BEYOND TOMORROW (1940) Harry Carey, C Aubrey Smith & Charles Winninger | Drama, Fantasy | B&W

Beyond Tomorrow (also known as And So Goodbye and Beyond Christmas) is a 1940 American fantasy film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and produced by noted cinematographer Lee Garmes; Garmes was one of a handful of cinematographers who became film producers.

Structured as a B film, the production did not engage any stars who would receive billing above the title, relying instead on a quartet of veteran character actors, Charles Winninger, Maria Ouspenskaya, C. Aubrey Smith and Harry Carey, second-tier young leads Richard Carlson and Jean Parker as well as "other woman" Helen Vinson, a minor lead/second lead actress during the early- and mid-1930s, here approaching the end of her career. All seven actors received a "Featuring" billing after the title. The remaining supporting cast included Rod La Rocque, a top leading man of the silent era, now reduced to playing minor supporting roles.

Because the events of the plot take place during the Christmas season, it is a contemporary, but little-remembered example of the Christmas film. The original print has been digitally remastered and preserved by the National Film Museum, Incorporated.

SYNOPSIS
The ghosts of three elderly industrialists, George Melton, Allan Chadwick, and Michael O'Brien, return to Earth after dying in a plane crash to reunite a young couple they once brought together.

On Christmas Eve, engineers George and Allan work tirelessly to complete a design, while Michael, the third partner in their firm, brings gifts and sends their employees home. The three old friends share a mansion with Madame Tanya, a dispossessed Russian countess, and plan a dinner with prestigious guests. When the guests cancel, George becomes despondent about his dark past. To lift his spirits, Michael suggests a whimsical plan: they each throw a wallet with $10 and a business card into the street, hoping to attract new guests.

Arlene Terry, a socialite, dismisses the gesture, but the wallets of the other two are returned by considerate strangers: Texas cowboy James Houston and teacher Jean Lawrence. The new guests join the men for dinner, becoming close friends, and James and Jean soon fall in love, much to the delight of the elderly trio.

Tragically, the three men die in a plane crash while on a business trip, leaving James and Jean devastated. As ghosts, the men return to their mansion, where Madame Tanya senses their presence. Michael had left bonds to the couple, allowing them to marry, and James’s singing talent eventually lands him a spot on a radio show, leading to an opportunity to star alongside Arlene Terry.

As James becomes infatuated with Arlene, he neglects Jean, causing distress among the ghosts who are powerless to intervene. Arlene’s estranged husband, fueled by jealousy, follows them and shoots James. As James lies dying, Michael pleads with the heavens for a second chance for the young man. His plea is granted, and James is revived. Michael, now forgiven, is reunited with a repentant George, and both are welcomed into Heaven.

CAST & CREW
Harry Carey as George Melton
C. Aubrey Smith as Allan Chadwick
Charles Winninger as Michael O'Brien
Alex Melesh as Josef (butler)
Maria Ouspenskaya as Madam Tanya
Helen Vinson as Arlene Terry
Rod La Rocque as Phil Hubert
Richard Carlson as James Houston
Jean Parker as Jean Lawrence
J. Anthony Hughes as Officer Johnson
Robert Homans as Sergeant
Virginia McMullen as Secretary
James Bush as Jace Taylor
William Bakewell as David Chadwick

Directed by: A. Edward Sutherland
Written by: Adele Comandini (screenplay), Mildred Cram and Adele Comandini (original story)
Produced by: Lee Garmes
Cinematography: Lester White, A.S.C.
Edited by: Otto Ludwig
Music by: Frank Tours
Distributed by: RKO Radio Pictures
Release date: May 10, 1940
Running time: 84 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English

NOTES
Production
Principal photography for Beyond Tomorrow began in late November 1939 at the General Service Studios.

Song
The song "It's Raining Dreams" was written by Harold Spina and Charles Newman.

Reception
Although Beyond Tomorrow was considered a "Christmas Carol" and had some redeeming features including its talented cast of character actors, reviewer Bosley Crowther of The New York Times felt that the plot let the film down. "For its first half it is a latter-day Christmas carol, told with a gamin tenderness and warming as a hot toddy. But when its three elderly good Samaritans return from a plane crash as celluloid chimeras, its mystical peregrinations are more preposterous than moving."