One Foot in Heaven

In a class I was taking we were assigned to watch this movie, and then, on paper, keep track of the conflicts that were found. I couldn't stop writing. It was one conflict after another.

I have just been moved to a new church, and though my problems were no where near what the pastor in the movie had to face, I learned a lot from it and I decided to share it with others.

We showed the movie at a Sunday Night service and it was well received and I recommend showing it to your churches. It generated a lot of laughter, especially the differences from then to today, but it also made many good points that hit home. I noticed a change in their attitudes the next day.

Of course, it's impossible to tell how much of this story is dramatized and how much is real. And the gothic ideals of what a "church" should be are now very period--as they should be. But what makes this film work is the human nature presented through the characters. I say this because, as a (United) Methodist pastor, I know and have known the very types of characters represented in this film. And as one who sometimes wonders whether I'm fulfilling the mandate of my calling, this film was a welcome and refreshing reminder of maintaining my focus. It is probably a good insight for church members who want to get a glimpse of what life is truly like for a clergy person, then as now (though my parsonage is countless times better than what poor Dr. Spence had to live with!). A recommended dose of reality for the clergy-weary and the clergy-wary alike!

Being a preacher's kid is never easy. I was one, and so was my wife. This movie portrays in dramatic ways the humanity and humour of being a preacher's family living essentially on hand outs and never quite having the perfect home for the kids. I can relate to Hartzel, the eldest son. Like him I wished my Dad could have been anything else but a preacher. Like Hartzel I found out in many situations just how much Dad would go through for us.

This movie is nostalgic in many ways. It hearkens back to a time when values like vision, and sacrifice were highly esteemed, and were going the extra mile was not an option but an expected way of life. Sometimes, when I look back, I rewind this video and watch it.

It is a human story, wrapped up in the faith of a man and his family, who laid hold of a dream to make God real in every facet of life, and to show people that God cares about all of us. It is a story of trial and adversity and perseverance and triumph. In the end it is not the glory and accolades of man that matter, but of having lived a life well lived and full to brim.

The cast of this film is perfect and very believable. Some of the characters I have known personally in different churches my father pastored. It is as if they are in every congregation. The issues of never owning a home or being able to decorate as you please, or not having enough groceries, and even the leaky roof over our heads, all resonate. I have lived through them myself. These things really happened to the circuit preachers and those who went and started new churches. These things still happen.

It is a good script, and is not in conflict with the book. The book is well worth the read as well. I have both the movie and the book. It sits amongst my most prized possessions.

You will find yourself laughing, you will shake your head in disbelief, you will get ticked off, but in the end you will find yourself appreciating and loving this very human family that attempts to keep loving and keep living out what they believe, to love God and to love your neighbour as yourself.

This movie will reveal just how much and how full a life can be, and how meaningful it is to serve others. Gayle Sayers the Hall of Fame running back of the Chicago Bears said, "God first, others second, myself third." This is exactly what this movie is about. Getting the priorities right and living life to the full.

For those who are cynical about the religious life, here's a movie which ought to put some of that cynicism to rest. "One Foot in Heaven" is the true story of a Methodist preacher and his family, and it rings true, not just for the humanity Frederic March brings to his role as the preacher, but for the situations and characters that many of us, regardless of creed, will easily relate to. My dad used to say, A church is its people. I think One Foot in Heaven is a perfect illustration of this truth. Though this is a story about a preacher, we aren't preached at. There's a wonderful scene, with the preacher gently urging his agnostic doctor to start coming to church. He doesn't beat him over the head with a Bible but tries a more "humanist" approach.

Someone else has compared One Foot in Heaven with It's a Wonderful Life. Another film to compare is Going My Way. In fact, One Foot in Heaven and Going My Way were released just a year apart. There are story similarities, like the building of new churches (The Bishop's Wife is another example), but it's interesting to see how religion in the community is seen respectively through Protestant and Catholic lenses.

Then, there's the final scene. In some ways it's corny, but it still moves me. It hearkens to a time when religion wasn't sectarian but seamlessly interwoven in community life, unselfconsciously and unostentatiously. It was before the battle lines between religionists and secularists were drawn, when America had a "civil" religion. Alas, a time past.

ONE FOOT IN HEAVEN is a wonderful story of what it takes to not only endure the difficulties in being a minister; but how these problems build character.

Year after year of allowing church bosses and bullies to dictate what will and won't be allowed, the minister finally learns how to beat them at their own game.

It has so many touches of warmth, in which a subliminal message of truth is going on coupled with hints of blackmail and leverage.

When Dr. Spence refuses to name his own son Wm. Spence, Jr. because he says, "Junior is a sissy name and I won't have my son being a sissy!" his wife decides to coerce him by holding back on the cooking of dinner until he gives in to her wishes. Thinking she's won, he says he'll name the baby in church next Sunday. As he asks for the name and she announces to the congregation, "William Spence, Junior," he repeats it as "William Frasier Spence" ("named after my grand old Scottish Uncle Frasier--and I don't mean the one who was hanged as a horse thief!")

It is this war of wills that carries the story; making each episode build to the next one. Tempered with touches of right and wrong, it is a classic! A must see! Good conflict, good story line.

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.