Dos en el cielo

Guy Named Joe, A (1943)

*** (out of 4)

Well-acted drama has a hot shot pilot (Spencer Tracy) getting killed during a WW2 battle leaving his fiancé (Irene Dunne) all alone. The dead pilot eventually comes back as a ghost to help a young pilot (Van Johnson) but soon his morals come into question when the young man starts dating his fiancé. This here seems to remain a popular movie considering how many times Turner Classic Movies plays it a year. The same can't be said for the Steven Spielberg remake, Always, which seems to have already been forgotten as one of the director's minor works. This film here is certainly sappy and predictable but the wonderful cast makes it very entertaining to watch even though the running time is a tad bit long. Tracy leads the way with a very touching performance that lets the actor show off various emotions ranging from anger to sweetness to even some nice comic tones. Tracy was also great at playing the tough guy with a heart and this here is no exception. Dunne is good in her role but I was surprised to see how blandly written it was. She basically just sits around (or stands) waiting for one of the men to come up to her and considering how star level at the time it's rather shocking to see her role not juiced up a bit. Johnson steals the film as the new pilot who mirrors Tracy's character too much. The naive innocence Johnson brings to the role is quite memorable. Lionel Barrymore, James Gleason and Ward Bond all offer up nice support. Barry Nelson and Esther Williams have small roles as well. The are a few battle scenes, which look extremely well including the main battle at the middle of the film when Tracy gets killed. The aerial footage was well shot and manages to be quite dramatic as well. The cinematography is another plus as is the music score. Again, the main problem tends to be in the screenplay, which really doesn't allow for too many surprises and that includes the ending, which isn't believable and really comes off rather silly. The great cast makes it worth watching though.

"A Guy Named Joe" is a beautiful, sentimental, tear-jerker of a film starring Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, Van Johnson, Lionel Barrymore, Ward Bond, James Gleason, and Dom Defore. Tracy is Pete, a fighter pilot in World War II involved with Dorinda (Dunne), a female flier. Apparently pilots whose "number is up" emit some kind of dead man walking spirit, because Dunne recognizes the signs and wants Pete to return to the states with her and teach fledgling pilots. She's so desperate that he agrees, but he's called for one last mission, and the inevitable happens. Before he knows it, no one can see him or hear him, he's escorted around heaven and earth by Barry Nelson, and assigned to be an angel for a young pilot (Johnson).

For all the warmth of this film, it was fraught with problems behind the scenes. Van Johnson was in a horrid car accident before he finished filming. The actors said they wanted to wait for him rather than see him replaced. That story may or may not be true, as the scar on his forehead is only visible in a couple of scenes; there can't have been much left to film. The second problem was that Spencer Tracy kept coming on to Irene Dunne, which made her furious, and she complained to the front office. She never worked with him again, which is a pity, because they made a charismatic screen couple.

Spencer Tracy is fantastic as a cocky pilot who comes down to earth only when he dies. His scenes as he stands behind Dunne telling her what he should have said to her while alive are very tender. Dunne is excellent as always - strong yet vulnerable, and she gets to sing "I'll Get By" in her lovely soprano. Johnson, in his breakthrough role, is good-looking, boyish, and likable. One of the nicest thing about "A Guy Named Joe" is some of the lighting effects - the silhouette of Dunne as she says goodbye to Pete; the look of his plane in the distance when she first arrives - these really add to the sense of foreboding.

Strangely, when viewed today, "A Guy Named Joe" is a feminist movie in more ways than even it knew. Dunne is a female pilot and proves her mettle in a dangerous mission. But more than that, consider the fact that she becomes involved with Johnson in the film and was 18 years his senior! She was 45 when this movie was released, and Johnson was 29. The age difference is obvious. Good for her - playing a lead at that age while employed by Louis B, no less, and having a younger love interest! Mayer is the man who booted out Joan Crawford and didn't make any noise when Garbo and Shearer left.

If your eyes aren't moist at the end of "A Guy Named Joe," it'll be surprising. Much loved by Steven Spielberg (who remade it), and a lot of other people, it still touches the heart today and reinforced to wartime audiences that the spirit of their deceased ones continues on, with love the tie that binds.

'A Guy Named Joe' had a lot going for it, as cliched as this sounds it is a good way of describing something that have a lot of major things that makes one want to see it. Something that has happened numerous times but with varied success in execution. Victor Fleming was responsible for great films, 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Gone With the Wind' being timeless. Also respect Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne highly as actors so that was another interest point.

Watching it finally, 'A Guy Named Joe' may not completely live up to its potential and everybody involved gave better performances in better things. It does however have more than enough to make it well worth watching and it still is a good representation of the cast and Fleming, so promise is a long way from squandered (am very happy about that as that is a pet peeve of mine watching films etc and has happened many, many times).

Sure, it is not going to work for everybody and is in no way my definition of a classic. The story can be silly and is not always realistic, with it not always gelling with the wartime setting. The effects do show their age and are really quite artificial.

The script can descend into melodramatic soap, not always but when it does it is as subtle as a sledgehammer.

However, 'A Guy Named Joe' shows a lot of polish and care, without being too glossy, in the production values. One can really see the effort in the lavishly produced, without being overly elaborate, sets and equally handsome photography. The music avoids being too stock or syrupy, as well as not being too intrusive. Fleming's direction shows no signs of coldness or indifference, it instead came over as assured and sympathetic while showing momentum. The script is not perfect but nothing came over as toe-curling and the cast show a lot of committment in making it ring true.

Like the script, the story is not perfect but it is never dull, the air sequences do have an exciting momentum regardless of how they hold up visually and the emotional impact is definitely there. Will admit to feeling misty-eyed at the end, and didn't think that the film got too sentimental and despite being a film with heavy-handedness being a big danger it just about avoided that mostly (lapses of subtlety is obvious at times having said that) though somewhat by the skin of its teeth. The cast are uniformly strong, with a subtle and charming performance from Tracy and a truly heartfelt one from Dunne. Their chemistry does have a spark, couldn't tell that behind the scenes they apparently didn't get along. Van Johnson's acting here is some of his best and it is always great to see Lionel Barrymore and Esther Williams.

In a nutshell, well worth watching if not a classic. 7/10

Irene Dunne is what makes any movie she is in, superb! No female actor today, or for that matter in the 30s and 40s can compare to her wholesomeness, versatility, and talent! This movie was a lesson in many aspects of life. It was made during a time that these things were much needed but we can certainly apply the same selflessness to our daily lives today. It is funny and dramatic, fast moving and keeps your interest. Spencer Tracy is good, so was Van Johnson in that part! Ward Bond is always so good at anything he dose, he is such a great SUPPORTING actor he supports and complements, he always seems to be the character he is playing.

Yet, again I must say Irene Dunne is a Jewel, she does every character in such a believable manner you feel they could be your next door neighbor. Thank You Irene !

This is one of those old-fashioned, nice stories with generally nice people, some good lessons to be learned and some touching scenes. You just have to go with the fantasy-type theologies, in this story dead people coming back as angels-you-can see.

Irene Dunne never looked better, although the soft-focus lens helped her looks. She isn't beautiful but she's wholesomely pretty, and thus appealing. Spencer Tracy gives his normal strong performance but I liked supporting actor Ward Bond in here better. Tracy gives an excellent short speech at the end of this film.

The special-effects in the aviator-war scenes were not good but, hey, this film was made about 65 years ago. You could tell the planes were model airplanes on several shots.

Note: this film was re-made by Steven Spielberg 40 years later under the title "Always." That was a nice film, too, but I think I'd still take this version.