Heading for Heaven

1947 film by Lewis D. Collins

Heading for Heaven

Movie poster

Directed by| Lewis D. Collins
Written by| Lewis D. Collins
Oscar Mugge
Produced by| George Moskov
Jack Schwarz
Starring| Stuart Erwin
Glenda Farrell
Russ Vincent
Irene Ryan
Cinematography| George Robinson
Edited by| Martin G. Cohn
Music by| Hal Borne
Distributed by| Producers Releasing Corporation

Release date

* December 6, 1947 (1947-12-06)

Running time

| 65 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

Heading for Heaven is a 1947 American comedy film starring Stuart Erwin and Glenda Farrell.[1][2][3] The film was directed by Lewis D. Collins and is based on the 1929 play For the Sake of the Family by Charles Webb and Daniel Brown.[4] Made by Pathe Industries for release by the Producers Releasing Corporation. The film was later picked up for distribution by Eagle-Lion Films after PRC's demise. It was one of several films of the time depicting fraudulent spiritualism such as Nightmare Alley (1947), The Spiritualist (1948) and London Belongs to Me (1948).

## Plot[edit]

Henry Elkins has been left a large parcel of land by his father and grandfather in what is now the eastern part of the city of Elkinsville. Having been told never to sell the property by his ancestors, Henry has refused several lucrative offers wanting to purchase the land for a cemetery, incinerator or the city dump in favour of wishing to develop a housing estate.

Henry lives with his wife Nora Elkins who passionately believes in a fraudulent Swami who conducts seances, a snappy housekeeper, a lazy brother in law, a daughter and a cat who all give him problems, Henry dreams the land will someday bring him both great fortune and self-respect.

Henry's life changes when he overhears information about one of his Doctor's patients who is terminally ill that he thinks is his own diagnosis when he goes for a physical for an insurance policy. He agrees to sell his land to an airline wishing to build an airport giving his wife and family the money as a legacy but several people in Elkinsville attempt to give Henry fraudulent information to lower his price or intend to acquire it for themselves. One of them uses the swami to convince Henry to sell the land to them who will then sell it to the airlines for a profit for themselves.

Surrounded by problems Henry goes to a peaceful lake to meditate. He falls asleep where nightmares wake him up causing him to fall in the water. As he is drying his clothes they also fall in the water and float away leading policemen who find his clothes containing a note to his wife that Henry has taken his own life. Henry's return to his home is delayed when he has to steal the clothes of a scarecrow leading him to a pair of hoboes who befriend him and get him drunk. He returns in time to find a real representative from the airline making Henry a direct substantial offer for his property that will include a housing estate, but first Henry decides to teach the swindlers and his gullible family a lesson by crashing a seance they have planned.

## Cast[edit]

* Stuart Erwin as Henry Elkins
* Glenda Farrell as Nora Elkins
* Russ Vincent as Swami
* Irene Ryan as Molly the Maid
* Milburn Stone as Elwood Harding
* George O'Hanlon as Alvin Ponacress
* Janis Wilson as Janie Elkins
* Ralph Hodges as Danny Wingate
* Dick Elliott as Roger Wingate
* Charles Williams as Eddie Williams
* Selmer Jackson as Doctor

## Home media[edit]

Heading for Heaven was released on DVD on February 22, 2005.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Heading for Heaven (1947)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
2. ^ "Heading for Heaven". All Movie. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
3. ^ "Heading for Heaven". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
4. ^ "Heading for Heaven". American Film Institute: Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved March 9, 2016.

## External links[edit]

* Heading for Heaven at IMDb
* Heading for Heaven is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive

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Films directed by Lewis D. Collins

* Under the Southern Cross (1929)
* Young Desire (1930)
* The Law of the Tong (1931)
* Guns for Hire (1932)
* Gun Law (1933)
* Trouble Busters (1933)
* Ship of Wanted Men (1933)
* Skyway (1933)
* Via Pony Express (1933)
* Public Stenographer (1933)
* Sing Sing Nights (1934)
* Ticket to a Crime (1934)
* The Man from Hell (1934)
* The Brand of Hate (1934)
* Manhattan Butterfly (1935)
* Make a Million (1935)
* The Desert Trail (1935)
* The Hoosier Schoolmaster (1935)
* The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935)
* The Leavenworth Case (1936)
* The Return of Jimmy Valentine (1936)
* Doughnuts and Society (1936)
* Down to the Sea (1936)
* Lucky Corrigan (1936)
* Under Suspicion (1937)
* The Mighty Treve (1937)
* The Wildcatter (1937)
* Trapped by G-Men (1937)
* Flight Into Nowhere (1938)
* Reformatory (1938)
* The Strange Case of Dr. Meade (1938)
* Crime Takes a Holiday (1938)
* Making the Headlines (1938)
* Whispering Enemies (1939)
* Fugitive at Large (1939)
* Trapped in the Sky (1939)
* Hidden Power (1939)
* Outside the Three-Mile Limit (1940)
* Passport to Alcatraz (1940)
* Fugitive from a Prison Camp (1940)
* The Great Plane Robbery (1940)
* Borrowed Hero (1941)
* The Great Swindle (1941)
* Danger in the Pacific (1942)
* Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground (1943)
* Raiders of San Joaquin (1943)
* Oklahoma Raiders (1944)
* Trigger Trail (1944)
* Sweethearts of the U.S.A. (1944)
* The Old Texas Trail (1944)
* Danger Woman (1946)
* Killer Dill (1947)
* Heading for Heaven (1947)
* Jungle Goddess (1948)
* The Fighting Redhead (1949)
* Cowboy and the Prizefighter (1949)
* Roll, Thunder, Roll! (1949)
* Ride, Ryder, Ride! (1949)
* Law of the Panhandle (1950)
* Cherokee Uprising (1950)
* Hot Rod (1950)
* Colorado Ambush (1951)
* Abilene Trail (1951)
* Oklahoma Justice (1951)
* Man from Sonora (1951)
* Nevada Badmen (1951)
* Stage to Blue River (1951)
* Canyon Raiders (1951)
* Stagecoach Driver (1951)
* Lawless Cowboys (1951)
* The Longhorn (1951)
* Texas Lawmen (1951)
* Texas City (1952)
* The Gunman (1952)
* Wild Stallion (1952)
* Kansas Territory (1952)
* Fargo (1952)
* Dead Man's Trail (1952)
* Canyon Ambush (1952)
* Waco (1952)
* Montana Incident (1952)
* The Marksman (1953)
* Vigilante Terror (1953)
* Texas Bad Man (1953)
* The Homesteaders (1953)
* Two Guns and a Badge (1954)

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