Beyond Tomorrow

Fox Home Entertainment has once again attempted to improve upon a classic. Last year it was THE GREAT RUPERT, which the studio decided to colorize and release under the title THE Christmas WISH. (Fortunately, the B&W original--with the new title, alas--was included as a bonus.) Now, BEYOND TOMORROW gets similar treatment. However, in addition to colorizing and retitling the film (BEYOND Christmas), the company has also chopped out about 5 minutes of material from the movie. (Made even more obvious by the fact that the footage shows up on TV and on all previous VHS & DVD versions, including the bargain bin copies.) Granted, they include the material in the Extras as "deleted footage," but that only begs the question, "What was the point of deleting it at this time, to begin with?" Some of the deletions, such as the sequence where Arlene Terry's ex-boyfriend clashes with her new leading man, destroy the emotional impact of the showdown between the two men and Arlene during the film's finale. To first-time viewers unfamiliar with the film, the jilted lover's appearance at the end comes almost out of the blue, causing confusion as to who he is. In spite of these alterations/deletions, the box proudly announces the film is fully restored. Sorry, Fox, but the term "restoration" does NOT mean alteration or condensation. (For those wanting to see the complete film as it was meant to be seen, check out the VCI DVD.) And with the various advances in such technology, it is amazing to see how artificial the colorization still looks, at least on this film. (To this day, perhaps the most realistic colorization remains the process used on select episodes of Walt Disney's ZORRO TV series from the 1950s. If colorization is a process that has to still be practiced, then it needs to be perfected. There is no excuse for the color quality on this, especially considering how long ago it was that Disney colorized ZORRO and some of the early Mickey Mouse shorts, to convincing effect.) On a more positive note, however, the Fox release does include some vintage theatrical Christmas shorts, such as Bob Hope and Bette Davis pitching Christmas Seals.

"Beyond Tomorrow" from 1940 begs to be re-discovered by today's somewhat jaded and special effects over-saturated audiences. Director A. Edward Sutherland knew his business and even if his films aren't top drawer Hollywood, they're not backlot dreck either. Thanks to Alpha Video this film was a mere $4.99 at Manhattan's J&R superstore.

Many movies feature a departed-from-this-mortal-coil soul aiding those left behind to find love or, perhaps, solve crimes. It's hardly a novel genre. Most are hokey even with top stars (like, say, Robin Williams). "Beyond Tomorrow" with effects pretty good for the times is a charmer from beginning to end.

Three gentlemen, getting on in years, are very successful engineers who live in a palatial town house in Manhattan. In addition to being business partners they're close friends. George Multon (Harry Carey) has a mysterious past act taking a ride on his conscience. Ramrod straight Alan Chadwick formerly served in a British regiment in India. Jovial Michael O'Brien (Charles Winninger) brings a blithe Irish spirit to the trio's Christmas Eve. The engineers have two housekeepers, Madame Tanya (the versatile actress of stage and screen as well as drama teacher Maria Ouspenskaya) and the butler Josef (Alex Melesh). The two Russian emigres have their own story: refugees from the demise of the Romanovs, Madame Tanya voices her thanks at being in America to which Josef concurs (these actors had no later problems with HUAC).

A novel ploy is hatched by the tuxedoed engineers to brighten up their Christmas Eve. Each hurls a wallet with his business card and a $10 bill to the snowy sidewalk outside their manse. The idea is that whoever returns the wallet and money will be invited to dine in sumptuous luxury.

An actress, Arlene Terry (Helen Vinson) takes the money and throws the wallet to the ground. This is the real beginning of fantasy in the flick as such behavior didn't then and never could happen in Gotham. But a handsome guy from Texas, a would-be crooner, James Houston (Richard Carlson), and a nice gal, Jean Lawrence (Jean Parker), return the billfolds. (This was a decade before Carlson became the nation's and the FBI's hero as the patriot who penetrated the Evil Empire's domestic operation as shown in "I Led Three Lives." Carlson enjoyed a prolific if not artistically important screen and TV career.)

Wouldn't you know that neither had any plans for Christmas Eve.

So the two single folks, alone on Christmas Eve in New York, meet at the old codgers' roost and, of course, an immediate attraction ensues. Amused and moved by the instant romance formed under their roof, the engineers more or less adopt the couple.

But then...tragedy strikes. Ignoring the ominous prediction of disaster from Madame Tanya, the trio fly off to get new business and perish when their plane hits a mountain. Everyone's grief stricken.

But, at least for a while, the three dead guys come home to try and manage affairs. And they find a big problem. Discovered as a singing sensation Jim is at risk of being seduced by the divorced (1940s signal for "Loose Woman Dead Ahead") Arlene Terry (remember, we already know she's a snake because she didn't return the wallet).

Poor Jean is increasingly left alone while Jim pursues his career and Arlene pursues him. The ghosts lament his approaching indiscretion but can they save the day?

Much of the story is predictable but the acting is first-rate. Winninger's O'Brien will capture the heart of all who enjoy lovable Irishmen with deep hearts and a hardy brogue.

Jean Parker is adorable as the big-hearted kid who finds and almost loses love in the Big City.

This wasn't a big budget film but for the time the spectral characters are pretty state-of-the-art. The outcome is never in doubt but the trip there is charming.

Readily available on DVD: go for it.

8/10

I really wanted to see Maria Oupenskaya, a Russian American actress, who trained Ruth White among others. Tragically she died in a fire. This film is the first I was able to see. Back in the studio system days, films like this were done quickly and more efficiently. If anything, the quality of writing isn't great. Still the cast do a terrific job with the script. The Christmas dinner and party was delightful to watch. The tragic loss of the three elderly wealthy men who return as spirits who guide the young honest couple back to each other. The film might have quality issues with the DVD. Still the film is worth seeing at least once and should be aired around the Christmas holidays.

How is it possible that I have never seen (or heard of) this movie before?! Thanks to TCM I was able to check it out and I must say - this should be a holiday tradition, shown on TV as regularly as "It's A Wonderful Life". Although it's not quite up to that level of classic perfection, "Beyond Tomorrow" gives one a similarly uplifting feeling. The ending makes you feel glad to be alive...and less afraid of death.

I won't give away the story - just watch. Some may say it's naive and sentimental, but I feel sorry for anyone who's such a hard-hearted cynic (and what are you doing watching Christmas movies anyway?) So many movies try to be "heartwarming" and fail, coming off as phoney and emotionally manipulative. It's good to see one as sincere and genuinely moving as this one.

It's a shame the print isn't better quality, despite some recent restoration work. How such a great film could be allowed to deteriorate, I'll never understand. It's especially shameful when you think of how many other, older movies are in better shape. I hope the TCM print gets released on DVD, since it seems to be an improvement over the cheapie DVDs out there. This film deserves to be better known, and should be preserved so that it can be seen...beyond tomorrow.

In this elaborately scripted fantasy, when three aging businessmen are unexpectedly left without guests on Christmas Eve, each tosses a wallet including a ten dollar bill from a window in hopes that someone honest will return one, and be asked to dinner, to make their holiday less lonely. Two of the three billfolds are returned, by a young man (Richard Carlson) and a young woman (Jean Parker) whose lives are acutely changed as they are welcomed not only to the table of the three gentlemen but also into their hearts and those of their two retainers (Maria Ouspenskaya and Alex Melesh). The young pair quite appropriately fall in love, only to have their beatitude marred when their sage benefactors die in a plane crash, but when the three promptly return to their town manse as apparitions, a bittersweet tale unfolds when Jimmy, the young man, falls prey to a siren (Helen Vinson) and the trio (C. Aubrey Smith, Charles Winninger, Harry Carey) in their belief that they will not be received in Heaven until they assist the lad in untangling himself from the vixen, set out to do so. After two of the spirits wend their way to Elysium, the last (Winninger) decides to remain within the shadow of Earth, swooping about while attempting to assist his young former charges with their romantic travails. All boils down to an eminently satisfactory ending, with fine work by those involved, including splendid editing by Otto Ludwig and top-drawer art direction by Stephen Goosson, while cast member Ouspenskaya, as a noble émigré from Russia, is especially effective in this amiable film.