    • Writers
      • Samuel G. Engel
      • Basil King
      • John Howard Lawson
    • Stars
      • Warner Baxter
      • Andrea Leeds
      • Lynn Bari
    • 6User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Warner Baxter in Earthbound (1940)
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    Top cast

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    Warner Baxter
    Warner Baxter
    • Nick Desborough
    Andrea Leeds
    Andrea Leeds
    • Ellen Desborough
    Lynn Bari
    Lynn Bari
    • Linda Reynolds
    Charley Grapewin
    Charley Grapewin
    • Mr. Whimser
    Henry Wilcoxon
    Henry Wilcoxon
    • Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds
    Elizabeth Patterson
    Elizabeth Patterson
    • Becky Tilden
    Russell Hicks
    Russell Hicks
    • Prosecutor
    Christian Rub
    Christian Rub
    • Etienne Almette
    Ian Wolfe
    Ian Wolfe
    • Amos Totten
    Lester Sharpe
    Lester Sharpe
    • Detective
    • (as Lester Scharff)
    Reginald Sheffield
    Reginald Sheffield
    • Defense Attorney
    Pedro de Cordoba
    Pedro de Cordoba
    • Minister
    Eugene Borden
    • Court Attendant
    • (uncredited)
    Marcelle Corday
    Marcelle Corday
    • Louise - Linda's Maid
    • (uncredited)
    Jean Del Val
    Jean Del Val
    • Train Dispatcher
    • (uncredited)
    William Edmunds
    • Chris
    • (uncredited)
    Diane Fisher
    • Toinette
    • (uncredited)
    Arno Frey
    • Maitre d'Hotel
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Irving Pichel
    • Writers
      • Samuel G. Engel
      • Basil King
      • John Howard Lawson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Filmed January 13-late February 1940. The final feature for Andrea Leeds, and the last at 20th Century-Fox for Warner Baxter, who left for Columbia and the "Crime Doctor" series.
    • Connections
      Version of Earthbound (1920)

    User reviews6

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    4/10
    Weepy supernatural melodrama
    This gooey concoction stars Warner Baxter as a happily married businessman murdered by the woman he previously spurned (Lynn Bari). His ghost, unable to rest because Bari's loyal husband (Henry Wilcoxon) is taking the rap for her, returns from the grave to make sure wife Andrea Leeds somehow determines the truth. He's aided along the way by the one man on Earth who can see him and talk to him: a pontificating bible-thumper played by Charley Grapewin. We don't learn what makes Grapewin so special--he doesn't seem to be a Mr. Jordan like angel or a Cedric Hardwicke style Grim Reaper--but his handy King James Bible apparently supplies him with a communication system to the beyond. Baxter spends the film tagging along behind Leeds, nagging her from beyond the grave until she stumbles across the evidence needed to free Wilcoxon and put Bari away. The deceased hubby can than, apparently rest in peace (whatever THAT may entail), as he bids a platitudinous farewell to the annoying Grapewin, who shuffles off stage as Baxter picks up a dead (?) bird, presumably symbolic of something. If you enjoy seeing death infantilized to the nth degree (or simply enjoy Christian mythology), Earthbound is for you.
    helpful•17
    4
    • JohnSeal
    • Oct 12, 2003

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • June 6, 1940 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • French
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La sombra del pecado
    • Filming locations
      • 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 7 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Lynn Bari, Warner Baxter, and Andrea Leeds in Earthbound (1940)
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    By what name was Earthbound (1940) officially released in Canada in English?
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