Cabin in the Sky (1943)
84%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Cabin in the Sky’s racial stereotypes are impossible to ignore — but so are its irresistible musical numbers and brilliantly talented cast
Cabin in the Sky” is a classic Hollywood musical that’s worth watching for Ethel Waters’ incredible acting and singing skills alone. The movie has its moments of fantasy and charm, but it’s not without its faults. The direction could have been more imaginative, and the crowded cast doesn’t always get the chance to shine. Still, if you’re looking for some good old-fashioned entertainment, this movie won’t disappoint. Plus, who doesn’t love a good musical number?
Production Company(ies)
The Directors Company, Saticoy Productions, Paramount Pictures,
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios – 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
Year of Release
1943
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 38m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 9, 1943 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 24, 2006
Genre(s)
Musical
Keyword(s)
starring Ethel Waters, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Rex Ingram, Kenneth Spencer, directed by Vincente Minnelli, Busby Berkeley, written by Marc Connelly, Lynn Root, Joseph Schrank, musical, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Marjory Adams, Wanda Hale, Mildred Martin, James Agee, Len G Shaw, Colvin McPherson, Harry Levette, Moira Wallace, Thomas Archer, Jane Corby, MPAA rating, racial stereotypes, purgatory, heaven, devil, angel, gambling, drunken fight, Petunia Jackson, Little Joe Jackson, Lucifer Jr., Lucius, The General, Rev Greene, irresistible musical numbers, talented cast
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Eddie “Rochester” Anderson – Joe Jackson
Lena Horne – Georgia Brown
Louis Armstrong – The Trumpeter
Rex Ingram – Lucifer Jr., Lucius
Kenneth Spencer – The General, Rev. Greene
Director(s)
Vincente Minnelli, Busby Berkeley
Writer(s)
Marc Connelly, Lynn Root, Joseph Schrank
Producer(s)
Arthur Freed
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (9)
[Cabin in the Sky] is one of the most charming, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable pictures that Hollywood has sent out in some time.
December 16, 2020
Marjory Adams
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
It is something for you to go out of your way to see and hear.
December 16, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
Wanda Hale
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
The chief fault, it seems to us, is the unimaginative direction of Vincente Minnelli who never takes full advantage of the motion picture medium’s facilities for creating fantasy… If Minnelli has fumbled his opportunities, Miss Waters has not.
December 16, 2020
Mildred Martin
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Like many star-filled pictures, this one never really shows off its crowded heavens.
December 16, 2020
James Agee
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The superb artistry with which [Ethel Waters] is so richly endowed is constantly in evidence, not only in her interpretation of the songs but in the emotional power she displays, as well as the gayer manifestations.
December 16, 2020
Len G. Shaw
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
Cabin in the Sky would be worth the price if only to permit observation of Miss Waters’ acting skill.
December 16, 2020
Colvin McPherson
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
As a whole it is excellent entertainment, and has proven to be a fine vehicle for the talents and versatility of the notable cast.
December 16, 2020
Harry Levette
California Eagle
Ethel Waters has great emotional power not only in her singing of “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” and “Taking a Chance On Love,” but in every gesture and mood she portrays.
December 16, 2020
Moira Wallace
San Francisco Examiner
[Cabin in the Sky is] a fantasy that has great moments and other moments which rise little above the routine of the common or garden Hollywood musical.
December 16, 2020
Thomas Archer
Montreal Gazette
For sheer entertainment Cabin the Sky is high up on the list of current film attractions.
December 16, 2020
Jane Corby
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The sum total is definite entertainment.
December 16, 2020
MPH Staff
Motion Picture Herald (Exhibitors Herald)
There is enough variety to give some measure of pleasure to every one who can be induced to see the film.
December 16, 2020
Film Daily Staff
The Film Daily…
Plot
Chronic gambler and carouser “Little” Joe Jackson is shot by Domino Johnson at Jim Henry’s gambling club over an outstanding gambling debt. Little Joe’s wife, the God-fearing Petunia Jackson, prays not only for her husband’s mortal life, but also his eternal soul as she’s afraid that if he dies now, he, despite not being an evil man, won’t make it into heaven. As Little Joe is close to death, he is visited by agents of both the Lord and of Lucifer. They make a deal with him: they will give him six months to atone for the errors of his human life. Once back on Earth, he won’t remember the deal but both the Lord and Lucifer will be watching over him, trying to get him to see things their way. As both sides try to get Little Joe’s soul, they figure that some of the most powerful tools they have at their disposal are the women in Little Joe’s life: Petunia on behalf of the Lord, and Georgia Brown, a gold-digging floozy, on behalf of Lucifer. As hard as both the Lord and Lucifer try to get Little Joe on their side, they don’t factor into the equation human judgment, which turns some of their work against them.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Rex Ingram plays the devil’s son, Lucifer Jr., in Cabin in the Sky.
Vincente-Minnelli.jpg
