The Heavenly Body

If you are at all familiar with astrology, you'll find the tongue-in-cheek astrological subplot very amusing. Essentially a straightforward romantic comedy of the era, with a wartime subplot in addition to the astrological one. Astronomer Powell, pre-occupied with recent developments in his work, doesn't devote sufficient time to his marriage, so wife Hedy seeks guidance from the neighborhood astrologer. Informed that she is about to meet a new love, she becomes infatuated with a handsome air raid warden, presuming him to be her foretold lover. Predictable hijinks ensue, with the predictable happy ending.

A comment on the role of the astrologer, portrayed by Fay Bainter. Her character is more a shrewd neighborhood gossip than a psychic, but appears to be a genuine believer in astrology as opposed to a calculating charlatan. Her character is presented as essentially a harmless eccentric. However, she is later revealed to be a rations hoarder (much frowned upon during WWII). Some PC Pagan/New Age persons may therefore be offended by the negative, 'discriminatory stereotype' depicted in the film. Others can look forward to some silly, harmless entertainment.

I recall this amiable hodge podge of a film with affection. The stars are charming and appealing. It also has considerable camp value. And yes, Hedy's ethereal gorgeousness is nothing short of stunning.

Bill Whitley (William Powell) is an astronomer who must work nights because of his discovery of a new comet. His wife, VIcky (Hedy Lamarr) is feeling neglected and accompanies her neighbor Mrs. Potter (Spring Byington) to visit an astrologist, Mrs. Sibyll (Fay Bainter). Vicky is instantly hooked on astrology because it gives order and purpose to her life. As a scientist her husband cannot take it seriously. When Vicky's horoscope says that she will meet a man who will become her next husband and she thinks that man is the local air raid warden (James Craig), Bill has his work cut out for him to try and keep her.

This is a pretty good WWII era time capsule. You have the air raid wardens walking the neighborhood making sure the lights are out, you have a hilarious scene with a bunch of Russians that emphasizes that they are America's friends, and the rationing that was going on even gets comically inserted into all of this. I'm surprised that the scene with the Russians didn't get everybody involved in trouble with HUAC seven years later since the idea of the friendly Russians was very short lived.

I realize that this is an attempt at a screwball comedy, but I just don't believe the performers. Hedy Lamarr is playing it way too ditzy, and William Powell, at no point, seems like he is as upset as he says that he is that his wife is planning to leave him for another man. It's the minor players that make this -Henry O'Neill as a colleague of Powell's at the observatory, all of the maids entering and exiting the Whitley household, and most of all Faye Bainter as the astrologist with a deep dark secret.

I mainly stuck with it to the end as a William Powell completist, and Powell does have lots of funny bits that made it worth it.

"The Heavenly Body" is a fine play on words as the title for this film. William Powell is astronomer William Whitley who has discovered a comet. While he is so occupied with his work, another heavenly body sits at home all alone. Hedy Lamarr plays his wife, Vicky. She's so bored because of lack of attention, that she gets rooked into and then hooked on astrology. The story takes place around one of the observatories in Arizona. The time is the early 1940s, while World War II is taking place.

The two leads and the rest of the cast are fine in this film, and the idea for the plot is quite good. Some reviewers found it too silly that an astronomer's spouse would be into astrology. Of course it's silly, but silliness often makes for very good comedy.

The problem with this film is that the script just isn't very funny. In William Powell comedies, one is used to some very clever and witty dialog, usually along with some funny antics. There's little of either in this movie. Still, Powell's efforts with this lackluster role in an almost ho-hum story, earns this seven stars with a little stretch.

Helping that stretch are a couple of things one seldom sees in movies with stories in the U.S. during World War II. The first is Civil Defense wardens. James Craig plays one here as Lloyd Hunter. So, here was an American community during WW II that had people serving as air raid wardens.

The second unique thing for movies of that period also is related to the war. Rationing was enforced across the U.S. during the war. Different things were controlled at different periods during the war. Apparently, during the time of this film, food rationing was widespread. William Whitley discovers that the astrology guru, Margaret Sibyll has been hiding something. She finally comes clean and reveals that she has been stockpiling canned food supplies obtained with extra ration cards.

It was strange though, that William Whitley was used to a breakfast every morning of bacon and eggs. Apparently those things weren't rationed, or he got the full amount for their family. So, those two little extras about the history of the time add something to this film and boost its interest level some.

Want to turn your brain off for an hour and a half? This flick is the ideal movie for that, if you're too classy (and smart) to want to watch things being blown up. The Heavenly Body isn't a //super// funny movie, but it's fun, and it'll leave you with a smile on your face. If you can ignore the stupidity of some parts.

Hedy Lamarr has less charisma than a dead tree, and she's certainly no Myrna Loy, but she and Bill have an odd chemistry together.

However, her character is so damn stupid that you may just be tearing out your hair by the end. I'm not knocking people who believe in astrology and star signs, but Hedy's character is very gullible and not the sharpest tool in the shed.

She often played dumb characters, I've noticed. Oh, the irony. Maybe it's because she was so wooden that she was not physically capable of any emotion other than mild shock. Seriously, Hedy Lamarr made Lana Turner look like Bette Davis sometimes.

Bill Powell is pretty good, but he also has a thankless role. He's an astronomer who works at a place with a giant telescope. One scene in the movie (of course) involves him getting drunk and behaving like an idiot. It seems that when he wasn't playing Nick Charles, every time he touched alcohol, he was made into a fool.

You wonder how a guy like Bill Powell's character could have ever snagged a woman like Hedy Lamarr's character, but the movie makes it apparent- He's very, very boring. And so is she. Thankless parts.

The plot's kind of stupid, but it's trying to be screwball. However, because it's not //good// screwball, you never are quite able to forgive the ludicrous plot/actions of the characters (like you would be if it were up to the level of, say, The Awful Truth), and they just seem stupid. I'm using that word a lot-sorry- but it's the best way to describe this film. Perhaps I am being generous in giving it six stars, but it isn't as bad as the reviews here make it sound. It's just that nothing makes any sense.

The happy ending, oddly, didn't seem out of place, thanks to how well the two stars mashed together.

6/10 is my rating, but I probably wouldn't watch it again unless someone forced me. Far from the worst film I've ever seen Hedy Lamarr (or Bill Powell) in.

"Heavenly Body", which was shown on cable recently, is one of those forgotten MGM comedies of the forties that had a lot style and showed a great promise based on the people involved. As directed by Alexander Hall, the movie capitalizes on the talented William Powell and the beautiful Hedy Lamarr, perhaps one of the most beautiful women in the movies of that era.

The comedy seems to be a struggle between sciences that even though sound similar, are completely opposite. William Whitley is an astrologer married to the gorgeous Vicky. They appear happy together, that is, until Nancy Potter, a neighbor, interests her in astronomy. The good natured Vicky falls prey to horoscopes and charts that take her interest away from her husband, who has made an important discovery in a comet that will be crashing on the moon.

Things get complicated when journalist LLoyd Hunter enters the picture and falls for Vicky. William feels neglected and wants to get Vicky to realize what's important and what's not, so he takes matters into his own hands and has a confrontation with the astrologer Ms. Sybill. Right after that, Vicky realizes how much William loves her and leaves all the predictions aside.

William Powell was an actor with a lot of charm. He was wonderful playing comedies, as he shows here. It's easy to see how he would be good next to Ms. Lamarr, who shows good chemistry with her co-star. In supporting roles we see a lot of the best character actors of the time, James Craig, Spring Byington, Fay Banter, Henry O'Neill, among others.

See the film as curiosity piece.