Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1970s
    Movies - 1970s Movies - H 2 Mins Read

    Heaven Can Wait (1978)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    When the Heavenly Authorities decide that Joe Pendleton’s life as a pro football quarterback for the LA Rams was ended prematurely he finds himself sent back to Earth – but reincarnated as a millionaire with a murderous wife more dangerous than any football tackle he had endured in his previous life.

    Warren Beatty co-directs and stars as the football player accidentally selected to die after a car accident.

    heavencanwait5

    Realising he has been called before his time, Joe bargains with celestial middle manager “Mr Jordan” (James Mason) and gets the chance to live again but in someone else’s body – since his has already been cremated.

    Joe is sent back to Earth as Leo Farnsworth, a ruthless, super-rich industrialist and uses his new body’s resources to buy the Rams so he can still play for the team.

    The delightful storyline also involves Joe’s beloved coach, Max (Jack Warden), Farnsworth’s conniving wife, Julia (Dyan Cannon) and assistant (Charles Grodin), and the beautiful activist Betty Logan (Julie Christie), who is campaigning against Farnsworth’s ecologically damaging business practices.

    Beatty’s undeniable charm was a perfect fit for this gentle, witty update of Here Comes Mr Jordan (1941), and Dyan Cannon and Charles Grodin are a scream.

    The film became a massive hit, landing at #5 on the list of the year’s top-grossing films at the US box office and earning a slew of Oscar nominations.

    Joe Pendleton/Leo Farnsworth
    Warren Beatty
    Betty Logan
    Julie Christie
    Mr Jordan
    James Mason
    Max Corkle
    Jack Warden
    Tony Abbott
    Charles Grodin
    Julia Farnsworth
    Dyan Cannon
    Escort
    Buck Henry
    Krim
    Vincent Gardenia
    Sisk
    Joseph Maher
    Bentley
    Hamilton Camp
    Everett
    Arthur Malet
    Corinne
    Stephanie Faracy
    Lavinia
    Jeannie Linero
    Gardener
    Harry D K Wong
    Peters
    Larry Block
    Conway
    Frank Campanella
    Tomarken
    Bill Sorrells
    Haitian ambassador
    Joseph K Makel
    Oppenheim
    Keene Curtis
    Renfield
    William Larsen
    Middleton
    Morgan Farley
    Lawson
    William Bogert

    Director
    Warren Beatty
    Buck Henry

    Related Posts

    • Hot Car Girl (1958)
      Hot Car Girl (1958)
      Smalltime teenage hoods Duke (Richard Bakalyan) and Freddy (John Brinkley) steal parts from cars and sell them to a junk…
    • Ragman's Daughter, The (1971)
      Ragman's Daughter, The (1971)
      Married with two kids, living in a council flat, and recently dismissed for pilfering from his job in a Nottingham…
    • Raging Moon, The (1971)
      Raging Moon, The (1971)
      Bruce Pritchard (Malcolm McDowell) - a vigorous, healthy and randy young Northern lad with an enormous zest for life and…
    • Man Who Haunted Himself, The (1970)
      Man Who Haunted Himself, The (1970)
      The Man Who Haunted Himself is a cult 1970 British film directed by Basil Dearden and based on the novel…
    • Shampoo (1975)
      Shampoo (1975)
      Warren Beatty produced and starred in this farce set on the eve of the 1968 election that brought Richard Nixon…
    • Night Moves (1975)
      Night Moves (1975)
      Night Moves is one of the great thrillers of the 1970s. Gene Hackman stars as former pro-football star Harry Moseby,…
    • Straight Time (1978)
      Straight Time (1978)
      Dustin Hoffman stars as Max Dembo, a small-time crook recently released on parole after six years in prison. After a…
    • Longest Yard, The (1974)
      Longest Yard, The (1974)
      Burt Reynolds is disgraced former pro football quarterback Paul Crewe who is sent to prison on a short-term sentence after…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleHeathers (1989)
    Next Article Heavy Traffic (1973)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • 6.5 Special (1958)
      This film was made to capitalise on the tremendous success of […]
    • Cassettes
      Reel-to-reel tape had never been a convenient medium: Apart from […]
    • Dogs of War, The (1980)
      Jamie Shannon (Christopher Walken) is a veteran sickened by his […]
    • All Coppers Are… (1972)
      Joe (Martin Potter), Sue (Julia Foster) and Barry (Nicky Henson) […]
    • Don’t Tell Father
      1 9 9 2 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes This dire BBC comedy starred […]
    • Atari
      Californian Nolan Bushnell created a game called Pong in 1971. […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    1 day ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    7 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    RIP Fred White, drummer with Earth, Wind and Fire, who has died aged 67. 😢

    RIP Fred White, drummer with Earth, Wind and Fire, who has died aged 67. 😢 ... See MoreSee Less

    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Great band

    RIP Dame Vivienne Westwood,  one of the most recognised and influential designers of the late twentieth century. 
https://nostalgiacentral.com/pop-culture/fashion/vivienne-westwood/

    RIP Dame Vivienne Westwood, one of the most recognised and influential designers of the late twentieth century.
    nostalgiacentral.com/pop-culture/fashion/vivienne-westwood/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.