Cabin in the Sky (1943)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Lynn Root (play)
Joseph Schrank (writer)

Release Date:

9 April 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Fantasy

Tagline:

Broadway's big, fun-jammed music show is on the screen at last--crowded with stars and songs and spectacle in the famed MGM manner!

Plot:

A compulsive gambler dies during a shooting, but he'll receive a second chance to reform himself and to make up with his worried wife.

Plot Keywords:

Hell | Church | Shooting | Singer | Prayer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Ethel Waters	...	Petunia Jackson
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson	...	Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson
Lena Horne	...	Georgia Brown
Louis Armstrong	...	The Trumpeter
Rex Ingram	...	Lucifer Jr. / Lucius Ferry
Kenneth Spencer	...	The General / Rev. Greene
John William Sublett	...	Domino Johnson (as 'Bubbles' John W. Sublett)
Oscar Polk	...	The Deacon / Fleetfoot
Mantan Moreland	...	First Idea Man
Willie Best	...	Second Idea Man
Fletcher Rivers	...	Third Idea Man (as Moke [Fletcher Rivers])
Leon James Poke	...	Fourth Idea Man (as Poke Leon James)
Ford Washington Lee	...	Messenger Boy (as 'Buck' Ford L. Washington)
Bill Bailey	...	Bill
Butterfly McQueen	...	Lily

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Cabin In The Sky opened at the Martin Beck Theater on October 25, 1940 and ran for 156 performances.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Domino Johnson accidentally shoots Petunia in the nightclub, she drapes her right arm over the staircase twice.

Quotes:

Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: [when he discovers he's in trouble with the Devil] Oh, me! I'm about the most miserabelest person that ever died!

Movie Connections:

References King Kong (1933)

Soundtrack:

Honey in the Honeycomb

Something that all ages can yet relate to...

I must admit, as a support to the Harlem Renaissance, I show this film to my students. No child has ever been left unaffected at seeing this film. What a wonderfully touching film. It addresses real issues of today in a yesterday atmosphere. The cinematography is somewhat lacking, but for the 1940s that is of no diminish to the beauty of this film. In addition, it is yet a marker to the contribution of the African American to the film industry and well worth the title of one of life's best kept African American secrets. The actors in the film also warrant acclaim for this. This all person-of-color film is so lovely, emotion filled and real, who would not want to spend their time evaluating its worth? As a 7th grade Language Arts instructor who is greatly proud of her heritage and the contributions my ancestors and friends have made, I am indeed proud of this cinematic star-studded glimpse of the past. And, I still cry every time I watch it today...