Angel on My Shoulder

"With an angel on his shoulder...and the devil in his heart!"

1946 1h 40m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 47

FantasyComedy

Synopsis

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The Devil arranges for a deceased gangster to return to Earth as a well-respected judge to make up for his previous life.

“With an angel on his shoulder...and the devil in his heart!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Paul Muni
Eddie Kagle / Judge Fredrick Parker
Anne Baxter
Barbara Foster
Claude Rains
"Nick"
Onslow Stevens
Dr. Matt Higgins
George Cleveland
Albert
Erskine Sanford
Minister
Marion Martin
Rosie Morgan Bentley
Hardie Albright
"Smiley" Williams

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Archie Mayo
Writers: Harry Segall, Harry Segall, Roland Kibbee
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

80 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Archie Mayo, shot by James Van Trees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Asa Boyd Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Muni and Anne Baxter and Claude Rains carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "With an angel on his shoulder...and the devil in his heart!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0038300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 47 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Archie Mayo directs. James Van Trees behind the camera. Dimitri Tiomkin scores. Asa Boyd Clark cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

180 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Archie Mayo, shot by James Van Trees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Asa Boyd Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Paul Muni and Anne Baxter and Claude Rains carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "With an angel on his shoulder...and the devil in his heart!".
7IMDB entry: tt0038300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 47 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 17 themes, including "judge", "angel", "gangster", "release from prison".

The technical file

Cinematography: James Van Trees
Original score: Dimitri Tiomkin
Editing: Asa Boyd Clark
Makeup / hair: Ern Westmore
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Angel on My Shoulder (1946)

Also by

Archie Mayo

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-06-14
★ 6/10
Above average tale of heaven and hell shenanigans. I have to say that my rating for this film is somewhat clouded because that is exactly what the film's copy was, very cloudy. I can't believe there is not a restoration in line for this film from 1946, it is barely watchable and the sound mix is nigh on impossible to hear. The film is standard fare as regards the tale of the bad man gets a shot at life again, only here it's with a kicker, and watching this film unfold is never less than interesting without actually pulling up any trees. Paul Muni is fine and plays our main protagonists dual personality with credible verve, and Claude Rains is clearly enjoying himself as the devil of the piece, and I heartily applaud the dark shift the film took for the final reel, yet it is a hard film to recommend unless you can see and hear it properly. I have no hesitation in watching this film again if a restoration comes to pass, but until then I say approach with caution. 6/10
CinemaSerf2022-07-07
★ 7/10
Claude Rains is at his mischievous best in this fantasy drama as the Devil who decides that he can use a recent arrival in his domain - gangster "Eddie" (Paul Muni) to thwart the goody-goody antics of "Judge Parker", a jurist who has aspirations to run for governor. Now "Eddie" is more than happy with his Satanic proposal and relishes the fun he can have as he takes over the body of the judge and has a whale of a time. Thing is, though, his actions actually start to enhance the reputation of the man he was sent to tarnish, and when he meets Anne Baxter ("Barbara") who is now his new-found fiancée, he rapidly starts to look like he might not be such a great choice for Old Nick after all... Both are on good form, the characters are engaging and as the worm turns, I felt a slight degree of satisfaction as his puppet master has to look on, powerless... The ending isn't great, but I suppose desserts were just all round, and I enjoyed the whole thing.