The Cockeyed Miracle

This movie, about a dreamer who never plans for the future, dies suddenly and doesn't know it. He attempts to speak with his wife and children, but gets frustrated when they can not hear him. He is then met by a man who explains to him that he is dead, and has come to escort him to heaven. Suddenly the dead man realizes that his "guide" is his own dead father. Together, the two dead men connive to arrange for the family's future security.

I found this movie to be surprisingly funny. The charachters are a little predictable, but they fit the movie well. Frank Morgan and Keenan Wynn are wonderful as son and father, after you get used to seeing a father who is younger than the son.

Frank Morgan plays the part of Sam Griggs, a man who likes to dabble in real estate despite his wife's admonishments. He passes away before a deal can be resolved, so he wonders if his family will be able to make ends meet. Needless to say, the plot involves the supernatural.

The entire ending of the film is about the resolution of the deal, and whether or not a trusted friend chooses a moral path. That might sound like serious stuff, but it is all played for comedy. The viewer, like Sam, is caught up in the humorous drama surrounding the results of his secret deal.

Morgan, always reliable, is terrific in his part. Kennan Wynn works closely with Morgan to create the humor in the final scenes. The surrounding cast plays Sam's kin and family friends who try their best to make good life choices.

In the end, the viewer can decide if there actually is a "miracle" and even if there actually is a resolution. Either way, it is entertaining to watch the buildup.

There are some excellent special effects for 1946.

Funny B-comedy from MGM. Morgan plays a man who dies and leaves his family in a tight spot. When his father (Wynn) arrives to fetch him to heaven, it's up to them (as ghosts) to make sure Morgan's fetching daughter (Totter, in a rare lilly-white role) gets hitched and that Morgan's partner (Kellaway) doesn't rip the family off on his most recent investment.

The gimmick of having the middle-aged Wynn play elderly Morgan's father pays off with some witty jokes and the 2 stars' wonderful playing off each other. It's interesting to speculate whether if Ed Wynn had been playing movie roles at this time he would have been cast as Keenan's son, thus making this ridiculous situation even more amusing.

A quality script and cast with OK production (directing and photography) produces a likeable, funny situational comedy.

I really enjoyed this film. Frank Morgan is outstanding in the lead role and Richard Quine is delightfully funny as Frank Morgan's character's potential son-in-law. Gladys Cooper is superb as the wife of Frank Morgan's character. Cecil Kellaway and Audrey Totter provide fine support as well. The plot and mood is reminiscent of such fantasy films as "Heaven Can Wait, "A Christmas Carol", and "It's A Wonderful Life" and filmgoers who like that type of film will like this one. The one performance that I felt was disappointing was Keenan Wynn as Frank Morgan's father (and it wasn't really because of the age difference). It was a difficult part to play and I just didn't buy Keenan Wynn's performance in this film although he is a very good actor generally. However, it didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the film. The film has heart and is funny and those qualities along with a top-notch cast make for a fine and enjoyable film that I highly recommend and am a bit puzzled as to why it didn't succeed at the box office.

I have to admit i was overly excited about seeing this because I loved the cast. I probably expected too much based on that alone. I think it is a charming film but pretty low on laughs.