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Sunday, October 24, 2010

Oh, God!

Oh, God!

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Oh, God!
Directed by Carl Reiner
Produced by Jerry Weintraub
Written by Larry Gelbart
Avery Corman (novel)
Starring John Denver
George Burns
Teri Garr
Donald Pleasence
Ralph Bellamy
William Daniels
Barnard Hughes
Paul Sorvino
Music by Jack Elliott
Cinematography Victor J. Kemper
Editing by Bud Molin
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s) October 7, 1977
Running time 98 min.
Country United States
Language English
Gross revenue Theatrical:
$41,687,243 (USA)
Rentals:
$31,500,000 (USA)
Followed by Oh, God! Book II
Oh, God! is a 1977 comedy film, starring John Denver and George Burns. Based on a novel by Avery Corman, the film was directed by Carl Reiner from a screenplay written by Larry Gelbart. The story centers on unassuming supermarket manager Jerry Landers (Denver), chosen by God (Burns) to spread his message, despite the skepticism of the media, religious authorities, and Landers' wife (Teri Garr).
The film inspired two sequels, Oh, God! Book II (1980) and Oh, God! You Devil (1984), both of which featured Burns reprising his role, but with no other recurring characters from the original story.

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[edit] Synopsis

God appears as a kindly old man to Jerry Landers, an assistant supermarket manager. After some mixups in trying to set up an "interview," He tells Jerry that he has been selected to be His messenger to the modern world, much like a contemporary Moses. A bit timidly at first, Landers dutifully tells the world of his encounters with God. Understandably skeptical at first, Landers finds his life turned upside down as theologians attempt to discredit him. For instance, a group of religious leaders challenge him to answer a series of written questions in Aramaic while locked in a hotel room alone to prove God is directly contacting him. To Jerry's profound relief after an agonizing wait, God arrives and answers the questions. Eventually, Jerry decides to prove his story in a court of law, after being sued for slander by a preacher God directed Jerry to call a "phony".
Jerry argues that if God's existence is a reasonable possibility, then if He chooses he can materialize and sit in the witness chair. At first, God fails to appear, and the judge threatens to charge Jerry with contempt for "what you apparently thought was a clever stunt." Jerry argues that his point was that when he brought up the mere possibility that God would make a personal appearance, everyone clearly waited a moment to see if it would really happen — proving that he at least deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Suddenly, without opening the doors, God appears and asks to be sworn in, concluding the procedure with "So help me Me." "If it please the court, and even if it doesn't please the court, I'm God, your honor."
God provides some miracles, first in the form of a few rather impressive card tricks for the judge. Then, to help the people believe, he leaves the stand, walks a few steps and, with everyone watching, literally disappears before their eyes. His disembodied voice then issues a parting shot: "It can work. Don't hurt each other. If it's hard to have faith in me, maybe it will help to know that I have faith in you."
Jerry has lost his job, but God assures him that he's in "good hands". God gets ready to leave and is not coming back. Jerry then asks what if he needs to talk with him. God says to him "You talk. I'll listen". He then disappears.

[edit] Main cast

[edit] Trivia

 Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (December 2007)
  • According to screenwriter Larry Gelbart, Reiner initially envisioned his oft-partner Mel Brooks playing God, and Woody Allen playing the supermarket manager.
  • When Jerry is in the hotel room about to give God a quiz, The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961), created by Carl Reiner, is playing on the television.
  • Barbara Harris was originally cast in the role that went to Garr.
  • The movie's poster can be seen in a scene from the 1999 movie Man on the Moon. The movie took place in the late 70's and early 80's.
  • In an interview, Burns said, "They're making a sequel. I'm playing God again. Why not? At my age, anything I do is a miracle."
  • Groucho Marx, who was a close friend of George Burns, also had the role of God in the Otto Preminger comedy Skidoo.

[edit] External links

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