MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

gavin6942 The ghosts of three elderly industrialists killed in an airplane crash return to Earth to help reunite a young couple whom they initially brought together.Structured as a B film, the production did not engage any stars who would receive billing above the title, relying instead on a quartet of veteran characters actors, Charles Winninger, Maria Ouspenskaya, C. Aubrey Smith and Harry Carey, second-tier young leads Richard Carlson and Jean Parker as well as "other woman" Helen Vinson, a minor lead/second lead during early and mid thirties, here approaching the end of her career. All seven actors received a "Featuring" billing after the title. The remaining supporting cast included Rod La Rocque, a top leading man of the silent era, now reduced to playing minor supporting roles.In retrospect, the movie is interesting for its cast, but never really rises above a B-movie. It is a bit too melodramatic, and doesn't stand out as a great film in its own right and not a great Christmas film. I have read that some people have made this a Christmas tradition, but I just can't imagine doing this. With the dozens of great Christmas movies, I wouldn't put this in the top 50.

zardoz-13 Director A. Edward Sutherland's "Beyond Tomorrow" is a fantasy romance melodrama with a Christmas setting. This heavy-handed pabulum about second chances and voices from Heaven that can be influenced by grieving mothers is for folks who crave happy endings. Predictable, dull, and tear-stained with sketchy characters and contrived situations, this modest movie probably appealed to misty-eyed romantics during its initial release. Three eccentric business partners in their sixties who are idle widowers decide on a whim to enliven their lives with a bit of Christmas cheer. They slip $10 into separate wallets with their business cards and throw them out of their window of their New York City mansion into the street. The idea is that nobody is a stranger on Christmas Eve. The cynical member of the trio, George Melton (Harry Carey of "Angel and the Badman"), argues that nobody will return their wallets. The optimistic one, Michael O'Brien (Charles Winninger of "Destry Rides Again"), contends that someone will bring back the wallets. O'Brien challenges Melton to a wager with the loser buying dinner at their club if any of the wallets are returned. Meantime, the last member of the threesome, Allan Chadwick (C. Aubrey Smith of "Trader Horn"), watches his two companions with genuine amusement while he puffs on his pipe. They fling their wallets into the snow-swept evening on the sidewalk. One recipient gives her $10 to a chauffeur, while the remaining two show-up to return the loot. The first one is a woebegone Texan in a Stetson, James Houston (Richard Carlson of "The Howards of Virginia"), whose western drawl is as thick as his boots are threadbare, but he can warble his heart out given the chance. The second is a young lady, Jean Lawrence (Jean Parker of "Zenobia"), and she grills Chadwick about the contents of the wallet. You see, poor old Chadwick suffers from terrible vision, but O'Brien helps him out. These three old gents and the young couple are joined for supper by an expatriate Russian aristocratic dame, Madam Tanya (Maria Ouspenskaya of "The Wolf Man"), who is happy that she is no longer oppressed by her once abundant wealth. They have a blast, and later the trio of entrepreneurs catches a plane to attend to their business affairs. Madam Tanya senses that they won't get off the plane, and they don't, dying in a mountain crash. They show up at their old haunt, but now they are really haunting it as ghosts. None of them experiences any former pains and they can see through each other. The last to hear about their tragic disaster are the happy, carefree, young couple.Miraculously, Madam Tanya knows what she must do. She takes the young couple into the library and presents with an envelope containing bonds that the trio entrusted to them. While this is transpiring, a newspaperman interviews the couple about the three engineers and the story falls into the hands of a radio station whose manager invites the duo to their studios. Jean wants Jimmy to go to the interview because she is certain that his singing will land them in the big time. Madam Tanya asks them to stick around in the mansion so that the butler and she will have someone to take care of since the trio has died. Jimmy auditions at WRC Radio and they schedule him to sing that evening. While he is at WRC, he runs into a celebrity singer Arlene Terry (Helen Vinson of "Broadway Bill") who is a little older than he is. Naturally, impressionable Jimmy is impressed with the lady. Not only does she like what she sees when they meet but she also urges him to phone her when he sings on the air. Terry and her producer Phil Hubert (Rod La Rocque of "The Shadow Strikes") both approve of his warbling, and they sign him up to join their show. Jimmy reaps so much success that he no longer makes time to spend with Jean, and their romance grows languishes as they grow apart from each other. Melton moves on into thunder and lightning, and later Chadwick joins his son David (William Bakewell) in their dream of dreams India. This leaves the unhappy O'Brien behind. O'Brien is sad now because Jimmy has taken up with Terry and forgotten about Jean. Another vocalist, Jace Taylor (James Bush of "Hangmen Also Die!"), who once shared the spotlight with Terry before he turned into a drunken, struggles to patch up their relationship, but Terry wants nothing to do with him. Instead, she wants to spend some time relaxing with Jimmy. O'Brien's ghost tries to get Jimmy to reunite with Jean, but the grasping Terry sidetracks Jimmy and he drives off with her in a convertible into the country. O'Brien catches a ride in the backseat and then he notices headlights following them and whisks off to the other car. He discovers that Jace is steering the other car and has a revolver with him. While Jace has the attendant fuel up his jalopy at the gas station, he goes for a drink. Jimmy and Terry are dining in a restaurant when they are recognized by the band leader. About that time, Jace staggers in, brandishes his revolver, and shoots them both. Terry dies immediately while Jimmy makes it to the operating table at the hospital. Heaven shines down on O'Brien and summons him for the last time. O'Brien cannot stand the thought of leaving Jimmy behind until the young man joins him. Heaven comes back for O'Brien because his long-suffering mom intervened on his behalf. O'Brien entreats Heaven to give Jimmy another chance. Jean hears the good news that Jimmy survived surgery. O'Brien is further gladdened by the appearance of Melton who has repented and joins his old friend as they march toward the celestial lights."Beyond Tomorrow" would like us to believe that Jimmy and Jean got the chance to share their dreams.

bkoganbing RKO Pictures eschewed the use of stars in making this very charming fantasy about three business partners who have three very different personalities who help a pair of young lovers they meet in life and in death and Beyond Christmas.Harry Carey is the cynical one, all business and a potential Scrooge if he keeps going on. Charles Winninger and C. Aubrey Smith have more faith in human nature. In a friendly bet they turn out to be two thirds right. The trio is gathered at Maria Ouspenskaya's home for dinner and they decide to throw out wallets with a $10.00 bill and each one's business card inside. Sure enough two out of the three wallets are returned by Jean Parker and Richard Carlson and as everyone gathers for dinner, it's obvious that Carlson and Parker are smitten with each other.It might have been better if a real singer had been cast in Carlson's role, you can't miss the fact that Carlson is being dubbed. But he is an aspiring singer who gets a break on a radio program and becomes an overnight hit.After that Carey, Smith, and Winninger are all killed in a plane crash, but they linger on earth to help Carlson and Parker over the rough spots.The roughest spot is Helen Vinson who is playing one of her patented other woman roles. She's a Broadway actress with her eye on Carlson and he's taken with her, a fact upsetting to Parker.As you can see the plot has already taken a few interesting turns, but the end is quite beautiful, quite sentimental, and life affirming for those who believe we do have a purpose in our existence.When you've got three consummate professionals as the business partners who don't go out of business even in the next world, you can't help but have an enjoyable fantasy film without pretense. The kind they really don't make any more.

MartinHafer The first 30 minutes of this film are magical. It's hard to find a Christmas movie that is more charming and appealing. But in a case I can only chalk up to severe blows to the head, the film does a 180 and the plot then twists and turns too many times--leaving viewers a bit confused and disappointed that the first portion of the film was NOT indicative of where the film would go.The film begins with three excellent character actors (Charles Winninger, C. Aubry Smith and Harry Carey, Sr.) apparently living together in New York. It's Christmas Eve and when Winninger arrives home, he insists that the other two put away their business and get down to celebrating. But, given that it's only them and their two devoted servants, it seemed a bit lonely to Winninger and he suggests they try a novel approach to procuring more guests. So, the three rich men throw wallets onto the sidewalk in the hope that honest people return them--at which point they can invite them to stay for dinner! This is all pretty cute and funny--especially when a young man and lady return the wallets. The two newcomers soon become friends with them and this is an entirely charming film up to this point.HOWEVER, in a bizarre twist, the three old men are killed off and become ghosts AND the young man and woman develop a romance...but it's almost ruined by an evil femme fatale. All these crazy plot devices just seem weird and contrived. Plus, you really love the old guys and seeing them fly off to their deaths was just awful--plus it was telegraphed horribly when their housekeeper (Maria Ouspenskaya) tells them they shouldn't take the plane but should go by train (a SURE sign they are dead meat). The last half or more of the movie isn't all that satisfying as a result of all this weirdness and the religious message concerning death and eternal life is sure to rattle a few cages! While I rarely like remakes, this is one film that could sure use it. Keep the first half and DON'T kill the old guys and DON'T introduce the femme fatale. Then, the film would truly be a lovely holiday favorite.