Cabin in the Sky
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Written by Joseph Schrank based on the book of the musical play by Lynn Root
1943/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Sometimes the cabin’s gloomy and the table’s bare,/ But then he’ll kiss me and it’s Christmas everywhere. /Troubles fly away and life is easy go./ Does he love me good? That’s all I need to know. /Seems like happiness is just a thing called Joe. – “Happiness is a Thing Called Joe” – lyrics by Yip Harburg[/box]
If one can look past the racial attitudes of the era, Vincent Minnelli’s debut film is a cornucopia of riches starting with its all-star African-American cast.
Little Joe Jackson (Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson) is a bit of a scamp and an unlucky gambler. His backbone comes from his wife Petunia (Ethel Waters), who has a direct line to the Lord. One day, instead of confessing at church like he promised he is lured to a gambling den where he is shot. As he lies in bed in delirium with his life in the balance, Lucifer Jr. (Rex Ingram) comes to take him below. An angel, The General, hears Petunia’s prayers. Although Little Joe is not fit for the Cabin in the Sky, he is granted another six months to change his ways.
Little Joe seems to see the light so Lucifer Jr. and his men cook up a scheme to make him rich and as added insurance send a temptress in the form of Georgia Brown (Lena Horn). The devil’s wiles appear to work. Can Petunia defeat them? You know the answer to that one. With Louis Armstrong as one of the demons and Duke Ellington and His Orchestra entertaining at the gambling den.
Vincente Minnelli would get more skillful at integrating musical numbers with his stories but this is a brilliant start. As soon as any singing or dancing begins the film swings into high gear and becomes a total delight. Standouts include Waters’s two renditions of “Taking a Chance on Love” and both the leading ladies singing “Honey from the Honeycomb” in a kind of competition. Who would have guessed Eddie Anderson was so multi-talented? Recomended.
Harold Arlen and E. Y. (‘Yip’) Harburg were nominated for an Oscar for their Original Song “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe,”
Clip – Dancing at Jim Henry’s Paradise nightclub to the music of Duke Ellington.
