Boxing Movie Night: Here Comes Mr. Jordan!

I’m a sucker for a good old-fashioned movie, and when it comes to feel good movies, Here Comes Mr. Jordan is one of the best.

The 1941 black and white feature film stars Robert Montgomery as the saxophone playing boxer Joe, Claude Rains as Mr. Jordan, Everett Edward Horton as Angel # 7013, Evelyn Keyes as Miss Logan, and the great James Gleason as Joe’s Fight Manager, Max Corkle.  The story is also a powerful one full of hope and redemption.  For those who are unfamiliar with the plot line, Joe (Robert Montgomery) on his way to fight in a championship bout is plucked from his airplane as it about to crash by a fledgling angel (Edward Everett Horton).  Unfortunately, Joe is pulled from the plane moments too soon — and the rest of the movie is Joe’s fight to be given a second chance at the “title” after having been mistakenly taken to heaven way before his “number was up”!

This enduring story of the human spirit overcoming adversity was a lovely allegory for an America on the eve of World War II, where luck, an indomitable will and great heart would see a generation of young men and women through the difficulties to come.

Seen 60 years later, the pluckiness of Here Comes Mr. Jordan continues to resonate as does its later remakes:  Warren Beatty’s Heaven Can Wait and the most recent iteration of the film, Down To Earth,  starring Chris Rock.

Still, I’ll always opt to watch the original boxing themed version and hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!  We’re talking a near-on 4 Star gem that’s definitely worth a bucketful of popcorn!

(See YouTube for the rest of the episodes or check it out on Netflix!)